How to explain to my kids I'm dieting?

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  • Hazel2005
    Hazel2005 Posts: 175 Member
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    When the two of them happened to be baking, my granddaughter asked her mummy why she measures everything. My daughter simply said "You know how we are measuring everything for this recipe? Well, I measure everything because that is the recipe for my life. I want to make sure I get all the right stuff and the right amount in the recipe" I thought that was pretty clever - she never uses the word "Diet" or "Fat" EVER!:smile:
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
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    Kids can be so easy if adults don't complicate things for them.

    My daughter is almost 5. She was 3 when I started losing weight. I just told her that I was trying to be healthier because I wanted to be sure I was around for her for a long time. She was like, "OK". A few minutes later she started asking me about which foods are healthy and which aren't. We had a big discussion about moderation and making sure you eat mostly healthy stuff and limiting unhealthy. I can without a doubt tell you that she gets it. For Christmas this year she laid out a big plate of zucchini with the cookies for Santa because "he can't just go all over the place only eating cookies!"

    I think as long as you approach it from a health standpoint, with moderation (not excluding foods entirely) I think your kids will be fine.

    Hopefully you can teach them good habits from the start so they do not have to go through what you are dealing with later in their lives.
  • Bobby__Clerici
    Bobby__Clerici Posts: 741 Member
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    We have 5 kids...and none are fat but healthy and athletic.
    I see that they eat well but not as I do given my restrictions. They eat burgers, hot dogs, pizza and foods I enjoy but in much greater doses of moderation.
    I don't make the whole family suffer just because I am losing weight.
    They understand that I am working on my fitness goals and can't eat the processed trash they get to enjoy.
    My example to them is as one who bucked up in the face of obesity, lost the weight and kept it off going on 13 months.
    And I still eat very well given my challenges.
    Life is to be lived :drinker:
  • AmyFett
    AmyFett Posts: 1,607 Member
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    I don't tell them anything, I make them eat healthier things as well. They don't really ask questions. We never ate too unhealthy to begin with.
  • ronniepurple
    ronniepurple Posts: 4
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    Plenty of healthy, slim people carefully monitor what they eat as part of their lifestyle and use myfitnesspal as a tool to help them. Look at the trainers on the biggest loser for example - they are not doing it to lose weight, they just want to know exactly what they are putting into their bodies so they can get the best results back out. There is no reason your kids should think of what you are doing as one of those diets you do for a while to lose a bit of weight - you are adopting a more healthy lifestyle for the long term. You should talk to your kids about this, there is no reason for them to feel awkward about it and I will certainly be speaking with my kids about healthy eating and nutrition labels etc and how I make sure I am getting the right nutrition and not too much of anything (fat, calories, salt, sugar etc).

    I think the great thing about myfitnesspal is that it is simple and it is simple maths which is all done for you. You keep an eye on what you eat to make sure you are eating and doing the right things to be healthy (not just calories - I am referring to the nutrition profiles and also excercise levels too). It is a great example to set your kids at an early age. If you are naturally eating the right foods and portions anyway then the app will just confirm that for you and it will be like a pat on the back. If you are not then it helps you address it.
  • caseythirteen
    caseythirteen Posts: 956 Member
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    Like so many others have already said, I talk to my kids about nutrition and being healthy and not dieting at all. We talk about how exercise and eating good foods help our bodies be healthy and stronger. How different vegetables have different benefits and how our bodies need a mix of all kinds of things to be healthy. I had no idea about any of this stuff when I was their age so I'm so glad for them that between what we are talking to them about at home and what they are learning at school they will have a much better foundation for a life of health and fitness.
  • EmilyOfTheSun
    EmilyOfTheSun Posts: 1,548 Member
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    I don't think kids think about it that much that they really need more of an answer.

    What you've said is enough.

    ^^ I agree. I think your explanation of, "I want to get fitter and by knowing how much I eat, it will help me do this" is great!
  • AmyFett
    AmyFett Posts: 1,607 Member
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    We have 5 kids...and none are fat but healthy and athletic.
    I see that they eat well but not as I do given my restrictions. They eat burgers, hot dogs, pizza and foods I enjoy but in much greater doses of moderation.
    I don't make the whole family suffer just because I am losing weight.
    They understand that I am working on my fitness goals and can't eat the processed trash they get to enjoy.
    My example to them is as one who bucked up in the face of obesity, lost the weight and kept it off going on 13 months.
    And I still eat very well given my challenges.
    Life is to be lived :drinker:

    just because they're thin and athletic doesn't mean they're healthy.
  • sunsnstatheart
    sunsnstatheart Posts: 2,544 Member
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    I was honest. "I'm too fat and need to lose weight". Kids learn by example anyway so what you say to a younger child matters less than what you do. Not saying what you say doesn't matter at all but make sure you lead by example. On the other hand, if you're constantly criticizing yourself then they will eventually learn to do the same. So tell them once and move on. Get them involved in the kitchen and focus on a healthy lifestyle.
  • mich000
    mich000 Posts: 34 Member
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    Hi.

    My kids (9 and 7) are too thin, so I must be careful to avoid that they imitate me in some changes, but they understand (from the school) the importance of healthy eating, so I don't need too many explanations.

    The most important, I make sure they don't see an obsession in my diet, and what I do is turning it into a game, reading the nutritional values of the foods, explaining them the %RDA...
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
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    I'm sure it's been said, but you don't say "mommy's going on a diet" you say our family is getting healthy. You educate yourself on food intake and translate that to your children. You lead by example and bring them along into it. Everyone eats better, everyone moves more. 2 mornings ago I was in the shower and there was a terrible ruckus in my house, I called to my 3 year old "hey buddy, what are you doing?" He came tearing into the bathroom and yelled "Notsing, I jawst exasizing." and went tearing back out. He eats what I eat and bounces off the walls and is happy and healthy. He wakes up skinny as a rail and goes to bed with a big old belly just to do it again tomorrow. You do your thing, and involve the kids, and don't talk to them about dieting and weight loss - those are issues for adults to worry about.
  • newhabit
    newhabit Posts: 426 Member
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    yes frame it around health and not "being fat"... this is the problem with a lot of moms who are dieting. they think it is not affecting their daughters and sons. i tell my 2 year old daughter that mommy's playtime is when i exercise and a lot of times she says "me exercise too" so i know she thinks it's good. i never want to make it about her thinking i have areas on my body i dont' like or anything like that. i try to not even use the other f word (fat) in my house. my mom one time said to my daugther something about her (my daughter) having a "fat belly" (you know like a cute little toddler belly) and i told her to please not talk about my daughter's body this way as it creates ideas i dont' want her to have. she will probably start getting those messages from outside sources, so i want her family to be somewhere she can get good ideas about health and fitness. i dont' know if my mom really understands as she is the one that told me things like this all the time so i'm not sure what to even say... but i know i can avoid it if i try hard enough.
  • OlyOtis
    OlyOtis Posts: 70 Member
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    Kids, we all need to eat healthier.
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
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    You don't. Change the foods that are available, do exercise and let them participate.
  • Wonderwoman2677
    Wonderwoman2677 Posts: 434 Member
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    My niece (who unfortunately takes after my side of the family) asked me about my diet once.
    She is 9 and really into math so I explained it as a math problem... that the body needed X calories to live. "Guess what happens if I eat more than X?" I asked her.
    She said, "There is some left over?"
    "Yep" I said. "Guess what happens to it."
    She shrugged.
    I poked my belly. "My body stores it here." I then went on to explain that the dieting was to ensure that I was eating less than X so my body would use up all the extras from previous meals.

    One day, we will figure out her X and I'll gently talk to her about dieting for real.

    I love this.... this is how I explain it to my kids too:) I also talk about what kinds of foods are better than others, like lean meats and veg, instead of mac n' cheese all the time. We're still working on that one. We would all rather eat a whole meal of mac n' cheese than anything else.
  • FitbeTMF
    FitbeTMF Posts: 251
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    Why diet, when you can just eat healthy? If kids are so young, perhaps you can incorporate your new lifestyle into your family's nutrition. There's tons of clean eating kid recipes :)
  • grdnr03
    grdnr03 Posts: 547 Member
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    When they ask explain that you are making healthier choices to be a healthier person and that involves changing the amounts of food you consume at any given meal. Along with excercising more!

    Good Luck on your healthy journey!!
  • sugarlips1980
    sugarlips1980 Posts: 361 Member
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    It's fine to explain that you're watching your portion size to lose fat. What's important to get across, perhaps when they're older if they don't understand now, is that you do this primarily for health reasons as opposed to aesthetic and wanting to look like a supermodel (though aspiring to look better is fine in my book too!)
  • meredith1123
    meredith1123 Posts: 843 Member
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    ITS A LIFE STYLE - NOT A DIET!!! You dont need to tell them anything about a diet. Why dont you just tell them this is what you should be doing to adequately eat the correct portion? I mean I have been living this lifestyle since my daughter was born. i never told her when she was much younger WHY. It was just a way of life that she adjusted to. Now she knows.... but now shes in 7th grade and understands the meaning of a healthy lifestyle.
    Just explain to them this is what healthy happy people do!
  • wlkumpf
    wlkumpf Posts: 241 Member
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    we don't discuss diets.
    We do discuss looking at labels for hidden ingredients, that nothing is forbidden and moderation is the key.
    We talk about everyday foods and someday foods.
    WE talk about serving sizes and why some foods are bad choices.
    WE talk about lots of physical movements and healthy habits like activities outside and fun passtimes not just videogames.


    Talk to them. Explain the health benefits of healthy habits and help them start now!!!!! Answer questions, but avoid diet words. You arne't doing this short term, it is long term and they need to know so they don't have to be oblivious later but have a healthy relationship with food from the start~ why should they be limited to white bread, rice and juice now when we know that isn't the best choices.
    edited to add, the saying they hear now and then that really puts it into perspective is... every bite does not need to be a party in your mouth, we add fuel to our bodies, the only body we will ever have to get the best life we can have. Sometimes we should have that delicious food, but mostly healthy things that make us feel good, not just taste good.

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