People are already suing fast food restaurants...and I think it's wrong. Nobody is tricking or forcing people into eating foods they know will make them fat or unhealthy...who BUYS the Happy Meal for a two year old?

Our school does get a break from the soft drink companies for having the machines in the school, but they are turned OFF except for after school hours and during basketball games. There are also rules about a certain percent of the offerings have to be bottled water and fruit juice. You can't FORCE the kids to choose them, but suprisingly, they sell as well as the sugary things!

I keep treats in the house, but have largely cut out refined sugar and white bread, etc.. At first I tried being militant about it, but it backfired!! The forbidden fruit that tastes especially sweet... when I backed off, I was amazed to see they ate the veggies I had cut up for snacking (I pretended they were "special" for ME.....and they disappeared!) and left the chips languishing in the pantry except for the occasional handful.

What worked for me may not work for everybody, but my 18-yr-old survived it, and is normal weight, navigating the perils of college eating pretty well! My 12-yr-old would LOVE it if I let him eat sugar all day, but tests me on ALL levels to see how much he can get away with....it's a kid thing, I guess!

We all have to make the choices we feel are best...it's not easy is it?

I have a 17 yr old daughter and wish I had understood lc when she was much younger. 14 yr olds are a tough lot! The "Mom doesn't know anything" attitude will get better - it's just a phase...



I would suggest you delve into why they trip you up. If it's making the pancakes and you are tempted to eat them, maybe you should eat your breakfast before making the kids theirs. Reminding yourself why you are doing this and taking advantage of your eating times may help in this area.



You've set that expectation, right? It takes 21-28 days to make or break a habit. I would suggest you really think about whether or not you want to continue making breakfast on the weekends, and then set the expectation accordingly. I would not recommend you make the distinction that you will only cook a lc breakfast because that may alienate your son to lc being good for him.



It seems to me he is wanting sweet breakfasts. In general, sweet breakfasts don't have to be made from grains (baked goods). My daughter eats yogurt for breakfast quite a bit. You might try the mock danish in the recipe forum. Maybe think "out of the box" for some other breakfast ideas. As a kid, I used to eat hamburgers for breakfast sometimes.



No, you are making yourself feel horrible. You might want to analyse this a bit. Why do you feel guilty because you want healthy foods? Do you think that you are denying them something by not having junk food around? Or are you helping them to a healthier lifestyle? In 5 years, he'll thank you for it!



My daughter was the exactly same way. In 7th grade she wore her jacket everyday, all day at school. I couldn't get through to her. She did stop during the summer, so this will pass. Also, she would change for gym in the bathroom stalls.



I am a single parent too and I know how hard it is to be both the "good" guy and the "bad" guy. When my daughter was that age, it seemed like I was always the bad guy. I think about age 15-16 she started coming back around and I was the good guy once in awhile.

My daughter is sitting here while I type this and is telling me that my weight loss is what has motivated her to start this WOE. She and I both agree that the best thing is to not discuss his weight, but to just continue on your path to losing weight. Also, keep learning to cook healthy lc meals so that when he is at home eating, he'll at least get the right foods there. Hopefully, he will begin to grow out of the weight as he gets taller.

My daughter also wants me to have you tell him that middle schoolers are are "little $***heads". [Those are her words, not mine, LOL]. By the time he starts high school, this type of behavior from the other kids should stop.

Hope this will help. Good luck.

Moth - FYI, California just past legislation banning soda machines in public schools, in order to combat the state's obesity rates!

ok, i just have to toss my two cents worth in.

I am not a single parent however I do have 3 wonderfull step-children.(I only add that because of the content of this.)
Their mother used to let them eat what ever they wanted after school and for dinner. To the point she would even cook 3 different things....I understand she was try to compensate and show her love. However it was detrimenatal to 2 of the kids. The oldest (a girl) and the middle (boy) they both have a different body type and metabolism ;than their brother. My daughter was a size 12 in womens when in 6th grade. She would not change in front of anyone. walked around with her hads up around her and very self concious. She is now 14 and has slimmed down to a size 9. This is in part that she plays a lot of soccer....5-6 times a week for a couple hours each. ... I am happy for her. We dont always eat right here at home. In fact I was 135 in 97 and now 189. I am the one who cooks meals. All of my children know that what I fix is what there is to eat. Sometimes I fix stuff they dont really like and they may say so, and if it turns out to really be that bad I dont make it again. However if its not so bad then we doctor it up some. I dont always expect them to eat what I want so I do try to fix stuff they like also. They get cereal and I dont. They get pancakes I dont.
However they will taste what I make and if that is something they like they are more than welcome to have it. I made the mock french toast the other morning and my daughter said it wasnt bad, and she does not like eggs either....
And for dinner I have been making low carb things.
I guess what I am trying to say is.....dont let him demand anything of you. You are the adult and need to be in control of your home. You may offer what you wish. I dont know if you have used the recipe section of this site or not but I have found it very helpful....When I come across something that sounds strange I just keep an openmind and try it. So far it works pretty well..My daughter is sometimes my toughest critics but at the same time she can be the most helpful. She will usually be honest, even if it sometimes hurts. She thinks I am strange with some of this stuff but is there. So maybe just take sometime with him and laugh about what you find here. I know I have rambled but there are so many thoughts running through my head..

TIP*******can find small BBQ drip pans make meals for 2 and freeze.......

ok sorry that was about 2 dollars worth. hope it helps.

My son will really suprise me on some of the LC things he likes to eat. I was amazed he ate lamb meat, protien bars, and a few other unusuall things. Maybe by having them experiment with foods young, they will be more open minded to trying new things as adults too.

My daughter made a LC PeanutButter Choc. Pie for all of us on friday and it was really good. Even my boys liked it.
I hope things are going well for you.

This may have already been said but he has no right to expect you to cook him all this junk food and put you on a guilt trip if you don't. Cook him what you eat. If he doesn't want it then he goes hungry.

The hard task was showing my 4 children a new way of making better choices.. They were all for it once they saw me eating cheese sticks, jello, and steak-umms. (LOL) they have been great

What I'm about to write may sound harsh, but it comes from experience and learning the hard way. I think the issue goes deeper than food. You are teaching your son a way of relating and getting what he wants by manipulation and trying to make you feel bad. This will extend out in the world and he will act this way with others, who may or may not put up with it with consequences that I am sure you don't wish for him. If he is overweight already, you are not doing him any favors in the long run by keeping high calorie/fat foods in the house, but making him happy in the moment and relieving you of being the 'bad guy'.

This may or may not apply to you, so if it doesn't, call me nasty names and forget this post , but, I was a single parent for 7 years before I married my husband. My child has special needs, and because of some pretty heavy guilt that I felt (too long a story for this forum) I unwittingly gave in to a lot of his demands and taught him to manipulate me into giving him what he wanted. It took some 'heavy lifting' to change the way I parented and there were some rough patches when he realized (he is now almost 14) he could no longer demand or push me around, but he is a better and nicer human being for it. I still catch myself now and then slipping back into old patterns but overall, things are happier, and I am stronger. I know it is not easy, in fact it can be mind numbingly hard in a way that only someone who has been there can understand. I wish you all the best, you deserve to be treated with love and respect by your child, but he has to learn that from you and how you allow him to treat you.

p.s. if it's not in the house, it won't get eaten
p.s.s. child services never took a child from the home because there were no doughnuts