We’re currently in the longest recession that the West has seen in recent history. We are seeing record levels of unemployment and more and more men are finding themselves out of work and for the first time, some families have found women being thrown into the role of breadwinner.

Our economy is messed up and I am angry about it because my family and I have been affected by it. I was unemployed half of last year as was my father, and now my lovely boyfriend is in the same situation I was in six months ago. I certainly have my opinions about the incompetent Gordon Brown. However, this is a weight loss blog and not a place for me to air my political views in more detail!

Take this blog post with a pinch of salt. There are men who can cook and some can cook better than a lot of women! But, I would hate to offend anybody! However generally, women tend to do the cooking and delegate other household chores. If your experiences are different, please do contact Jonathan at Personal Stories, as he would love to hear about how couples are coping with handing over traditional chores. If roles are reversed and you’re a woman having to cook meals for the first time, this can apply to you too!

Role reversal can cause problems if you are trying to lose weight and follow a strict diet. If your man’s cooking leaves much to be desired, there are ways to avoid becoming acquainted with the toilet on a face to face level. My father lived alone for years before meeting my mum but stick him in the kitchen today and he is lost and you’re likely to get a cheese sandwich made with half a block of cheese!

So here are a few pointers on how you can guide your partner to getting involved with your diet.

1. 

   Can your partner help you stick to your diet plan?

   Insist on cooking when you get home. It is exhausting and you have to wait longer to eat but you can make a huge batch of say, Chili or bolognaise, shepherds pie etc from scratch and freeze it so all he needs to do is pop it in the microwave later on in the week. He can help and get to find his way around the kitchen before flying solo.

2. Let him make a few mistakes and have a couple of cheap microwave meals (see tip 1) on standby so that when he realises that improvisation doesn’t work unless you’re a top chef, the revelation doesn’t force you into a starvation diet.
3. Leave lists – lots and lots!
4. Plan ahead together. I have to plan meals a week in advance so I don’t end up eating rubbish food out of convenience. Let him see how much work goes into planning a healthy diet and ask him to rise to the challenge.
5. Buy your main groceries online. There are usually companies who deliver locally grown, seasonable vegetables to your door for a pretty good price. One of the companies local to me charges £7.90 for a 3kg box of seasonal veggies inc delivery.

This isn’t an exhaustive list of suggestions but if your domestic roles have reversed and you are trying to stick to a healthy weight loss plan then something has to give. If your partner is supportive then he or she should be keen to do whatever it takes to help you get slim and get healthy.