No kids here, but if you do, I have a question for you.

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  • crimznrose
    crimznrose Posts: 282 Member
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    I don't count their calories, but I do try to give them a better shot at healthy diet than the country cooking I grew up with. I only cook and buy fat free milk and sour cream, low calorie/carb bread, low fat everything and encourage and talk to them frequently about eating better. They have grandparents who've ruined their diet over the years with sweets and sodas, daily junk food and sugar. It was their grandparents who watched them before and after school through elementary school and now that they're in middle/junior high they come home instead of to grandma's and at home they don't have all that junk just waiting for them and the difference does show.
  • kiraleilani
    kiraleilani Posts: 124 Member
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    Oh no, not ever! Like the rest of the responses here, I think that would fuel unhealthy body image and possible eating disorders, even though I have three little boys.

    I simply make sure they are eating healthy. They always have healthy food like fruits or cut up veggies that are constantly available and unlimited. I make sure that most of their food is unprocessed and doesn't contain any dyes or tons of preservatives. :)
  • ChristinaG100
    ChristinaG100 Posts: 41 Member
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    I've never restricted what my 4 children ate I only cooked 99% of their meals instead of fast food and always kept healthy stuff on hand. Surprisingly they chose the good stuff over the crap most times and they were and all are athletic so they needed to feed their bodies extra snacks. They are now and have always been fit and healthy, as is my husband. I continue to watch in horror as my sister who is a marathon runner, forced her kids to diet and restrict everything they ate or chastise them for it - big surprise they have both been obese and/or closet eater and bingers.
    Even when I would diet I never said I was on a diet or made a big deal about it - I would say I was just trying to eat healthier.
  • thatsnumberwang
    thatsnumberwang Posts: 398 Member
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    I'm in the process of raising awareness in the house. My kids eating habits are worse than mine & I think the only reason they get away with it is because they are kids. The only vegetable they will even consider eating is corn. They are both 12, girls and are extremely picky..they want fat, sugar & carbs..Period

    One of them made 2 fried egg sandwiches w/ cheese the other day for lunch, two hours after eating a bowl of cereal. She knows I've been counting calories & watched me scan stuff into my phone so I asked her to come watch me scan the sandwich stuff. It was pushing 800 calories, she gave me such a wonderful look..lol When I asked her what that was for she said "I didn't want to know, I was fine not knowing" I didn't say another word, 10 mins later she gave the 2nd sandwich to her sister.

    I'm not going to stick her on any diet but just raising awareness on that one thing I have noticed her looking at labels, pointing out high calorie items and both of them jumping on the treadmill a few times over the last week (It may be because thats what the laptop is attached to now) hahahaha

    Are these girls currently overweight? As a twelve year old girl, I would have assumed you were telling me I was fat (because you implied that I shouldn't be eating so many calories). Is that what you wanted to tell your daughter? If not, I suggest you reconsider your approach...
  • RunIntheMud
    RunIntheMud Posts: 2,645 Member
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    No way.... I have an 11 & 5 yr old and they are so active that they burn more calories than they could possibly eat. I also do my best to teach them healthy eating habits. Some sink in, some don't....but, they're kids and it will come. :)
  • carryingon
    carryingon Posts: 609 Member
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    [/quote]
    I am a certified lactation consultant.
    [/quote]
    certified lactation COUNSELOR not consultant! sorry sleep deprived!
  • CkepiJinx
    CkepiJinx Posts: 613 Member
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    I disagree with most. I wasn't taught how to care for my body. My daughter is 14 and is very active in helping me with my lifestyle changes and is learning herself. She is at a perfect weight and we talk about exercising and how it keeps your weight where it should be. I think more parents need to educated their kids.

    I agree, while I don't count my daughter's calories, i encourage her to make healthy choices and since I started this journey she has been asking questions and so it has opened up a healthy honest Line of comunication between us about paying attention to serving sizes and making healthier choices. She will be so much better informed than I was and isn't that half the battle?
  • CkepiJinx
    CkepiJinx Posts: 613 Member
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    I'm in the process of raising awareness in the house. My kids eating habits are worse than mine & I think the only reason they get away with it is because they are kids. The only vegetable they will even consider eating is corn. They are both 12, girls and are extremely picky..they want fat, sugar & carbs..Period

    One of them made 2 fried egg sandwiches w/ cheese the other day for lunch, two hours after eating a bowl of cereal. She knows I've been counting calories & watched me scan stuff into my phone so I asked her to come watch me scan the sandwich stuff. It was pushing 800 calories, she gave me such a wonderful look..lol When I asked her what that was for she said "I didn't want to know, I was fine not knowing" I didn't say another word, 10 mins later she gave the 2nd sandwich to her sister.

    I'm not going to stick her on any diet but just raising awareness on that one thing I have noticed her looking at labels, pointing out high calorie items and both of them jumping on the treadmill a few times over the last week (It may be because thats what the laptop is attached to now) hahahaha

    Are these girls currently overweight? As a twelve year old girl, I would have assumed you were telling me I was fat (because you implied that I shouldn't be eating so many calories). Is that what you wanted to tell your daughter? If not, I suggest you reconsider your approach...

    Giving your child knowledge is not even close to telling them they are fat. I tell my daighter she should not eat certain things for a huge variety of reasons including it is to many calories to eat all at once, I have never and would never tell my daughter she is fat and she has never taken it that way. Trust me I had a grandmother who constantly made it a point to suggest I was fat growing up it is not the same thing!
  • valeriebpdx
    valeriebpdx Posts: 499 Member
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    I have two pre-teen/teen boys who are lean and healthy athletes. I don't monitor their intake at all except to restrict their sugar intake a bit (my little one is self-regulating, but my 13-y-o has his mama's sweet tooth). We eat mostly healthy meals and snacks, I try to make sure they have some sort of produce with every meal, and we do eat a fair amount of takeout. If I ever felt like they were starting to get heavy or unhealthy, I would orchestrate even more exercise and buy fewer treats/takeout, but I would never count their calories--begging for a complex there.
  • isitsororo
    isitsororo Posts: 116
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    "Eating disorders" is being tossed around ITT far too freely if you ask me. Knowing the caloric content of your child's food will not cause your child to have an eating disorder. Eating disorders are awful things, show a little thought before bringing them into a conversation.
  • Julicat6
    Julicat6 Posts: 231 Member
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    My 11 yr old "niece" is somewhat overweight...5'3" and 170ish. Very tall for her age and pudgy. Her Pediatrician called her obese when discussing weight with my best friend, the kid was in the room:mad: Her grandmother also gives her fits about her weight, but then feeds her things like garlic bread and mac & cheese for dinner or is totally restrictive and feeds her less than 1,000 calories a day. My best friend has never had to watch her weight, despite being fed fast food and convenience food by her mother growing up she was always skinny. She would eat 3x what I ate and wore a size 2. Along comes a kid with her dad's metabolism and those bad habits caught up to the poor thing. Even now my friend who at 5'7" had gained a bit up to 160 lost 5 lbs by cutting 1 soda and going to 2 zumba classes a week:noway: Thanks to her Dr. and the kids at school and Crazy G-ma my "niece' is very aware that she should lose weight, but has no idea how to do it. My friend is trying to help but she doesn't have the knowledge needed. (bless her, she thinks sweet tea and juice are better choices than soda, I can't convince her they are still high calorie and so still not good choices)Niece has seen me losing weight and wanted to know how when she knows I still eat plenty. I try to focus on being healthy and balanced while still getting to eat food you like. If she asks about calories we will talk about them, but I only track them for her on days she asks me if I will. I foresee trouble down the line, but sadly not my kid and I can only offer advice when asked and can't make my friend follow through. As you see "niece" is honorific..its a southern thing:tongue:
  • belben22
    belben22 Posts: 17
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    Definitely no...We just have a house full of healthy foods and maybe 5% junk food...Teaching them through setting a good example. If there's only good food in the house guess what they have to eat ;-)
  • JosephVitte
    JosephVitte Posts: 2,039
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    I've noticed quite a few people responding mention that they don't want there child to have a "complex" by counting there calories. Just like other things I ASSUME you can and do keep from a child, is it realistically possible to count there calories without them knowing? Or is that way too much trouble anyways.

    Once again, just curious, not leaning one way or another. I appreciate the responses too, without ever giving it too much thought because I'm childless, I'm learning there are multiple factors into what and how parents decide what they decide. Some kids are under weight, some over, some active, so not so much.
  • norcal_yogi
    norcal_yogi Posts: 675 Member
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    NO. never even crossed my mind...

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