Hi to all,

I'm an old LC vet, been on and of the wagon since I was about 15. So I know, by my own experience LC is safe for my kids 12 and 14. Both could do with losing weight. Oldest has about 30 lbs to loose and although the youngest is not overweight she is getting to close for my comfort.

My question for those of you with LC kids is what would be a good average carb level for them.

TIA,
Nora

How about just portion control, lean protein, a variety of non-starchy veggies and LC fruit --while ridding the house of junk food, soda, etc? Just a thought--

You may have resistance and feelings of discouragement if you approach them with a carb count without trying to make gradual changes first.

My kids sometimes go for days on 10 grams a day and then shoot up to 70 on other days eating berries and oatmeal. They are little, though, and just eat what we eat. Your kids might need more explanation and participation since they are older, but I think any amount of carbs even very low carb is perfectly safe.

I agree with lean protiens/veggies/fruit. Keep it more real and natural at home and they'll make better choices unconciously later. They'll have plenty of time to worry about calories/carbs/fat later in life. I am sure they'll think your terrible for doing it, there was always some reason to hate our parents.

My little guy isn't even 2 and we have always been careful about sugar/treats. He never had any sugar until his 1st birthday. The payoff? The other day we had a picnic and he was going crazy for grapes and never even touched his cookies. =)

Thanks, to all for your input.

To address concerns expressed, we've almost always practiced portion control, as a matter of fact my oldest is known as "kid's meal" by her friends, because while they have the doble whoppers she'll order a kids meal. We've always had plenty of fruit, veggies, and meat available for them.

My eldest problems began and are mostly the consequence of school, she would scarf her lunchbox and her friends' left overs too, but eat normally at home. Problem continued til the 5th grade when we changed her to another school. Since then her weight stabilized and she's been (1) catching up in terms of height, she's 5'81/2" and she began loosing part of the weight in the last year.

She's all for LC, actually not very fond of rice (typical PR staple), but is having a hard time giving up cereal. I guess that's why I wanted a guesstimate on amount of carbs, so she can maybe work in some cereal once in a while. I definitely don't want her to feel deprived, cause then the WOE won't become a WOL. She'd love to be a vegeterian but I discourage it because of concerns with excessive soy.

My youngest is a totally different story, only veggie she'll eat is lettuce, and is a total carb-aholic. Not an easy task to switch her. Thank God we dont keep a lot of junk in the house! This one will actually scavenge for sweets! Which is normally not a problem since there are none. But due to circumstances beyond our control, my parents live with us about 6 mo. out of the year, and at those times all bets are off. Anyway I've ragged on long enough...

Any suggestions, advice and/or strategies are welcome.

Nora

PS: jschwab - 70 carbs sounds higher than my oldest is doing right now, so maybe she can have her occasional bowl of cereal. Thanks.

I don't have any problems with the suggestions, except why lean meats? Kids really need fat for development. It will help them absorb nutrients and they will feel satiated.

Janine

Yep and they need it to grow brain cells - the brain is 60% fat.

I think lean meat and low carb would be very harmful for a growing body, especially toddlers and teens who grow so fast.

For the OP, 70 carbs a day would be a special day, perhaps while at Grandmom's house or even higher if there is ice cream involved somewhere in there. We are OK with giving them sugar but I really try to keep them off the grains since grains block nutrients - this especially goes for cereal. Occasional oatmeal we do, but it's about 30% ghee by the time we add all the fat! But we ave gluten problems in the family which destroys the ability to process grains. If your kids can handle the occasional cereeal, why not?

Janine

I wouldn't think about lean meats on low carb either, kind of defeats the purpose of the whole woe. If kids don't fill up on their required protein and fat, they'll make up the difference with carbs. So meats at home are normal fat, except for chicken (no one likes the skin).


jschawb: No gluten problems here, but I agree cereal should be an ocasional "treat", especially for my oldest. At the moment working on lowering my youngest carb intake. Going slowly without really telling her what we're doing just adjusting what's available as a choice to lower carb content.

Cereal is just so tempting - for me it's like candy. When I was in college I really developed a rebelliousness towards it - it just bothered me so much that something so cheap to produce could be marketed so effectively that people would pay so much for it. I considered hot oat cereal to be a better choice at the time, so it wasn't exactly a lowcarb view, but it meant I never bought into the cereal myth. For young adults it's such a staple, so I'm glad I developed that view because it really saved me from myself.

Janine

Any of the LC plans are safe for teenagers and preteens, as they don't restrict total calories. However, some teens may balk at the restrictions, and they may lose weight easily with a "looser" eating plan. It's not the first thing I'd do with a teen's diet, unless the teenager him/herself wanted to go fully LC to lose weight quickly.

I would cut out or severly limit portions of grains, rice, bread, etc. At the very least, cut out refined grains and only include whole grains, and serve the whole grains with protein and fat. I'd cut out or severely limit dried fruits, fruit juices, and other concentrated sugars. They've got to drink water to quench their thirst, and anything else is an occasional treat.

I would provide lots of meats (fatty is fine), cheeses, eggs, fish, and nuts to base meals and snacks on. I'd offer plenty of low carb veggies. I'd also offer moderate carb veggies and fresh fruits, and whole (not lowfat or skim) milk without restrictions. Basically I'd offer lots of whole, natural foods, and not worry too much if they choose foods that are slightly higher in carbs, as these are natural foods. I wouldn't allow unlimited grains though, as those can really mess up the "I'm full" system in a way that fresh fruit doesn't.

That's what I'd do at home and for any picnic lunches we pack from home, anyway. I would NOT fully prevent a 12+yo from having meals out with friends, the occasional treat from the ice cream truck, etc. But ice cream or chips once or twice a week isn't going to have the same dietary effect as ice cream, pretzels, and chips daily.

I'd also encourage them to be active, especially over the summer.