Earliest Memory of having weight problems...

LittleSpy

After reading the posts I was just curious if anyone noticed that one person would say "my parent's restricted too much" and another person would say "I wish my parent's would have restricted more" The question was more..."what's the healthy balance?"

I notice this every time someone asks a similar question.

I have to say, and this is of course all conjecture, I think education is the healthy balance. Teach them about healthy living. I mean, they'll learn already just watching you be healthy, but I think knowledge is the greatest weapon in fighting weight issues.

Don't go into like you're teaching them because they have a problem (which, as you said, they don't right now). Just go into teaching them about it like you'd teach them about/how to do anything else.

brunsie

My earliest memory of being overweight was the summer I was 7. I went to New Jersey to spend a week with my cousin (who I now no longer talk to). My mom just bought me a new bathing suit that I though was so great. It was a 2 piece but had a little stomach cover that snapped on to the top. It was blue with flowers on it and I just liked the snaps. Anyway, we get to the ocean and I take off the snapped over so it just a two piece. I cousin makes this gesture with his hands letting me know that I had a big belly. He laughed and then went in the water. I started to cry, put the stomach cover back on and put my shirt back on as well. I have not worn a bathing suit without a shirt on since that day.

In fact, I am never without clothes on except in the shower to this day, even in front of my husband. Wow, I just realized that one incident from so long ago changed the way I see myself forever.

msbanana

My first memory of "thinking" I was fat was 1st grade. I'm tall, I was tall then. Looking back at pictures I was easily a head taller than all the other girls. I wasn't skinny I was average... for my height, which again, was a head taller than all the girls. I was at a slumber party and we were sharing clothes and playing "dress up" I couldn't wear any of the clothes they had to share. One of the girls made a comment that I was too fat to play. So I went in the kitchen and sat and talked with her mom instead. When her mom asked me why I wasn't playing I told her "I'm too fat to play dress up with them." Her mom gave me a hug and I'll never forget the conversation.
"Did they tell you that?"
I said yes.
"Honey, you're not fat, you're taller than they are. That's why the clothes don't fit. I have some old clothes, they'll be to big for you but if you want to play you can use them."
I said, "I'd like to go home if that's ok."
She hugged me again and called my mom.
It happened that way all through elementary school. Got called names, Jolly Green (in reference to the giant), Jenny Craig Drop-out... there were so many. Again- no ACTUAL weight problem, just tall. The teasing from the kids would have been something I could have over come but my mom (who is only 5'3") spent my middle school years harping on a number. By the end of 6th grade I was 125 pounds. I was 5'2". My mom spent from that moment on telling me that she weighed 125 pound when she got pregnant with me. I was 5'9" and 160 pounds by 8th grade... My doctor said normal, Gramma said beautiful (love that woman) Mom said, "160 pounds? I was 125 when I was 28, before I got pregnant with you." By high school I had an eating disorder...
Finally beat the eating disorder, had some health problems and ACTUALLY got fat... My earliest memory of ACTUALLY being over weight was 6 years ago...

Strange- and recounting those memories made me well up a bit.

As far as parenting- telling your child they are beautiful no matter what is paramount. I would have been a lot more screwed up if it hadn't been for my Grandmother who has unconditional love down to an art form. Set a good example by exercising and eating healthy and let it happen. If you're child is concerned with their size give them healthy solutions to fix the problem.

Cheers my fellow MFPer's

Mamakatspokane

My first memory of "thinking" I was fat was 1st grade. I'm tall, I was tall then. Looking back at pictures I was easily a head taller than all the other girls. I wasn't skinny I was average... for my height, which again, was a head taller than all the girls. I was at a slumber party and we were sharing clothes and playing "dress up" I couldn't wear any of the clothes they had to share. One of the girls made a comment that I was too fat to play. So I went in the kitchen and sat and talked with her mom instead. When her mom asked me why I wasn't playing I told her "I'm too fat to play dress up with them." Her mom gave me a hug and I'll never forget the conversation.
"Did they tell you that?"
I said yes.
"Honey, you're not fat, you're taller than they are. That's why the clothes don't fit. I have some old clothes, they'll be to big for you but if you want to play you can use them."
I said, "I'd like to go home if that's ok."
She hugged me again and called my mom.
It happened that way all through elementary school. Got called names, Jolly Green (in reference to the giant), Jenny Craig Drop-out... there were so many. Again- no ACTUAL weight problem, just tall. The teasing from the kids would have been something I could have over come but my mom (who is only 5'3") spent my middle school years harping on a number. By the end of 6th grade I was 125 pounds. I was 5'2". My mom spent from that moment on telling me that she weighed 125 pound when she got pregnant with me. I was 5'9" and 160 pounds by 8th grade... My doctor said normal, Gramma said beautiful (love that woman) Mom said, "160 pounds? I was 125 when I was 28, before I got pregnant with you." By high school I had an eating disorder...
Finally beat the eating disorder, had some health problems and ACTUALLY got fat... My earliest memory of ACTUALLY being over weight was 6 years ago...

Strange- and recounting those memories made me well up a bit.

As far as parenting- telling your child they are beautiful no matter what is paramount. I would have been a lot more screwed up if it hadn't been for my Grandmother who has unconditional love down to an art form. Set a good example by exercising and eating healthy and let it happen. If you're child is concerned with their size give them healthy solutions to fix the problem.

Cheers my fellow MFPer's

:flowerforyou: Your story made me well up a bit...girls can be so mean!:flowerforyou:

Your advice on parenting...spot on, excellent, your so right. I do love my kids unconditionally and work hard to teach them about health...never about weight. Thank you:flowerforyou:

sniffles

I was a very tall child... and for as long as I can remember people used to say; Wow she's big!

And even as a tiny child I took that to mean I was fat. Even at my thinnest I felt ugly and huge. Kids my age constantly made references to how big I was and I was always at least a head taller then them. It's kind of funny though because I was pretty darn fit then! Second fastest runner in the school, second longest jump rope skipper (Hehe.. the boy who beat me in both categories was the BANE of my existance. Superior fitness was the one thing I prided myself on in school - despite feeling fat).

I did start to gain weight over the years for a variety of reasons and by the age of 13 I weighed in at 230 lbs and was around 5'8.

It's funny I have pictures of myself as a kid before the actual weight gain started and I think; HOLY CRAP I WAS TINY... but I sure didn't realize it. ):

sniffles

msbanana - I didn't see your comment until after I'd posted mine. It seems we have a bit in common.

Good luck in your journey!!!

questionablemethods

I went through puberty before most of the other kids in my grade level. I had a bra in 4th grade and my period in 5th -- though I understand that is becoming more and more the norm these days. I remember being weighed and measured in 5th or 6th grade by the school nurses. I was 5 ft tall and 100 lbs exactly and I was.... MORTIFIED. "Triple digits!" I thought.

Of course, that really isn't big at all, but I was, honestly, one of the BIGGEST kids in my class (mostly height and the normal puberty weight gain, I wasn't actually unhealthy, but at that age it is really hard to tell the difference.

I stopped enjoying phy ed around that time and I remember that having to do the mile run made me completely miserable. I just felt so huge and out of shape compared with the little 80 lb girls in my class who could run for miles and miles. I guess it was pretty much downhill from there with the self-deprecating talk about how I was "just not athletic."