Guest guest Posted December 31, 2002 Report Share Posted December 31, 2002 Regina, your description of your niece is heartbreaking. She sounds like a very unhappy kid -- but perceptive enough to realize that she needs help, which can only be a good thing. One of the things we have in our house is " treat days " -- our 8-year-old daughter was getting just a tiny bit pudgy, and knowing that her genetic inheritance on both sides is toward obesity, my DH and I were very concerned. She does get out and move around lots -- takes horseback riding, swimming, loves to run and play in the school yard, and does what she calls " weirdicizing " -- hanging from her knees on the jungle gym and doing ab crunches! -- but she was eating way too much, just out of habit and boredom. I sat her down and talked with her about my own childhood experiences. Told her that she is a gorgeous little girl (she is!), and I am not saying she's fat, and I don't want her to get all worried about it, but I felt we were responsible for letting her make poor food choices, especially when we're out shopping or whatever. She seemed to understand this, and didn't seem to feel I was being mean or judgmental. Then I ran an idea past her, and she agreed: she could choose one day per week on which she would get whatever treat she wanted (within reason) -- be it a chocolate bar, a milkshake, a piece of really gooey cake, whatever. On the rest of the days, she would " eat healthy " . No pop, no muffins, no hot chocolate, etc. We've been doing this for two months now, and it's worked like a charm. The goal in getting kids to slim down is not to get them to lose weight, but to stay the same while they grow into their existing weight (obviously, when they're over 200 lbs., it's a different story!). My daughter came to me the other day and very proudly showed me how loose her jeans were on her now -- jeans that had been very snug when we first instituted the " treat days " policy. She's also very proud that she knows how to make healthy food choices. The other day at the mall, she was hungry, so we went to a fruit/veggie market, and she chose a veggie tray with dip as her snack. Sure, you could quibble over the dip, but it was maybe 2 tablespoons, and it sure as heck beat a bag of chips or a chocolate bar! That same trip, we walked past a very chubby little girl who was sitting on a bench, sipping a Slushee. My daughter nudged me and said, " What are her parents thinking? That's just sugar and water! " Yessssss! I. -- <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> RNY September 19, 2001 Dr. Freeman, Ottawa General Hospital BMI then: 43.5 BMI now: 22 -152 lbs <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 31, 2002 Report Share Posted December 31, 2002 Good for you, ! Do you mind if I pass this email along to a 60 person list I'm on -- we're all moms of babies born in January of 2000 who breastfed our kids for at least a year -- a few of us are STILL nursing! Hooray for us and our kids! Anyway, none of us are obsessing over our kids' weight yet, except those of us with unusually tiny toddlers, but I know we will worry about it in the future and it really seems like the " treat day " could be a good idea to institute even with little kids. Some of the kids already have cavities and stuff, and many of the moms are continually struggling with their weight, and I bet those households especially could benefit from a little more structured approach to food. Ziobro Open RNY 09/17/01 (we are almost surgery sisters!) Start BMI: 54.9 Current BMI: 22 182 pounds lost Plastics 07/22/02 " treat days " Regina, your description of your niece is heartbreaking. She sounds like a very unhappy kid -- but perceptive enough to realize that she needs help, which can only be a good thing. One of the things we have in our house is " treat days " -- our 8-year-old daughter was getting just a tiny bit pudgy, and knowing that her genetic inheritance on both sides is toward obesity, my DH and I were very concerned. She does get out and move around lots -- takes horseback riding, swimming, loves to run and play in the school yard, and does what she calls " weirdicizing " -- hanging from her knees on the jungle gym and doing ab crunches! -- but she was eating way too much, just out of habit and boredom. I sat her down and talked with her about my own childhood experiences. Told her that she is a gorgeous little girl (she is!), and I am not saying she's fat, and I don't want her to get all worried about it, but I felt we were responsible for letting her make poor food choices, especially when we're out shopping or whatever. She seemed to understand this, and didn't seem to feel I was being mean or judgmental. Then I ran an idea past her, and she agreed: she could choose one day per week on which she would get whatever treat she wanted (within reason) -- be it a chocolate bar, a milkshake, a piece of really gooey cake, whatever. On the rest of the days, she would " eat healthy " . No pop, no muffins, no hot chocolate, etc. We've been doing this for two months now, and it's worked like a charm. The goal in getting kids to slim down is not to get them to lose weight, but to stay the same while they grow into their existing weight (obviously, when they're over 200 lbs., it's a different story!). My daughter came to me the other day and very proudly showed me how loose her jeans were on her now -- jeans that had been very snug when we first instituted the " treat days " policy. She's also very proud that she knows how to make healthy food choices. The other day at the mall, she was hungry, so we went to a fruit/veggie market, and she chose a veggie tray with dip as her snack. Sure, you could quibble over the dip, but it was maybe 2 tablespoons, and it sure as heck beat a bag of chips or a chocolate bar! That same trip, we walked past a very chubby little girl who was sitting on a bench, sipping a Slushee. My daughter nudged me and said, " What are her parents thinking? That's just sugar and water! " Yessssss! I. -- <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> RNY September 19, 2001 Dr. Freeman, Ottawa General Hospital BMI then: 43.5 BMI now: 22 -152 lbs <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 31, 2002 Report Share Posted December 31, 2002 Hi, -- of course, circulate the post as widely as you wish. I know about the cavity thing, as one of the kids in my daughter's day care a few years ago had to have his front teeth removed at the age of 4. Reason? Mum had been putting him to bed with a TV in his room and a bottle to suck on all night, to help him sleep. Doh! And this woman was a high-powered, well-educated executive at one of the high-tech companies around here. I just wish there were some way to get the message of healthy choices through to every parent and kid on this continent...but you know, you walk into the grocery store, and you really have to search for the healthy stuff. All the prepackaged, over-sweetened, over-fatty, over-salty stuff is right there, looking so good....and so darn convenient, especially for people who are stressed for time and energy as it is. It's a conspiracy, I tell you! LOL I. -- <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> RNY September 19, 2001 Dr. Freeman, Ottawa General Hospital BMI then: 43.5 BMI now: 22 -152 lbs <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 31, 2002 Report Share Posted December 31, 2002 This is such a wonderful idea. I took some snack type stuff to my mom's for Christmas. The first thing that got eaten was a bag of tangerines. It was amazing to see kids go through fruit and not the chips and brownies I had brought, although those got eaten too. Lori Owen - Denton, Texas CHF 4/14/01 479 lbs. SRVG 7/16/01 401 lbs. Current Weight 302 lbs. Dr. Ritter/Dr. Bryce On Tue, 31 Dec 2002 15:31:02 -0500 Irving kdirving@...> writes: > Regina, your description of your niece is heartbreaking. She sounds > like a very unhappy kid -- but perceptive enough to realize that she > > needs help, which can only be a good thing. One of the things we > have > in our house is " treat days " -- our 8-year-old daughter was getting > > just a tiny bit pudgy, and knowing that her genetic inheritance on > both > sides is toward obesity, my DH and I were very concerned. She does > get > out and move around lots -- takes horseback riding, swimming, loves > to > run and play in the school yard, and does what she calls > " weirdicizing " > -- hanging from her knees on the jungle gym and doing ab crunches! > -- > but she was eating way too much, just out of habit and boredom. > > I sat her down and talked with her about my own childhood > experiences. > Told her that she is a gorgeous little girl (she is!), and I am not > > saying she's fat, and I don't want her to get all worried about it, > but > I felt we were responsible for letting her make poor food choices, > especially when we're out shopping or whatever. She seemed to > understand this, and didn't seem to feel I was being mean or > judgmental. Then I ran an idea past her, and she agreed: she could > choose one day per week on which she would get whatever treat she > wanted (within reason) -- be it a chocolate bar, a milkshake, a > piece > of really gooey cake, whatever. On the rest of the days, she would > " eat > healthy " . No pop, no muffins, no hot chocolate, etc. > > We've been doing this for two months now, and it's worked like a > charm. > The goal in getting kids to slim down is not to get them to lose > weight, but to stay the same while they grow into their existing > weight > (obviously, when they're over 200 lbs., it's a different story!). My > > daughter came to me the other day and very proudly showed me how > loose > her jeans were on her now -- jeans that had been very snug when we > first instituted the " treat days " policy. She's also very proud that > > she knows how to make healthy food choices. The other day at the > mall, > she was hungry, so we went to a fruit/veggie market, and she chose a > > veggie tray with dip as her snack. Sure, you could quibble over the > > dip, but it was maybe 2 tablespoons, and it sure as heck beat a bag > of > chips or a chocolate bar! > > That same trip, we walked past a very chubby little girl who was > sitting on a bench, sipping a Slushee. My daughter nudged me and > said, > " What are her parents thinking? That's just sugar and water! " > Yessssss! > > I. > > -- > <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> > RNY September 19, 2001 > Dr. Freeman, Ottawa General Hospital > BMI then: 43.5 > BMI now: 22 > -152 lbs > <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> > > > Homepage: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Graduate-OSSG > > Unsubscribe: mailto:Graduate-OSSG-unsubscribe > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 1, 2003 Report Share Posted January 1, 2003 I'll tell you what I did with my daughters (of course it didn't work for the one with the desease of obesity. I only went to the market once a week. Each kid could by two snacks for the week. It could be a whole bag of candy, chips, icecream. It didn't matter. But that was it. They could eat it all at once or spread it through the week. The normal eating child always had leftovers. Imagine that. The chubby one when she got to highschool and could go in twon, would break from school and get a bag of jelly beans and eat the whole bag, then get the late bus home. We wnt to weight watchers together. Bought good nourishing foods. The family worked with her. I am grateful that she at last found surgery. Fay Bayuk 300/186 10/23/01 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 1, 2003 Report Share Posted January 1, 2003 : Thanks so much for the suggestion. I do something similar here, because my daughter is going to have problems later on. Food is always on her mind and of course she likes the junk. But she is learning about proteins and carbs in a fun way and healthy snacks. Somedays are easier than others. I'm going to try the " treat day " thing with her. I think if I lable a day where she can have what she wants within reason of course, she'll feel like she is more in control and not get so cranky when I remind her that she already had something now it's time for a healthy snack. As for my niece, there's not much that I can do except answer her questions and guide her a bit. My brother and my ex-sister in-law have to band together and help her. However, her mother feels that there is nothing wrong with her and therefore will not " put her on a diet and make her feel like a freak " . This is what we're dealing with. So, someday, my niece will probably end up on an operating table having her guts rearranged like me. Personally, it's the best thing I've ever done for myself, but would like to have my daughter and niece not have to go through all those years of being morbidly obese, not feeling well, being ridiculed, etc. I think my daughter will do ok. She has a bed wetting problem and has a " pee-pee " alarm. The bladder specialist gave us instructions on certain things for her not to eat 4 hours prior to bed time, dairy products, carbonated drinks (which she doesn't anyway), caffeine and citrus. Since we've been following these guidelines, the alarm doesn't go off and she has been completely dry for over a month. Doc explained that these are all bladder irritants. We forgot and let her have ice cream one evening while out to dinner and sure enough, the alarm went off. It's amazing. So she has already seen the results in modifying her diet in regards to the bed wetting, so I think she'll be able to apply the " treat day " thing in regards to healthy eating habits. Happy New Year and thanks for the suggestion. Will sit down with Miss Leah today and tell her we're going to try " treat day " and see how it goes. Regina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 1, 2003 Report Share Posted January 1, 2003 >Food is always on her mind and of course she likes the junk. But she is learning about proteins and carbs in a fun way and healthy snacks. Somedays are easier than others. > As for my niece, there's not much that I can do except answer her questions and guide her a bit. >>> I think this is the best thing we can do for our kids is educate them about foods. and about the commercial ad industry. there will come a day when they have to make their own choices in that college cafeteria line. to some extent we can control what they eat at home by what we bring into the house but there are still many opportunities for snacking outside the home, so again education is the best. over the years I have talked to my daughter about weight and food and diet ads and such as she has always had friends who were obsessed with weight, some who are probably anorexic or bulimic. one friend now who wears a sz.1 is using hydroxycut and those other types of pills. her mother won't allow any food in the house that has sugar and is totally obsessed and has this now 18 yr. old totally obsessed. when the girl went away to college and gained a few pounds the mother stocked her up with slim fast and stopped sending her money for awhile. but in this girls mind the only solution was hydroxycut. so, long story short I am glad I took a different route with my daughter even though I've been there, done that like this girl. my daughter gained some weight too this first semester away, she also ended up with mono which didnt' help the situation but she is eating and exercising while she is home now. she isn't falling for the false promises of these diet ads and she isn't eating the brownies and cookies laying around the house. she made a salad and chicken for lunch yesterday. so our kids are teachable even if they watched us for years do the wrong thing - we are the best example they have. sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 1, 2003 Report Share Posted January 1, 2003 sue said: > I think this is the best thing we can do for our kids is educate them about foods. ::: snip ::: they have to make their own choices ::: snip ::: so again education is the best. ~~~ LOL... just thought that line of thought deserved repeating and repeating -- ON SUGAR -- My 5 year old has a sugar aversion because (NOT ME) but her dentist (who she adores) has told her how bad it is for her teeth -- so that education can come from outside influences as well and now she asks about the " sugar " in something (does that have sugar?) and if so and she still wants it she is reminded by and extra " brushing her teeth " through the day. It does change her choices if she's just brushed her teeth and then comes in the kitchen and asks about a cookie for example (yes, it has sugar or no it is the sugar free cookie) she'll most often choose the SF because she just brushed her teeth. For us, the dentist has helped a lot. We moved from whole milk to 1% and our 5 year old didn't notice -- I'm fixing to move her to Silk or Vitamite and hope she doesn't notice again -- we switched from Hershey's chocolate to ovelteen (sp?) and from juice boxes to SF Tang -- 90% of the time she'll grab a bottle of water from the fridge for a drink though instead of anything else there. She'd choose a pealed apple over a cookie if I'm just diligent about keeping the fresh fruit on the counter for her to choose from. Most of the time I don't " say " anything to her -- I do mention something like, " Wow, you made a really healthy choice!!! " when she does and I can tell she is consciously making an effort to make a healthy choice -- all the kids deserve the Kudos' when they do good healthy things ~smile~ hugz, ~denise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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