I’ve set a goal to create better eating habits for the New Year. One of the top recommendations from all the experts is to get “bad” or tempting food out of the house, which I did. But my husband says that he and the kids shouldn’t have to go on this diet with me, and they still want these foods in the house. Is it unreasonable to expect some support from my family when I’m trying to do something to improve my health? How can we reach a compromise on this without sabotaging my goals?
Response by Madelyn Spence, LMSW
I’m glad to hear you’re working to make healthy choices for the New Year! I think it’s absolutely reasonable to expect and want support from your family in this change, and it sounds like you’re motivated to do this.
It sounds like this change may not be as high of a priority for them, which is okay. One way to compromise with this could be asking them to eat chips, candy, or other “bad” foods away from home (maybe at school or work, on their way home, etc.) so that the food isn’t actually in the house. That way they can still have those foods, but they’re offering support to you by not keeping them in the house or eating them around you.
Also, explaining to them how important this is to you, in a positive way, may help them see that their support is helpful to you in achieving your goals.
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