Daughter needs help

wantintolose40

First of all great job in starting a family walk every night. I was a very heavy girl at age 11 and it is hard, but if you support her she will succeed. My turnaround came with the help of my sister getting involved in exercising with me everyday, and I learned about a healthier way of eating and portion control, which is the big one. Just teach your daughter that portion control is key. I do suggest that if there is a trigger food she has that she just can't control how much she eats, to keep that our of the house. Keep up the nightly walk and I bet after awhile she will want to incorporate more into her daily exercise. Maybe also create a reward ( on food related) after her first goal is reached. Good Luck and we are all here to support you!

jillian_fan2425

I've read through some of the posts here and it seems like you are pretty insistent on the "good" and "bad" labels, although you are now using different names. If you really want to go with that system, I would instead use "green light" and "yellow light" foods. Yellow light suggests that you should be careful how many/much of these foods you eat, whereas a red light suggests that you shouldn't eat them at all. I personally think the "yellow light" notion is more accurate and avoids teaching her that she's failed if she eats certain foods. Even a binge once in a while isn't the end of the world and shouldn't be considered a failure.

I also don't really get the concept of having her leave some of her "treat." It would be hard for me to look at that extra cookie sitting on my plate that I can't eat, and I'm an adult with pretty good self-control. Instead, why not create your own packs of appropriate portion sizes? If a serving size is three cookies, put three cookies in a plastic bag and give them to her at the end of dinner. I'm still very careful about only having the portion size I've selected in front of me because it's harder for me to resist food when it's right in front of me.

Good luck to you! It seems like your heart is in the right place, which cannot be said for all parents.

LaRaAnHa

I love how most of the people leaving comments are saying not to force her to excercise or take away foods she enjoyed, but yet the majority of us on MFP are here because we have been fat, mostly our whole lives. If my dad forced me to eat healthier and excercise then I wouldn't be bashing myself on a daily basis.

I agree that the foods she enjoys can be eaten, and you need to teach her moderation. You need to get her educated on why it is important, and what can happen in the long run if she doesn't start now.

You are making the right choices, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. It is obvious you just want the best for your child.

All they are saying is that foods should not be labeled as "good" or "bad" because it causes disorder thinking. And believe me, it DOES. My father went about helping me lose weight the wrong way and I have been struggling with binge eating disorder for the past 12 years.

dwalt15110

One of the most important thing that you need to do is to make your daughter and active part of this process. Right now the only thing I see that she has an active role in is leaving part of her treat. I totally agree with the person who said that it is necessary to portion treats. However, it should not be for you or mom to do, leaving her out. Personally, I would have her read the label. Show her how to find out what the portion size is and how many calories that portion contains and how many portions are in the package. Then have her count and portion her treats into baggies. As a teacher you must know that students learn much better by doing than by having things handed to them already finished.

As for getting her up and moving, I also agree with those who say that you need to find something she is interested in, something that she will want to do. Please don't tell me that there isn't anything, because I don't buy it. There is a whole lot more to do than just walking. Of course, everyone thinks about basketball, baseball, softball, soccer etc. Well what about ice skating, figure skating, playing hockey, ballet, tap, jazz, gymnastics, modern dance, tennis, track. There are soooooo many options. I don't know where you are from, but where I live, the universities actually offer a lot of things for kids. There's even a place called Sky Zone which is a trampoline park. It's loads of fun. Be creative. Don't give into putting yourself and your daughter in a rut.