Cooking Separate Meals for Your Family?

No. Cook one dinner and change your plate. The food in our plan is real, family-friendly food, so everyone can eat the same meal while you adjust your own portions: protein first, plenty of vegetables, and carbs and fats sized to your plan. Serve yours first, and let everyone else add what they want.

Cooking two dinners every night is exhausting.

We don't ask you to do it.

Here's how one dinner works for everyone.

Why does it feel like I need two dinners?

Because most diets were written for one person.

You're feeding a whole house.

Here's what the women we coach tell us:

Your husband won't eat it. He wants the pasta, the bread and the sauce.
The house is full of big eaters. Growing kids and a husband who clear the table in ten minutes.
Someone is picky, or has an allergy. One won't eat fish. One can't have nuts.
Your prep disappears. You cooked chicken for your lunches, and the family ate it for dinner.
Your portions get lost. When everyone serves themselves from the middle of the table, it's hard to know what ended up on your plate.

If you're nodding along, you're in very good company.

Can my family eat what I'm eating?

Yes.

Chris explains it like this: the food in our plan works for the whole family. What changes is your portions, and where your carbs and fats land on your plate.

There's no special perimenopause food. No diet meals.

Chicken, fish, ground turkey, eggs, vegetables, potatoes, rice, salads. Real food your family already eats.

For the first 14 days, the plan is lower carb and higher protein, with a short break from alcohol, dairy, gluten and processed sugar. So for those two weeks, your plate might hold more protein and vegetables than everyone else's. The rest of the table doesn't have to change at all.

Then foods come back, and your plate starts to look even more like theirs.

More on that in how we handle wine, family dinners and favourite foods.

How do I make one dinner work for everyone?

Build the meal in parts. Everyone takes what they need.

Protein in the middle of the table. Chicken thighs, salmon, burgers, a pot of chili. Everyone eats it.
Vegetables for everyone. Roast a big tray. Your portion is just bigger.
The carb on the side. Pasta, rice, potatoes, bread. The family takes what they want, and your coach tells you how much fits your plan.
Sauce on the side. Whoever wants the creamy sauce adds it. You choose yours.

One of my favourite ways to do this is my homemade pesto. The family gets pesto pasta. A little goes on grilled chicken or shrimp for me. Same jar, same dinner.

Taco night and bowl night work the same way. Everyone builds their own.

And my turkey chili is made for this: a family dinner that also covers your lunches.

What if my husband or kids won't touch it?

Then they don't have to.

Keep the base, change the extras. Same protein, different sides.
Bring your own side. Pizza night? Make a big high-protein salad or a tray of vegetables to go with it, and share if anyone wants some.
Let them add. Garlic bread for them, extra vegetables for you. Nobody has to give anything up.
Tell your coach about your kitchen. Vegetarian, kosher, allergies, a kid who only eats pasta. She builds your plan around the kitchen you actually have.

One note on allergies. Anything medical about a family member's allergy belongs with their doctor. Your coach works around whatever foods your house avoids.

Bored of making the same chicken for everyone? Here are high-protein dinner ideas the whole family will eat.

How do I stop my family from eating my prepped food?

This one happens all the time.

You cook enough chicken for three lunches. The next day, there's half a chicken breast left for you.

Our coaches' fix is simple:

Portion yours first. Before dinner hits the table, pack tomorrow's lunch and put it in the fridge, already separated out.
Cook more protein than you think. Double the tray. Leftover protein always gets used.
Make it obvious. A container with your name on it works surprisingly well.

Right?

Sometimes the simplest fix is a label.

How do I get my portions right without weighing anything?

Most women come to us wanting to lose weight. What they actually want to lose is fat. And that comes down to what lands on your plate, even when the pot is shared.

No food scales. No calorie counting. No tracking macros.

Your coach uses simple hand-size portions, with a palm of protein as the starting point, and adjusts as you go.

Then one habit makes it easy: serve your plate before the bowls go around the table. It's a lot easier to build your plate on purpose when you're not grabbing from a crowd.

We've helped 1,000+ women lose 10 to 20 lbs of fat in 8 weeks. Plenty of them were feeding a family at the same time.

And if some nights cooking anything at all feels like too much, here's what to eat when you hate cooking and you're wiped out by dinnertime.

Ready for one dinner that works for everyone?

You shouldn't have to run a restaurant out of your kitchen to change your body.

Start with the short video on our homepage at fortyfwd.com. It walks through why your body stopped responding after 40 and the method we use to change that.

If it sounds like you, apply for a call with Chris.

He reads every application himself. On the call, he'll look at who you're feeding and how your kitchen actually runs, and tell you straight whether the program is the right fit. If it is, he walks you through the investment then, once you both know it's a fit.

One pot.

Your plate.

Let's make dinner simple again.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to cook separate meals to lose weight?

No. Cook one dinner for everyone and change your portions. Your coach shows you how to build your plate from the same meal your family eats.

What if my husband won't eat healthy food?

He doesn't have to change his plate. Keep the protein and vegetables the same for everyone, and let him add the extras he wants.

How do I portion my food when I cook for my family?

Serve your plate first, using simple hand-size portions, before the bowls go around the table. No food scales or calorie counting needed.

How do I stop my family from eating my meal prep?

Pack your lunches first and put them in the fridge, already separated, before dinner hits the table. Cooking extra protein helps too.

What do I eat on family pizza night?

Enjoy it with them, and bring a big high-protein salad or a tray of vegetables to go with it. Your coach helps you fit nights like that into your plan.

Do I have to cook separate meals for my family? Nobody wants to eat what I'm eating.