not restricting sweets/ kids gaining weight

[Flor]

How do you deal with these issues in your house? We have a hands off, regulate yourself policy in the house, though we try to keep minimal junk in the house. Dss is 10 now, obssessed with junk/sweet/carbs and now is gaining weight which is makind dh reconsider our "you know what you need" policy. We try to encourage exercise, but he is a computer/book/art type kid. He skateboards some and does karate 2x a week. Dh lost 100 lbs when he was 18 so he is freaked out that dss is going to have the same issues as him, though dss was a super skinny kid for years. I know kids gain weight right before puberty, but I am not sure how much is ok. I don't really believe in restricting food, but what we are doing doesn't seem to be working either.

[PikkuMyy]

two quick ideas:

1) even less junk in the house so that when he's hungry, all he has to eat is healthier stuff

2) teaching him about nutrition and helping him learn to create a balanced diet for himself rather than being stuck between "eat anything I want" and "Mom and dad don't let me have any snacks or treats".

[white_feather]

I've always been a little bit skeptical about the "you know what you need" policy because our culture does everything in it's power to convince us that we should consume more and we deserve it . . . and somewhere along the line most of us lose the little inner voice that says "enough" (as evidenced by the fact that 2/3rds of the population is now overweight).

My family struggles with weight issues too, so I do get where you're coming from. I struggle with finding the balance between allowing self-regulation, and providing structure for eating. In our home, there is no junk food. We do eat junk food, but it is a really special treat, and we usually go out for it (for example, in the summer on friday we'll take a walk to the ice cream shop - or have cake on a birthday - or I'll make an apple pie in the autumn, cookies at Christmas -- but we don't generally buy or keep junk food in our cabinets).

I've made my ds (who is 5) a snack basket that he can help himself from at anytime. There are individual portion sizes of dried fruits, whole wheat crackers, sometimes I put pretzels in . . . or whatever little healthy looking treats I find at the health food store. The fridge is stocked with yogurts and cheeses for protein snacks.

I've also been trying to teach my child (again, he's younger, so I'm not sure how this works with an 8 y/o) about the concept of 'listening' to his body -- is he really hungry? or is he bored? What else can we do besides snack if dinner is only in a half hour?

I'm sure you've already considered the exercise issue, and I'm sure you know if he's getting enough or not, so I'm not sure it's worth mentioning. I have found that in our family, we all started getting more exercise by taking family walks after dinner. It's been so rewarding to do that together, and we've discovered all sorts of new gems in our neighborhood since!

Best wishes!

[Marsupialmom]

I think lessen the crap food you have around is the first key.

Learning moderation is a taught skill.

I don’t think our natural body always know best with modern foods and conveniences. Many process foods are high in sugar. This causes insulin shifts and cravings. I also know emotions can play havoc in the cycle. Emotions are effected by hormones, which your 10 year old is getting.

PUBERTY~~ Is your dss getting fat or a pudge? Some kids do gain a few extra pounds (pudge) before a growth spurt. He might be due for one. My son recently has gone on a carb binge (junk food/sugar craving) and I can see it is because he is growing, well his feet are (He has gone up two shoe sizes this summer). I really have been having to work on reminding him how to balance fats, proteins, and carbs out. It does not come naturally for him.

I would encourage you to read Dr. Sears L.E.A.N. Book. Part of the problem is our kids (and we) are bombarded with mixed messages. No fat/low fat crap information is just as bad as low/no carb information. There is no teaching of good fats or good carbs and how to balance them out with proteins. He has a lot of information on his web sit on nutrition.

[Flor]

Thanks for hte Sears info, I haven't seen that. We keep little junk in the house, but I find it isn't even necessarily "junk" it is carby/sweet stuff. For example, with dinner we might have chicken, veggies and maybe bisquits. If we have bisquits, he wants a tiny bit of chicken, a tiny bit of veggies and a whole bunch of bisquits. He seems to crave the things that have the least nutrional value. We do talk about nutrition and choices and moderation; he knows it intellectually, just doesn't effect his choices that much. It does make me sad to have even less "junk" in the house because I like that stuff too, but in very small portions, once in a while.
What is the difference between "pudge" and gaining weight? It is around the middle, but he has been growing a lot. too. 2 shoe sizes this summer and taller too. I am used to seeing him as a super skinny kid and he is not that anymore. I don't think he is out of "normal" range, but just want to keep him healthy and happy.

[johub]

My oldest is 13 and with her and her friends you could always tell that they were right about to go into a growth spurt because they looked a little fuller all over. Like they suddenly look younger with a little "baby fat".
Not major fat stores areas really.
It is brief and goes away after the growth spurt. Usually no more than a few months.
So for instance if my chlid still looked like they had put on a few pounds and 6 months have passed with no significant growth, I might consider it a weight issue. But if they were still in the middle of a growth spurt I would expect it to disappear on its own before my child's height plateaus again.

My ds also wants to stuff himself with the simple carbs when they are availible. That is one reason I dont serve bread much with meals.
Joline

[UUMom]

Restrict is such a loaded word...

I would rather say that I buy that which doesn't make me crazy. I don't buy soda, juices (occas I buy organic orange juice--maybe 1/2 gallon once a month), transfats, or chips. I don't buy anything with high fructose corn syrup. I do buy organic yogurt, fruits, whole grain breads and crackers, cheese & sometimes organic baked corn chips. Hungry kids can go ahead and eat whatever they want.

They can have ice cream and other things in summer when we go out for a ride or to the beach, and my older kids know that what they choose to eat with friends is whatever it is they choose to eat.

I would start out buying a whole heap of stuff that doesn't have processed sugar, transfats and HFCS.

And I think keeping him moving, however it is he likes, is a good idea. A round of mini golf is not difficult, but it keeps one away from the chips.

I could stand to lose weight, and if I had oreos and such in the house, I'd *be* house. Will power is not my thang. :

[Marsupialmom]

Originally Posted by Flor

Thanks for hte Sears info, I haven't seen that. We keep little junk in the house, but I find it isn't even necessarily "junk" it is carby/sweet stuff. For example, with dinner we might have chicken, veggies and maybe bisquits. If we have bisquits, he wants a tiny bit of chicken, a tiny bit of veggies and a whole bunch of bisquits. He seems to crave the things that have the least nutrional value. We do talk about nutrition and choices and moderation; he knows it intellectually, just doesn't effect his choices that much. It does make me sad to have even less "junk" in the house because I like that stuff too, but in very small portions, once in a while.
What is the difference between "pudge" and gaining weight? It is around the middle, but he has been growing a lot. too. 2 shoe sizes this summer and taller too. I am used to seeing him as a super skinny kid and he is not that anymore. I don't think he is out of "normal" range, but just want to keep him healthy and happy.

Is he wearing regular? Is he pushing into husky sizes (this is when you start to worry). He is craving the bisquits becuase his body needs more fuel at the momment. Can you make whole wheat rolls/bisquits instead?

Talk to his doctor, remember he is getting testastorone that is going to make him fuller! He could be also getting a little muscle mass in there that you haven seen before, because he had a boys body. His body is going to be turning into a mans body and it is going to be thicker.