UPDATE! My kids HATE Low Carb.........

[Nibby]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I think I should explain the situation better though.
They are my step-sons but I have been "mom" for about 5 years now and they ARE my sons. Thier mom (who didn't cook etc for them) and my now husband divorced when they were quite little and she didn't want them, my husband did. Between working, raising two small boys and keeping up a house there wasn't really much of "meal time" and junk food or frozen meals were about it for all of them. Thier mom is since died a few years after the divorce by her own hand so these kids have had a real "survival" childhood! My husband, God Bless Him! was always the best father he could be in a 24 hour day. When we got married there was alot of mealtime resentment on the part of the boys because I did away (this was BEFORE my husband and I were low carbing!)
with alot of the junk meals. I like to cook, I became a stay at home mom for them. I enjoy fruit and vegtables and so does my husband but I think these boys would rather cut off a finger than eat a vegtable.

YES I will be honest, it sucks cooking two seperate suppers every night
and I do have rice, pasta, potatos for the kids, I do pizza once a week for them but still half the time thier meal needs to be different because
husband and I eat alot of meat and sautee' vegtables mixed.
I don't have any notions of breaking them of the carbs, sometimes I think at thier ages they should enjoy them BUT when ALL they eat in the summer is junk I can't stand it! Yesterday I walk in the kitchen and there they are eating a huge bag of potato chips and Little Debbies for breakfast. I just blew up at them because we have every concievable thing for them to eat besides that stuff, they don't even want me to make them breakfast or lunch because they eat garbage. I think if they even ate a frozen burrito for breakfast it would be better than that.

After reading everyones posts I have decided today that we are not buying anymore chips, doritos, Little Debbies or doughnuts. I told my youngest (who has been living off potato chips for two days!) to enjoy them because after they are gone he will have to use his allowance to buy them. I wont forbid it if he buys it. I think that will curtail alot of it.
My compromise is that they can still have thier hotpockets and burritos
etc. since they are at least a meal type of thing.

As for suppers..........well I don't honestly think I can ever change the way they feel about fruits and vegtables since I had no hand in thier eating from infants until just a few years ago no matter how hard I try.

One more thing, I think just because a kid doesn't have a weight problem doesn't mean they can't get health problems from eating junk all day. I was a fat little kid but I was active. My little brother was ultra thin and super active and actually as a teen had elevated blood pressure so I think its a crap shoot.

If anyone wants to sound off, give advice, tell me what they do to make a healthier household please post.

Nibby

[atiaran]

I sat down with my stepkids and talked to them about why they should have healthier habits from a health standpoint not from a weight one. It was less of a lecture and more of 'what do you think happens if you keep eating this way?' (heart attack, diabetes, etc. kids are a lot savvier these days!) 'Do you want that to happen to you?' (No)
Then I explained to them that it's ok to have this stuff just not at every meal and really not every day even. There was a ton of whining at first but after 3 years and gradual changes, they eat a lot better. And my stepd is now all the way LC because she has a weight problem. She does whine about missing her candy etc, but when I ask her if she wants to go back to "regular" food, she says no.

I think if you try a gradual change it might be easier on them. Don't tell them certain side dishes are LC and see if it's liked - even then don't tell them! Try kid friendly veggies like broccoli & cheese first. See if they then like cauliflower or zucchini with cheese. Try doing fried veggies breaded with a LC batter. See if they will have fruit flavored yogurt or fruit juice instead of the regular fruit. Again, that isn't LC but it gets them moving in the healthier direction. Do a reward system. Say if they eat at least one fruit a day, they can have that scoop of icecream for dessert every other day.
Good luck!

[lkonzelman]

My husband hates it too.

He is a grown man so we just have two different mutual meals.

[tulips]

Before starting ATkins I slowly weaned my teens off of junk food...telling them there would be less and less of it around. They now look forward to SF Jello and whipped cream!!!! We have no more "junk food" in the house. They follow Atkins with some modifications of added fruit and whole wheat bread. They were upset at first but have begun losing weight and are as excited as I am!!!!!! I know I'd find it difficult to stay on this WOE if I had "goodies" in the cupboards...I hope you find a better solution.

tulips

[DannysMom3]

Although our son is only 11 months ... my "big kid" is my DH. He is a junk food addict - we're talking, the guy could live off Reese's Ice Cream, Digiorno Pizza and Frozen Burritos. I think his mother about had a heart attack when he told her he was eating veggies! The key to it all is finding the veggie they like - my husband LOVES asparagus, brocolli and (whoa!) brussel sprouts. So, every night I incorporate veggies into our dinner. I make him bacon every morning (he isn't a big egg fan). He drinks Orange Juice and at least 64 oz of water instead of soda (he used to drink 4 or 5 sodas a day [and no water or juice] - now he's down to 1!). You've just gotta find out what your kids like and run with it! If they like steak, make steak dipped in cheese sauce! Chicken salads! I mean, there are 1001 ideas. If you need any more, please PM me - I'll be glad to give you some ideas and recipes!

[potatofree]

<giggle> Who says you have to TELL them the junk food is leaving the building? Slowly, the junk keeps on disappearing from the house....healthier choices just seem to get left out in plain sight. OOPS! How did THAT happen?

It took a while, but while I distracted them with other things, they didn't seem to notice the whole grains going up in proportion, the potatoes of all varieties are dwindling....

My daughter's off to college, and seems to be making some pretty fair choices now. My son wants to learn how to cook, WHAT an opportunity! Now, even if a dish has <gag> vegetables in it, if HE helps cook it, it's good.....<shrug> Go figure!

At this point, sneaky and underhanded seem to trump lecturing him. While it's important to know the "why" of good nutrition, I'll pick my battles for now. Hopefully the force of HABIT will make the good choices automatic, and the "why" can come later?

[catfishghj]

My kids ar LCing with me except I let them have plenty of fruit for snacks, plenty of whole milk, and whole wheat bread for sandwiches. I am lucky that they like vegetables and meat. They actually think that I am a great cook. My older son (11) has ADHD and Aspergers disorder. If he gets a large dose of bad carbs, he will get very emotional and be crying all day. He has had much better behavior, especially in school, since he has been eating this way (I now have full custody). My younger son (7) has no problems, but becomes hyperactive when he has a dose of bad carbs. They are both very healthy and do not have a weight problem. I feed them this way because it is the most healthy way to go and has a very positive effect on their behavior. Mashed cauliflower and sauteed zuchini are their favorites and they both alwas ask for more. My youngest has been begging me to make zichini pancakes. My oldest son reads all the lables and will not eat anything with hydrogenated oils in it. In case you can't tell, my boys are very smart and I am very proud of them.

[WendyLynn]

My 10 yr old chocoholic-carboholic son has never been a very healthy eater though he is slim, active and healthy(knock on wood). For the last few months, the rest of the family has been lc'ing and though I do make him a side dish to go with dinner, I don't cook seperate meals. The other day he said he was hungry and went to the kitchen to find a snack. When he came back with a bowl of strawberries, I was shocked. I complimented him on the great snack choice. To which he responded, " What choice do I have? There's nothing good in the house anymore!"