Question? Does a child that watches their family member struggle with weight care more or less about their own weight? Are they the ones that try harder to keep the weight off, more concious of it or do they follow the same path and struggle? Or do they just accept that its just the way it is?

My children have never passed comment about my weight, other than to say "Mum must be on a diet, there's no chocolate in the house". All of mine were very proud when I lost the weight and my older daughters do a bit of low carbing if they ever feel they need to shift a couple of pounds, but they dont live at home anymore. My son just eats whatever he wants and doesnt take any notice of my eating habits and my 15yo daughter, doesnt care a jot - as I've pointed out in other threads, she just loves her high carb junk and isnt bothered about her weight - or mine! My son does enjoy teasing her about it any chance he can, but then she'll tease him back about being skinny!?

Jo xxx

My mother was obese pretty much her whole life, in a time when true obesity was rare. All four of us kids have had weight problems. My brother and the next sister up from me were fat teenagers who slimmed down, my oldest sister was slim until her early forties then gained weight, and I, the youngest, have been fat since childhood. Since she died when I was twelve I don't remember Mom actively dieting, but after her death we discovered a SLEW of diet books. One that always stands out for me was a book written in the early 1960s that promoted a low carb diet (the max was 60). Breakfast always included a glass of tomato juice. What sticks out in your memory ...

Many years ago, when I was a teenager and wanted to lose a couple of pounds for... whatever, my mum always used to say "cut out bread, sugar and potatoes" thats the only way to diet - that would be 30 years ago! So low carb isnt new, its always been known

Jo xxx

I try to reinforce with my kids that they need to eat healthy and explain in detail how healthy eating helps each part of the body. I really try to push the fact that every body is different in shape and size but as long as you are eating healthy then your body will do what's right for you.

I try to show them that my main goal is eating to be healthy. I don't weigh myself or talk about losing weight around them. If they ask questions about my weight I'll tell them honestly but I always try to put the main focus on being healthy.

I think the hardest part is trying to correct all the stuff they teach them at school about "healthy" eating. Sometimes I feel I overdo it but since it's an uphill battle trying to teach them that fat and proteins are good, wheat is bad even if it's whole grain, etc. I just think I really need to have my messages come through louder than others.

I've also told them that their teachers have no choice but to teach them what they are told. I've explained how policies are formed, how many times research is funded by the wrong people who want to simply make money off the results, how it takes time for old policies to change to reflect newer science, etc. They know DH and I used to work at Health Canada and Public Health Agency of Canada so I've been able to explain that just because the government as a whole has a particular opinion does not mean every individual believes in and I'm able to give them specific examples with people they've met before.

My son is skinny, he doesn't seem to mind my weight. He does take advantage of my addiction though and brings up junk food regularly hoping I'll cave and we'll go get the junk. I've been getting really nasty about that lately though.

I do my best to explain to them that I eat this way to be healthy and I don't agree with what the school says is healthy. I don't want them to see me overeat, I've tried to hide it from them in the past, sometimes not very well though.

My daughter and younger son is 7 and 5, they are skinny also. They are to young to really worry about weight, I'm sure they figure "it will never happen to me." I used to call my food a diet, but now I call it " the way I eat for my health for ever." My daughter is aware that I'm over weight. I bought a top 2 weeks ago, the top fit, but the belt that went with it was a touch to tight. She popped up, quickly, "Mom, if you loose 10 lbs you could fit that belt." OMG! Yesterday, she asked me if I had lost that 10lbs and could wear that belt yet. OMG! This morning she asked if she could have that top, because the belt would rap around her. She's 7!

My 5 yr old pays no mind to my weight or how I eat. He says I'm pretty, even when I'm feeling fat and awful

I would think that our children watching us struggle with weight issues might give them a sense of empathy for how hard it can be and make them more sensitive, tolerant adults.

Ever notice how the cliquey stuck up superficial (and quite frankly b*tchy) girls were always the ones whose mothers/parents were slim/popular etc. and superficial also...the value was put on looks and popularity instead of compassion and tolerance. My daughter has a name for girls like that...she says that since they all come out of the same shaker and are nothing but empty calories they are nothing more than "Sprinkles"

Maybe empathy takes age? My son is 13 and he already told me that he thinks fat women are not attractive and he prefers skinny women with big boobs. He would never make comments to me, about me, but he's made not nice fat comments about heavy girls in town. Gosh, he's a man already.

My daughter (who is three) has recently noticed that I'm losing weight. She told me "I'm getting bigger and you're getting smaller, Momma!" Hopefully I'll be at goal weight and not struggling to lose by the time it could really affect her. I'm not sure it really does, but I'd rather not set an example of weight being an issue all the time. I'd rather be at goal and having the whole family eating healthy and not stressing about weight.

My daughter and I don't talk about weight, mine or hers. There have been only a few times over the years where I have made a reference about my size and my dd has responded in a way that implies she doesn't see me as "fat."

For example: last summer we were at Mesa Verde and I was contemplating whether or not to go on a particular hike that involved crawling through a very narrow tunnel. I jokingly said "I'm not sure my hips will fit through there." And she said "Of course they will mom! You're not as big as you think you are. "

My daughter is very thin and can eat pretty much anything she wants. But but what I love is that she only eats when she's hungry and she never overeats. She turns down cake, cookies, ice cream, etc. if she's not hungry. She'll eat a half a pound of bacon if she IS hungry, but if there is one strip left and she's not hungry anymore, she will leave it on the plate.

I have the opposite problem! When I was growing up my mom was very anti-diet. She was big on balanced meals and vegetables, but any self-consciousness about weight/food was discouraged.

That was fine back then, but then both of us started gaining... I didn't even realize I was overweight at my peak because weight was such a taboo subject. It just never occurred to me that I was overweight and needed to do something about it.

I've had an uphill battle since starting LC telling myself that it REALLY IS OKAY to restrict my foods. I still feel ashamed telling people I'm on a LC diet even though it's my life-style now and IMO everybody should be eating LC. It's funny how our parents influence us.

Weight is a minefield between mothers and daughters. I got really angry at my mother once for "letting me get fat" (because a school teacher told me I needed to lose weight). My mother did her best - she got rather overweight too as she got older after being very slim as a girl and young woman. She hated it but didn't know what to do I think. She cooked good food that was healthy by most canons. If I'd known then what I do now about carbs we would both have been better off.

I was really scared that my two daughters would have food issues. They are 20 and 18 now and they are both slim and cook for themselves and are pretty health conscious. The elder one is maybe a tad orthorexic but she does eat chocolate and nutella! We were close when she was small - mother's baby I guess - but over the last few years she's been quite distant to me. Now I'm slimmer she seems friendlier. Maybe it's my imagination. The other one is much more open and we discuss food and stuff a lot.

My 7 yr old told me the other day that my sweat pants were getting tight and I needed to loose the weight I had gained.