You should have seen the "dagger eyes" I got from my little

But that's what parenting is all about. Doing right by your kids, not letting them do whatever they want even if they think you are being mean by depriving them of their sugar-toxin. I wish that as a kid I had had better education about food.

At 19 in the army I was drinking a case of coke on the weekend because I didn't know you could get fat off of it because it was just a drink. Fast forward a few years and getting close to 300 lbs and having diabetes....

I'd of rather had a mean mom instructing me lol.

Oh - my heart goes out to you in your attempt to change his eating habits. It's going to be a struggle at first but it sounds like you have communication with your child. Maybe offer him a bowl of grapes with wheat toast in the morning instead of his fruit loops or some cantelope since he is looking for his bowl of sweet. Just a suggestion.:flowerforyou:

Honestly, I've found that eating healthier is *more* enjoyable. Instead of getting flavor from processed sugar or from high-carb sauces, I use different combinations of fruits and spices, and I've found that food is more flavorful and I enjoy eating more! So maybe if you approach it that way: instead of "we're going to give up something we like," it's "we're going to find things that are good for our bodies, things that we might like even more than what we're eating now!" Make it a journey of discovery, not of sacrifice & pain. With little ones, sometimes it's just about the attitude, and they'll follow your lead.

Easier said than done, I know... but kudos for making the effort to eat healthier, for you and for him, it will be worth it. Good luck to you!

As long as you make eating healthier fun, your child will be on board. There are all kinds of recipes or ideas to jazz up those healthier things and make them more appealing. You're doing the best thing for your child and starting him young, because he will take these good eating habits with him into adulthood. Thumbs up for you!!!! :happy:

Good luck - but I know you won't need it! You're doing the right thing by yourself and by your son!

Remember that the first week or so may be hard, with complaining, tears and tantrums (probably more from you than him lol) but after that you will both get in a rhythm.

My biggest tip is don't make a big deal out of it. Just serve up the healthier food options without any fuss or coaching and they quickly learn that if they don't eat it they'll be hungry. If he refuses to eat it, don't offer him alternatives. Just offer him the same thing when he complains he's hungry, or at least something else healthy and nutritious. It really won't take long for him to realise that feeling hungry is a whole lot worse than eating the healthy nutritious food in front of him. He'll also learn to love the taste - as you will too.

(I must say having my daughter was great because it made me learn to cook healthy, nutritious meals. My downfall was the emotional binge-eating once she had gone to bed)

Just remember that no matter how hard it is in the short term - in the long term he will thank you for it by being a healthy man who will live a long and happy life.

Add me as a friend if you need some support!

Also, just adding to what someone else has said - remember on the days it is getting hard and there are tantrums and you feel like giving in what it feels like to be an overweight adult. The health complications, the inner sadness, the social stigma, and remember that you don't want that for your son. You may feel guilty at times for making him upset, but remember that you should feel guiltier for making him unhealthy. (Guilt is a great motivator for us mums!)

Don't worry about it. He will come around. One thing I would say though is not to point it out. Just make the transition and wean him off the sugar cereals. Don't make him go cold turkey, and don't make a big production of it. Just buy the healthier stuff so he has healthier stuff to pick from.

Funny thing about kids. They will eventually eat when they get hungry enough.

I will have to say from my own experience that, while in the beginning, it will be tough (I have a 5 year old little man myself), this is what I have kept in mind:

First and foremost, I am the mom, he is my child. If he doesn't like what I fix, he can go hungry. Trust me, the kid is not starving. He's 5 years old, 47" tall, and 62 lbs. He is not fat, he is simply built like a mini-line backer. If he skips a meal (and, trust me, he likes to eat), it will make an impression on him.

There will be tears. There will be anger. There will be frustration. For both of you. Expect it, brace yourself for it, because it's coming.

Explain to him how and why being overweight and eating poorly affects him. Research it. I have a picture on my personal computer that gives all the negatives of being obese. Things like: Low self-esteem, diabetes, increased risk of heart attack and stroke, lower employment opportunity, etc...

Then try to correlate it to something that is personal to him. With my son, I have correlated it to him learning how to read. It is HARD, BUT I also don't want him waking up when he's 25 and realizing that he can't read and he can't get a job and then having to fight it. Similar to me: I woke up at 31 and weighed myself. I looked at the BMI chart and not only was I obese, I was extremely obese. I don't want him to have to face this kind of fight 20-30 years from now when it's 10 times harder.

These are my experiences. I'm sure you have been given a lot of advise to suffice, but this is where I am. Good luck.

I get those same dagger eyes.... and then the little spitfire goes and makes his own sandwich because I tell him we will not make him a special meal. He is existing on turkey, ham, bread, milk, and whatever juice I can get him to try (Mott's Medleys, V8 Fusions and Splash -- yeah - I know - the actual fruit would be better). We have had to introduce fiber supplements because (much like his dad) he will not eat any vegetables.

And I helped create that little sugar monster too. :grumble:

Sounds like with both have a rough road ahead - but sticking to it will be better for all. You are on the right path.

I have 5 children and they all went through the "lifestyle" change with me, and so did my husband. It was a bit of an adjustment, we no longer have sugar cereals either. I switched them to Honey Nut Cheerios, Honey Nut Chex a real treat is Maple and brown sugar mini wheats, the Multi Grain Cheerios are really good. I couldn't understand why my 5 year old twins were acting like kids on crack. Well that is exactly what is being fed to them 1st thing in the morning. I also did some research and found out that the dyes they put in the colored foods and drinks causes ADHD symptoms. Non of my children are ADHD, but they would react to it. I talked it over with their Doctor, and my twins seem to have an allergic reaction to the dyes.

It was a bit of a struggle for about 2 weeks, and they got over it. I change up the snacks all the time, so some days they will have a piece of fruit, yogurt almost everyday or cheese and crackers. I only buy 100% juice, but you have to be careful with that also because alot of them have a ton of sugar. We have a rule in my home as far as water drinking. I bought each of us our own refillable water bottle that is 22 oz. They have to finish one of those or more a day, then they can have chocolate milk after dinner. They all are on the water kick.

I am very happy that you are not only setting yourself up for success, but you are also doing that for your child. Keep it up, and he will be a very healthy adult. Congrats on your lifestyle change.

My daughter is ten, and when i started she had a problem, but I've found some really great homemade recipes that she loves. Crockpot cheeseburgers (search in the recipe section) is one of our favorites, and turkey or chicken nuggets, anything made at home is so much better than packaged stuff you buy in the store. I've even got her eating salad now cause i got the dole southwest salad kit, and she said it doesn't taste like salad at all. you just need to find some great alternatives. She wanted pop tarts, so i got her those 100 cal packs of pop tart crisps. I got her the yogurt that had the cookie crumbs to mix into it. We're so lucky there are so many low cal alternatives right now. Special K chips are great, and aunt millies Healthy white bread is only 100 cal for 2 slices. fat free hot dogs are 40 cal instead of 180. Just keep your eyes open in the store.

Lot's of luck :-)

I wasn't suggesting that you didn't know how to handle your son, and I hope you really didn't take my comment that way. I hope you weren't offended at all. What I was getting at was the pace of his adjustment to the transition will be set primarily by you and your commitment to do things differently, which I think is pretty much what everyone else on this thread was saying. In no way was I attempting to insult you or imply that you didn't have what it takes to ride out the opposition. I was also saying that there might not be as much opposition as perhaps expected. Sometimes, we as parents anticipate more of a storm than what actually takes place. So again, my post wasn't designed to discourage you. And forgive me if I came across that way.

Another thing I would suggest so the transition isn't so crazy, so to do half and half.. like half healthy cereal and maybe a quarter of a sugar one. Gradually reduce the amount of sugary cereal and increase the amount of healthy cereal. That way he's still getting healthy and it's not such a shock to his system.

Also, make it fun.. you can make ants on a log out of celery, peanut butter and raisins. If he's eating broccoli tell him he's eating little trees. Theres all sorts of ways to make healthy food fun and appetizing.

As far as chocolate milk goes, my favorite thing to do(if you can afford this, not sure where the budget lies!) is to buy the little cartons of organic valley chocolate milk or horizon chocolate milk. You can buy a case of 12 which is like 15 dollars at whole foods, or buy just a few individual ones. The best part about that is once that 8 oz serving is gone, it's gone. He can't go pour more because its not in the house and it's not a glass.

Start him off early! I babysit a younger girl, and the things she eats is ridiculous.. she doesn't eat vegetables, even apples are gross. I think she likes bananas.. but I'm not too sure. She eats pizza pockets, ice cream, cookies, chips, etc. every time I am over there. She's addicted to junk food and she's only a child. Her taste buds are used to sweet, salty, over processed foods. I know kids are supposed to grow.. but in the past year she's gained 20 pounds.. she has a learning disability and I don't think her eating habits are helping her at all.