Men eat food so that they can have the energy to get back to whatever it is they want to do. Most would never — as women often do — leave themselves a little bit hungry after a meal. That’s just distracting: food is fuel. So fuel up! Eat to the point at which you’re satisfied (not stuffed, but satisfied) and can go another four hours without eating again.
It’s almost impossible to get a man to eat something that doesn’t sound appealing to him, even if it is incredibly healthy. Men will always eat what sounds the tastiest, and to some extent, you should too. We don’t mean eat a cheeseburger every day, but if it’s between the lentil salad and the veggie pasta and you know you want that pasta, get it! If you don’t, you’re more likely to snack on junky items later because you feel deprived.
The vegetarian world is dominated by females, according to a study cited in The Huffington Post. And if you’re not a meat eater, that’s OK! But men tend to eat meals that are centered around a big serving of protein. This could be steak, chicken or fish, but it could also be a heaping serving of beans, lentils or eggs. Just tell yourself the main event of the dish should be protein.
At meals, men tend to eat one large item like a burrito or a sandwich. They don’t necessarily eat steamed broccoli, rice and a chicken breast. They get their vegetables in throughout the day: most men I know will eat whole carrots or celery sticks while watching TV. Don’t cut veggies out of your main meals, but, like men, add them as snacks throughout the day as well.
Women are far more into breakfast than men are. Men will grab a banana and a protein bar, and that will hold them over until lunch. They might be onto something: recent studies have found that breakfast should be small (around 300 to 500 calories depending on your weight and activity level), rather than the monstrous breakfasts we were once encouraged to eat like eggs, bacon and pancakes. Breakfast is just meant to jumpstart your metabolism—remember, it just woke up like you did and isn’t ready to digest a lot of food yet!
When cooking for one, men keep their recipes very simple. They usually just throw whatever they want to eat into one giant pan with some canola oil. Women sometimes make elaborate, gourmet dishes even when they’re eating alone. But when you put all of that work into food, you feel like, “I should eat more…it’s such a special dish!” and go back for seconds and thirds. Keep recipes simple when you’re dining alone.
Stop seeing it as a problem that your male friends keep nothing in their fridge; see it as a solution. Guys tend to just buy a few items at a time, and when they look in their fridge, since they know they only have x amount of food, they divvy that food up appropriately. Women, however, overstock their fridges, and that leads you to look in there and think, “I’ll never run out of food! I can eat as much as I want tonight.”
You’ve probably heard a male friend say, “Oh man…I just realized I haven’t eaten in 12 hours.” And you think, “Just Realized?!” Women prefer more rigid eating schedules than men do, but men are onto one thing: most only eat when they’re really, truly hungry, not because it’s lunchtime or dinnertime. Sometimes you don’t need to eat the same amount of food at the same time every day. Some days you need a little more, others a little less. Listen to your body.
Men do not order skinny drinks. If they want a good beer, they order a good beer. They often end up drinking less drinks because they’re satisfied with one or two good beers. Women, however, often order “skinny drinks” and may feel justified in ordering several of those drinks. But those calories add up. Just order the cocktail you want, and stick to one or two.
