Am I asking too much??

AndiJoy812
AndiJoy812 Posts: 236
edited December 16 in Motivation and Support
We have three teens in the house - 14, 16 and 18. Also have two preschoolers, 4 and 5. When I go grocery shopping, I am very cognizent of the different age groups in our home, along with me eating healthier. There are things that I will buy for myself - low cal/low fat treats as well as stuff that is specifically for the preschoolers - (gogurt, for example). My husband and I bake a lot, so there are usually all kinds of healthy goodies along with fruit, snacky stuff - for everyone. Is it too much to ask that the teenagers stay out of the preschoolers and my low cal stuff??? One of them is "sneaking" food - frustrating to no end. I don't get it. Is it the whole "forbidden" aspect of it that makes it so appealing? Makes for a fun time when I go to grab a handful of almonds or a fat free yogurt and they are gone.

Does anyone else have this issue? I do not want to turn into a raving lunatic - or start "hiding" food. But at the same time, I would like to buy some Weight Watchers ice cream treats and have them last a few weeks, instead of them being gone as soon as I buy them. Any advice?? Oh, and asking them to please not eat them is not working...
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Replies

  • signgrrrl
    signgrrrl Posts: 74 Member
    Whats wrong with the rest of your family eating healthy right along with you?
  • paigemarie93
    paigemarie93 Posts: 778 Member
    Whats wrong with the rest of your family eating healthy right along with you?

    ^ Zing!
  • honestlysweet
    honestlysweet Posts: 221 Member
    I would love the problem of kids who like healthy food. I say buy enough for everyone. You can get yogurts on sale at food lion for like eleven for five bucks. And there are a lot of low cal treats you can buy cheap or at least as cheap as the fatty stuff. So get your teens on the bandwagon. That's my opinion, anyway.

    If they are really being ridiculous, like really eating everything you buy in one day with no thought of the fact that you and your little ones didn't get any, then I say yes, you may have a problem. I think you should ask each kid what treats they want, and buy those, and put the kids names on them. That way, they will feel special because you got what they asked for, and maybe will stay out of the other stuff. Just a thought.
  • Toddrific
    Toddrific Posts: 1,114 Member
    My mom always hid the good food. Drove me nuts, and yes I ate it!

    If the teens like it, why not buy them their own?
  • theoriginaljayne
    theoriginaljayne Posts: 559 Member
    Whats wrong with the rest of your family eating healthy right along with you?

    Exactly.
  • faedreamer1
    faedreamer1 Posts: 47 Member
    Whats wrong with the rest of your family eating healthy right along with you?

    This. If you only buy healthy snacks, then you don't have to worry about them leaving the sugary stuff behind and eating all your healthy stuff.

    Add to that - they're teenagers. They eat constantly. They're growing constantly and burn a lot more calories than we do, a lot faster. Especially if they're boys, dear god boys never stop eating. Had a couple of teenage boys visit for two weeks one summer and in the first week they'd plowed through an entire month's worth of groceries.
  • Malaika946
    Malaika946 Posts: 107 Member
    I am with everyone here, buy healthy food for everyone!
  • rlv2680
    rlv2680 Posts: 289 Member
    what are you having them eat instead i'm wondering>?
  • liftandcycle
    liftandcycle Posts: 209
    i think you should be happy that your teens are eating healthy stuff... I mean everyone is freaking out b/c their kids/teens are obese here in America... but in your house ur teens are eatign weight watchers ice cream.. almonds... lowfat yogurt....... i think you should be happy... and buy them their own healthy food.
  • sassylilmama
    sassylilmama Posts: 1,493 Member
    Whats wrong with the rest of your family eating healthy right along with you?

    This and f they want the healthy food why waste money buying the junk?
  • AndiJoy812
    AndiJoy812 Posts: 236
    They do...they are all athletes and are very healthy and eat very balanced diets. I am the one who got into really bad habits when my little guys were tiny - drank coffee all day, ate my one meal late at night and gained lots of weight, as you can imagine. I have always made sure that the kids had healthy/good homemade meals - I just didn't eat it. Does that make sense? So I have been getting back on track by eating three meals plus snacks, exercising, and just taking better care of myself.

    And as far as the healthy treats for everyone, there are. There is regular yogurt, "real" ice cream (when we buy it), and baked goods for the occasional treat. They just keep getting into the little guys' stuff or the stuff that I am buying specifically for my change.
  • gentlebreeze2
    gentlebreeze2 Posts: 450 Member
    I had 3 teens in the house at one time for a few years (and I'm still sane), and my food budget doubled. They will eat anything they can get there hands on. I suggest you just buy healthy things for everyone... if they complain, you tell them they were eating YOUR heathy stuff, so you thought they preferred it. Either they will join you in your health quest or stay out of your stuff, if you aren't buying what they want.
  • TourThePast
    TourThePast Posts: 1,753 Member
    One of them is "sneaking" food - frustrating to no end. I don't get it. Is it the whole "forbidden" aspect of it that makes it so appealing? Makes for a fun time when I go to grab a handful of almonds or a fat free yogurt and they are gone.
    Why are you forbidding your teenagers from eating almonds and fat free yoghurt?

    Be grateful that they want to eat healthy stuff, and buy more of it.
  • kanonxbou47
    kanonxbou47 Posts: 265 Member
    Why dont you just give them food?
  • mygrl4meee
    mygrl4meee Posts: 943 Member
    I have the same problem with my 17 year old son. It's not that I don't want him to eat the low calorie stuff that I have been buying. I eat cereal bars once in a great while to hold me over to the next meal. My son has taken and eating three of them in one day. I don't want him eating low calorie snacks in place of him having a meal. If he would choose something low calorie instead of a meal. I would rather him not eat three of them. :)
    I have taken to putting a few of the bars in the cabinet and hiding the rest.
  • Colbyandsage
    Colbyandsage Posts: 751 Member
    One of my best friends has 6 kiddos (ages 18, 16, 11, 10, 6, 4) the oldest 3 r boys so she is always complaining about the food budget. I agree with the above posters but feeding teens are expensive!

    Maybe ask them for some ideas on what they want on the grocery list to keep their hands away from the other food.

    Good luck!
  • Wreak_Havoc
    Wreak_Havoc Posts: 597
    My sister-in-law did exactly what everyone is recommending.. She called a family meeting and simpley stated that as long as everyone was eating her healthy stuff, that's all she was going to buy going forward. If any of them (including her hubby LOL) wanted junk, they had to buy it themselves. Worked like a champ!
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
    What do you want them to eat instead then?

    I know some of that stuff can be expensive, but hiding food from your kids seems a bit odd
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    One of them is "sneaking" food - frustrating to no end. I don't get it. Is it the whole "forbidden" aspect of it that makes it so appealing? Makes for a fun time when I go to grab a handful of almonds or a fat free yogurt and they are gone.
    Why are you forbidding your teenagers from eating almonds and fat free yoghurt?

    Be grateful that they want to eat healthy stuff, and buy more of it.

    perfectly stated.

    buy more of the good stuff so everyone has some.
  • AndiJoy812
    AndiJoy812 Posts: 236
    Let me just add this too - we feeeeeeed our kids. My boys eat triple of what I do, and are super skinny! They eat well, and eat a LOT - and that is OK! They are supposed to! AND they have a LOT of input to what we get at the store...if not, we would be throwing away food all of the time, and we can't afford to do that.
  • AndiJoy812
    AndiJoy812 Posts: 236
    My sister-in-law did exactly what everyone is recommending.. She called a family meeting and simpley stated that as long as everyone was eating her healthy stuff, that's all she was going to buy going forward. If any of them (including her hubby LOL) wanted junk, they had to buy it themselves. Worked like a champ!

    Love this. I think I will have to try this next time. It may just do the trick. We do eat healthy - but I can NOT eat like they do.
  • samf36
    samf36 Posts: 369 Member
    Well I would quit buying the preschoolers special food they are very capable of opening a large container of yogurt and scooping some in a bowl just like the teens. I make my living caring for preschools and they can and should eat what the whole family is eating. Have bowls of cut up veggies in the fridge and fruit on the counter. Preschooler can peal and orange and eat a whole apple. It is really amazing what they an do if you let them.
    As for mom treats break their fingers if they tough your stuff : ) . No really take it out of their allowance or make them go tot the store and buy you more with their money.
  • lookatme09
    lookatme09 Posts: 57 Member
    I just had that discussion with my kids. We but stuff that are healthy and its gone within a day that should last a week. We are trying to encourage portion control. I only have hubby and 7 and 11 yr old girls and FYI, I have hidden some expensive treats from kids so that I can have a treat sometimes. But It just so expensive to have food disappear before sundown.
  • bubbles1212
    bubbles1212 Posts: 206 Member
    I agree with everyone on here. I have an 8 and 11 year old. They usually want to eat the healthy food too but also still like their junk food.. I buy enough healthy food for them to eat too and a little less of the junk so they become the forbidden...Maybe try that
  • Newf77
    Newf77 Posts: 802 Member
    I think you might have asked your question incorrectly, because yes you are being selfish. I think your underlining question was more, I am frustrated my kids are eating me out of house and home how can I make sure there is food for me when I am hungry. Answer as previously stated double up on the goodies.
  • mygrl4meee
    mygrl4meee Posts: 943 Member
    Let me just add this too - we feeeeeeed our kids. My boys eat triple of what I do, and are super skinny! They eat well, and eat a LOT - and that is OK! They are supposed to! AND they have a LOT of input to what we get at the store...if not, we would be throwing away food all of the time, and we can't afford to do that.

    I totally get what your saying. My sons eat way more than me and one is super thin. We have taken to hiding somethings from them but most of the stuff like the fit and active brand from Aldi"s I been leaving out in the open because I am replacing some of our normal food with this brand.
  • Cindy311
    Cindy311 Posts: 780 Member
    Well, honestly I don't like the idea of my kids eating "diet" things. Not because I'm selfish but simply they contain ingredients that I don't think would be the best for their bodies. Yeah, yeah I'll eat it but won't give it to them so maybe I should give it up too, lol!
  • sewist
    sewist Posts: 40
    I understand, unlike some others here.

    While we have made family wide changes (such as weighing our meat portions) our needs are not the same. I buy whole foods as much as possible, teach how to prepare their favorite recipes, etc.
    So in our house the nuts are fair game. But for altered foods - I purchase a "like" item for them. If I buy skinny cow ice cream sandwiches for me, I also buy reg ice cream sandwiches for them. Basically they get the tastier, cheaper!, plentiful product.

    This works with my 19 & 22 y.o. guys.
  • AndiJoy812
    AndiJoy812 Posts: 236
    Let me give a better example: I had a 30 oz bag of almonds for a snack after my workouts. I eat one serving per day, which is 24 nuts...so the bag should have lasted a very long time. There was 3/4 of the bag left on Tues. On Wed, I went to get some after my workout, and there was only 1/8 of the bag left. Still think I am being selfish? That is a LOT of almonds!
    And here is the deal...I don't care if they want to grab a handful...but the whole bag??
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    you're going to have to start punishing them. they are WAY past the age of being able to get away with not listening to mom. definitely. if they have a car, take away car privileges. if they have a girlfriend, take girlfriend privileges away. it's as simple as that. they'll have to figure out which is more important to them.
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