How are everybody's kids doing?

[JeannieF]

I just wondered how everybody's kids are doing on LCing since school started?

So far, my son is doing quite well and continues to lose weight (8 lbs now). He's thrilled with his how his clothes are fitting him.

Since we do CAD, (basically) he has no problem with kids at school knowing about his new WOE. He has his RM for lunch and just eats whatever they serve or I pack him something "normal" looking, so no other kids tease him or make a big deal out of it.

The only problem I'm having is my 7 year old worrying about his "weight" since every one else in the family has a weight problem. My 7 year old is skinny, skinny, skinny!!! I've changed the diet of the entire family (including him) as lo carb, less sugar is good for any kid! But, he keeps weighing himself and saying he has to lose weight. Oh brother.

I realize he probably just wants to fit in with the rest of his chunky family, but I don't want this skinny kid thinking that what he looks like is fat. (BMI of 16.5).

Let's hear from some other LC Parents!

Jeannie :roll:

[Colleenski]

I have a 7 yr old and a 9 yr old and they are all skin and bones, but I know they are aware of their body image since they have been wanting to exercise with me.

It seems hard to not include them in the journey to fitness, so maybe we can find ways to let them participate.
All in the name of "developing lifetime habits."

You could let him see and oversee his own balanced meal charts and let him do kids exercise videos and chart how he feels.

Any feedback?

[Lisa N]

I think you're right to be concerned about your 7 year old developing an unhealthy body image. One way to handle it might be a trip to the doctor. Kids are usually quite willing to accept what the doctor has to say, more so than their parents. Maybe if he heard his doctor say, "You're fine....you have no need to lose weight and are definitely NOT fat", it would help him relax about it a bit.
Another possibility is that he feels that he needs more attention and the way he thinks he is most likely to get it is to focus on his weight. After all...everyone else in the family is doing it, why not him? It's hard to explain to a 7 year old how his older brother needing to lose a few pounds doesn't mean that HE needs to lose a few pounds.
Maybe it would help to focus more on health than size? Saying things like, "I really want to be healthy. Losing a few pounds would be great, but being healthy is the most important thing to me right now." If we, as parents, focus a lot on our weight or size, our kids will likely too...kids learn what they have modeled to them. That's the direction I take with my 8 year old who is a bit chunky, although I would never use that term in front of her or to her (NEVER use the "F" word with your kids, fat that is). I explained to her that I had done some reading and learned that it's very unhealthy for people to eat a lot of sugary foods or a lot of bread, rice, cereals and noodles and that I was making some changes to make sure that everyone in the family was as healthy as they could be. Since no kid likes being sick, this idea really appealed to them. I don't need to tell her that her clothes don't fit...she's already quite aware of that. My kids also know that I'm a diabetic and that those foods are more than unhealthy for me...they're downright dangerous.

[JeannieF]

Being the product of a household obsessed with fat and how awful being fat was (my Dad was a menace to his daughters!) I NEVER use the word FAT with my kids.

I've very much taken the approach with them of improved health and just eating better foods, overall.

Unfortunately, the ten year old has been exposed to much information about his size from his peers. I don't have to tell him, he's already been told. He's so THRILLED with his weight loss, and I'm thrilled for him. He was down another .5 lbs this morning and came running joyfully to tell me.

I know my younger son sees this and is just trying to fit in, and I just want him to realize he's healthy already. I told him eating this new and better way would help him build big muscles and he'd be a better baseball player as a result. He likes that!


Thanks so much for your input. Everyone here is so good, I don't know how I'd make it without this forum.

Jeannie

[Lisa N]

I think you may be on to something here. Your older son gets attention and praise for losing weight and your younger son sees that and naturally wants it too (which would explain the weighing and saying he needs to lose weight when he really doesn't). Since he doesn't need to lose weight and likes the idea of building bigger muscles and being a better baseball player, focus on that and praise him for those things. A casual, "hey...I think the muscles in your arms/legs (pick whatever body part) are looking bigger" or "you really played a great game today. I think the extra protein, veggies and fruit are really helping." Will probably go a long way and get his focus off the scale and onto a healthier perspective.
I understand being raised in a household where size means everything. My mom was like that and constantly criticized me for being too fat (yes, she used the FAT word a LOT) even when I wasn't. I won't ever do that to my girls. They already get too much unhealthy body image presented to them through the media already. They don't need me adding to it and it's about all I can do to help them see that the ideals of the media for a beautiful body are not healthy or realistic for most girls.

[JeannieF]

We had a family picnic this weekend and many people commented on how great my son looked. His weight difference is really becomming obvious and he's looking GREAT.

Several people told him how good he looked and he was so happy about it.

Just wanted to share this, as I'm so happy for him!

Also, on Sunday we had ton's of left-over goodies (cakes, cookies, etc) lying around our kitchen. He didn't even consider having any. Instead of reaching for something sweet and easy, as he would have done a month ago, he said, "Mom, can you cook me some breakfast?"

I was SO proud of him and his resolve to stick with this. What a kid!


Keep on lo-carbin' and feeling great about your decision to be healthy and happy.

Jeannie

[ginkirk]

After listening to Power Protein book I started getting concerned about general health issues for my 7 1/2 year old with regards to pastas, grains & of course, sugar & fake fats. I'm looking for strategies for helping her adapt her tastes toward more healthy foods & away from processed stuff like mac & cheese from the box or sandwich cookies. How do you get a kid to change from something she clearly likes to something she clearly doesn't like? White bread to wheat, for example. She's quite in touch with her feelings on this. (However, on Friday last week she decided she wanted to be a vegetarian. Guess it's the nutrition education she's getting in class these days.)

Thanks in advance

[JeannieF]

One of the things I've done is stopped buying all the junk food. I buy minimal cereal now, and then only the lower-sugar ones. (Kicks, Cheerios) I only buy cookies about once a month, thereby making them a real treat instead of an everyday snack.

You can buy lower sugar snacks, like saltines or make available celery with peanut butter. My kids love these and I'll just make a bunch and have it on a plate in the fridge. Also, jello (sugar free) with whipped cream makes a great, fun snack.

Also, start educating her with YOUR knowledge of what's healthier, better for her bones, her muscles, her brain power!!! My children (7 and 10) have really bought into this and understand it, to some extent.

I make more breakfasts like bacon and eggs and have far less quicky "here's a granola bar" mornings. It requires getting up a bit earlier, but I know the kids are eating better and losing 15 minutes of morning sleep is certainly worth that.

My kids love pickles. Although high in salt, they're lo in carbs and no sugar. My kids love cheese. Good for calcium, also! I keep cheese sticks on hand all the time, now. I also have bottled water in the fridge at all times. It has virtually replaced juice in our house. If their only options are water and milk, they'll drink water or milk!

Both boys are adapting well and are starting to ask for far fewer snacks, overall. The grocery bill is averaging out, since I'm not buying potato chips, pretzels, juice, cookies, cereal, etc. For bread, I've found a lo-carb bread that tastes almost just like white bread. The kids love it and it's very high protien. It's just a bit more chewy than regular white bread. Try a health-food store to find this.

Good luck to you. It's a change most families in the US really need to make. Even extra thin kids are frequently that way because they eat too many carbs and not enough protien.

Jeannie

[JeannieF]

The bottled water I have in the fridge is not all store bought. I purchased one case of bottled water with the squirt top and have washed them out and used them over and over again. This saves money, but the kids don't care. It's still a fun, easy way for them to have water.

[ginkirk]

I appreciate your responses. Your ideas are sound ones, & thanks for extremely plausible suggestions as well. My only problem is the Jello! For some reason I have a mental block about making it! I'm not an inept cook, but for some reason I've never successfully made Jello. Here's a food preschoolers make in a snap & mine always turns out like gritty goop. Pathetic, I know.

Getting up earlier is a goal I really need to set - for other things as well. I'm coming up against the snack or quickie meal issue in my LC eating as well & I imagine that a little extra time is probably what it takes for healthier eating - LC or not.

Thanks again!

[julienne]

we homeschool so thats good and bad,

good since we are home to cook most days, bad because the kitchen is always open so to speak,

almost everyone in our home is LCing, some stricter than others,

husband just thinks that resistance training will cure everything-but then he is a man,

but little girls, 11 and 13 and I have been trying hard, they have dropped 14 and 5 pounds respectively,

they are not counting or limiting, just really cutting back on the carbs and doing a bit of exercise,

if they eat grains, we try to get multigrain cereals and serve them only in the morning,

the little girl across the street has just been diagnosed Diabetes Type 1, so counting carbs is a neighborhood game,

and then my 16 year old just made chocolate chip cookies, but you know they are just sitting on the counter, last year they would have been eaten in 5 minutes,

but I must learn some new recipes,

one cannot live on hamburger patties forever,

julienne