No kids here, but if you do, I have a question for you.
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No, I would not consider counting their calories since they are both active and healthy weight children. I make sure they are eating as balanced as possible and try and teach them about nutrition so that they are learning good habits.0
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Good lord, no! But mine are only 4 1/2 and 2 1/2. They eat a fairly balanced diet overall, fruits and veggies at every meal, but they also get sugary stuff here and there, probably 4oz of watered-down juice a day, otherwise water or milk. They are both at healthy weights and I let their appetites be their guide. We play outside a lot when weather permits. There is not really a strong family history of obesity on either side of the family. I've never been obese myself, struggled to lose the baby weight after kid #2, but that is where my current fitness goals / routine originated. I know my husband would like to lose a few pounds, but again, not obese.
Even with an older child who did have a weight problem, I'm not sure I'd ever count calories. I think it's more about providing a healthy example, making good meals and not relying too much on processed foods and just not keeping a bunch of junk in the house.0 -
My children are grown now but I never counted their calories. But I did control what they ate as much as possible. Not too many sweets, eat your vegetables, home-cooked meals, no dessert if you don't eat your dinner, yadda, yadda, yadda. The usual stuff.0
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I don't count calories, but I have recently asked my 13 yo girl to start weighing herself and tracking it.
Hold on!!
Because, we just recently started eating vegetarian (pescatarian) in July. I started MFP at the end of August. It has been very useful in making me very aware of what goes in. As a result, even though I thought I was doing well, my protein intake is still low on most days. So I know that her protein intake is probably even lower. She doesn't eat the Greek yogurt or egg whites, and sometimes will barely eat the school lunch (they do have veg options, and she does pack snacks and has the option to pack a whole lunch, just doesn't)... She is a very active child - lacrosse and cross country. So I think it's critical to monitor her protein and make sure she is not losing muscle weight.
Just a worried mommy.0 -
No calorie counting. I just limit the amount of prepackaged snack foods available to him. He loves veggies (even ones I think are gross) and fruits so I keep plenty of them in the house. He only likes cookies and fruit snacks so those are the only snacks I buy. He is a cookie monster (just like mom!) so I separate the cookies into the recommended serving sizes and put them in baggies. He knows once the snack is gone there's no more, and he'll usually get a piece of fruit if he wants another snack. Also, my son HATES fast food, except for french fries, so I always cook his meals.0
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I have one child who needs to gain weight and one child who is growing into her body, going through puberty and needs to shed a couple of "baby fat" pounds. So while I don't actually count them and write them down, I watch and make sure I give my son more dense calories (like an extra serving of potatoes for instance) and give my daughter an extra serving of veggies instead of more mashed potatoes. I certainly wouldn't promote unordered eating for them, but I like to keep track of it so I can help them move into adulthood as healthy kids.
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I used to have to count my daughter's calories when she was a toddler because she was so underweight, but thankfully that issue is completely resolved now.
My kids are not 7 and 8 and I don't count calories, but do try to monitor what they eat and make sure it's balanced. I also try to make sure they're really hungry before they eat a ton. For example, my 8 year old has some impulse control issues and will overeat pretty often if allowed to do so when we are having his favorite food and then he'll feel horrible with a bad stomach ache. So, there are times when I will ask him to wait about 20 minutes and if he's still really hungry, he can have more.
I also try to make sure they are eating a variety of foods and we talk about balancing our diet to include lots of different healthy foods.
Neither of my kids are overweight or at risk for becoming overweight, so I don't worry about calories per se, but do want them to develop healthy eating habits and have a balanced diet. Please don't take this to mean that I'm perfect at it or am totally anal that they have perfect meals everyday. Far from it, and they do enjoy an appropriate amount of junk food as I believe all kids should.0 -
My situation is different because my children both have Cystic Fibrosis and have to have a high fat, high calorie diet. I calculate their calories and their fat intake in order to know how many enzymes they will need to take (to help them digest).
If I had "normal, healthy" children, I would not count calories.
I would feed my children in a healthy manner so that they had a healthy respect for and relationship with food, but would not put restrictions. Everything in moderation.0 -
Nope, just make sure they know about making healthy choices and what foods are good and bad for them. I teach them moderation and keep very little junk food in the house.0
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absolutely not. They don't need me to count their calories and get them into body image troubles. I do however watch what they eat (as in veggies and fruits and limit the junk food).0
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My son asks about his calories because he watches me log mine, but I don't restrict him at all. He's 75/75 for height and weight so he's perfect. And he's FIVE. Maybe in his teens when he starts being able to feed himself and gets food outside of the home I'll be a little more cautious about his eating habits, but otherwise he's good.0
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My 13 year old does count calories on her own. I do not do it for her. My other children 9, 4, and 2 eat what they want and I do not count their calories. There is no need to. They eat healthy and pick healthy over unhealthy everyday. Although they do have some weird obsession with breakfast cereals though. 0
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I do not keep a running calorie intake on my children. I give them a plate with a resonable about of food on it for thier age and they eat what they want and i throw away the rest. This does not mean that I allow my children to eat a whole bunch of candy, chips or any other unhealthy stuff. They eat candy every now and then.0
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No, I don't. I try to teach them the difference between healthy and unhealthy foods, and we don't use the word "fat" when referring to ourselves or anyone else. I have trouble getting my 5 year old to eat enough calories, while my 10 year old eats all day long but has a super high metabolism. I have an eating disorder, so it's the LAST thing I would want my daughters to have. I hide it from them the best I can, but as they get older I will have to come clean with them. My hope is that I can teach them to love themselves and their bodies, and not to use food as a comfort or coping mechanism.0
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The good thing about most healthy children (I know it can be different for those with an illness) is that they tend to eat when they are hungry and stop when they are no longer hungry. One day they may not eat that much but the next day they may eat like it is going out of fashion. I just make sure that the majority of the food I provide is healthy with the occasional treat. I can always tell when they are about to have a growth spurt by the pure amount of food they can put away! My son can eat more than me at those times!0
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I don't count them, but I definately monitor his portion sizes and WHAT he eats. If he says he's hungry, I tell him to grab a cheese stick or an apple. He's usually pretty excited about either one. My son is 6 and big for his age, so I do worry about it.0
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NO! I teach my son (6 and VERY active) about making healthy choices for his body but I don't count calories or anything. I make sure he's eating veggies/fruit/getting protein etc but nothing else.0
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Nope. My daughter is 3 and hardly eats anything anyway so whatever she actually agrees to have she gets and even that she never eats enough of. Having a picky child who says no to just about EVERYTHING whether it be healthy or junk is taxing.
I'm constantly worried that she's not getting enough, nevermind too much.0 -
I have two kiddos, young 1 and 3...and it's funny that you mentioned this because I was thinking about it alot this weekend. I ate poorly and splurged more than I do during the week and last night I was thinking about that....I let my 3 year old eat alot mor poorly too. Bad Mommy!
That's another thing to keep my eating in check...becuase I don't need to be allowing her to have tons of extra carbs and calories just because I'm feeling crappy and that's what I want to eat!
But no I don't 'count' her calories...I do try to serve well portioned meals made of healthy food choices and still let her have some of the things (in moderation) that she likes that i don't need to eat, macncheese, ect.
But I have realized that every food I eat and share affects what goes in her tummy and my baby's tummy so I do need to be more mindful and teach them proper eating habits starting now and not later...all with portion controls and healthy choices though not getting calorie thinking on their little brains! Healthy lifestyle not diet!!!!0 -
No0
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If I ever have a daughter...
She will always know how gorgeous she is
There will be no scales in the house
The word ‘diet’ and ‘fat’ will be like swear words
I never want her feeling like I do.
I grew up with a lot of siblings, mostly all younger than me. I babysat and cooked a lot, they would eat a variety of food. Sometimes they weren't hungry for a meal, and wouldn't finish. Other times they could eat 2 servings of something. It all depends on their hunger level, and if they're listening to their body I wouldn't worry. I think encouraging kids to eat healthy foods is great -- But I would hate for any of them to get into the habit of calorie counting, they're kids. Let them live their life.
~Interesting to read the comments on this thread though!0 -
My kids are 16 and 21.
when they were little, I just made sure they had plenty of healthy snacks and wouldn't watch their calories- I just tried to make sure they weren't eating too much junk.
Now that they are semi adult and adult - my 16 year old is trying to lose a few pounds. She looks great as is, but i'm supporting her goals. We've been having fun trying new things (like spaghetti squash, which we now both love) and finding new low calorie snacks.
My 21 year old son is SKINNY. He would look a little better if he gained just a little weight (he's around 6' or 6'1" and probably weighs... 150). He doesn't know it, but when he asks for something from the grocery store, i try to buy him the highest calorie version i can find. lol.0 -
I encourage my kids to listen to their bodies - eat when you're hungry, stop when you're not. I also make them eat regular meals at the table as a family so they're not snacking all day. My children are not overweight, so this seems to be working. I want them to develop healthy habits early, but I would never make them feel that I was counting their calories or anything that could attribute to food/body image issues.0
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I have never even attempted to count calories for either of my girls, BUT, a couple of years ago we were becoming quite worried for the youngest, who at 11 was overweight and very picky with her food. Having been overwight myself since childhood, I was desparate for her not to end up like me.
We were lucky enough to be given places on something called the 'MEND' programme, where we all learnt about making healthy lifestyle choices. We did family cooking sessions, the kids all went and tried different activities, and we learned loads. She is now a happy, healthy 13 year old with much better self esteem. She plays underwater hockey, badminton and goes to the gym, will try all sorts of foods, and enjoys cooking. She doesn't need to worry about her weight, and we try our hardest to lead by example in terms of sensible food choices and taking regular exercise. 0 -
No. My kids are small and they only have baby fat on them so I don't count there calories. I am always working out and they work out with me at times. They really like it especially if its Zumba.0
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I have 3 kids and my oldest has been overweight for as long as i can remember because she was always hungry as a baby so i kept feeding her formula (my mistake i know) but now she is 3 and although she is still overweight her dr is very happy because she hasnt gained in a year and a half! I dont count her calories but i do limit her milk/juice intake and have gotten her onto more veggies than fruit and hotdogs. my youngest 2 are actually in the 25th% so they're not in danger but i keep the same rules for them as my oldest. 0
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I should also add that my two at home are in high school and play sports almost year round and love to play hoops at the Y on weekends so calories are not what I'm concerned about as much as good nutrition and food awareness/education.
I've been trying to encourage my oldest to get on MFP since he's been more weight conscience and no competing in HS athletics anymore. He was working out and then started the Atkins diet with a friend but he finally realized it's very hard especially with his work and college schedules and just life in general if you're out and about a lot. THANKFULLY, it was enough to get him on here!0 -
No. It's hard enough to convince mine to stop playing and eat something.0
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no, i just make sur they get a littble bit of everything they need
and a multi vitamen, cause they dont always like to eat everything they need to be!! also always water or milk. no juice (except in sons lunch bag for school) 0 -
I do not count their calories or stress over what they are eating in a sense that they can not be kids etc. I do however make sure they get their snacks and their meals, I try to make those things balanced and healthy though. Kids are kids and I want them to enjoy childhood with out the stress us adults have. I am big on Multi Vits and water for them. Both of my children (6 and 8) are smaller for their age group but if the husband and I didnt let ourselves go then we would be smaller to. They are healthy though 0
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