2:00 on Thursday. Day is a-draggin'
I guess I don't have a ton to say...
Worried about my 5 year old - he seems so preoccupied/obsessed with food and snacks. His before-care teacher called me as I was walking into work to tell me he had gone into his lunch bag and eaten his afternoon snack, and the watermellon I gave him to go along with his lunch. He ate a little at home before he went to school, but then attacked his lunch box!... I mean, kids know when they are full and when they are hungry - I mean, that hasen't been "snacked" out of them yet, right? Is it just that he is hungrier than I realize? But, more than that, he will eat things that are sweet (whether it's fruit or the occasional chocolate milk) until it's gone and then want more (and more and more). When it comes to fruit and such, I don't mind giving him *some* more, but I maintain that treats are just that - only occasionally. He gets SO MAD when I tell him "no more"... am I being too restrictive? Driving him to obsess about it?
You guys who have been reading a while know that I am terrified of my kids becoming overweight or obese. I feel like I will do anything (and I mean ANYTHING) I can to keep this from happening. However, am I starting to get crazed?
So, I did what any self respecting person would do - I pulled strings at work to talk to a pedi dietitian.
I explained briefly my back ground and described Thing 1's behavior. She said it sounded like he might just need more of the healthy food. In other words, he may only nibble a little of his breakfast at home, so pack it for him to eat in his before-care when his tummy finally wakes up. Give him lots of healthy choices and let him decide what to eat. Keep the treats to a minimum, but allow him to have some on occasion - or as soon as your back is turned, he is more likely to eat those things in excess.
So, the plan is packing more, including a small breakfast in the AM, in case he gets hungry at before care.
I think he's going to need a bigger lunchbox.
Yesterday I was off with him for the day. I missed the boat on signing him up for all day care, and so I had to take the day off. But, I didn't mind. I love spending time with him on our own. He helped me so much - cleaning out too small toddler clothes, putting away summer stuff... same for Hubby and my clothes. Then we attacked the basement and got 2 car loads of stuff for Goodwill - clothes and toys! DAMN!
It was awesome to work hard and sweat it out in the basement especially. I made it a game for he and I - racing around the house to gather stuff from the deck and racing it over to the dumpster or to the car for donation. We were red faced, sweating, and laughing. Finally sat down around 3:30, and then left the house at 4:15 for a 5:00 Bodyology workout. Yeah, workout #2 of the day. I am NOT one to call normal housework "exercise" but that basement situation totally torched some calories!
Eats for today:
BB: 1 scoop Click, unsweetened chocolate almond milk, water, ice
B: Oxygen Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal
S: 1/4 naan bread, 2 tbs PB
L: Zucchini lasagna, 2 oz cabot 75
S: banana
D: Not sure...
Prolly no workout tonight, but maybe some yoga... I just started doing some for stress release and relaxation and I think it's helping my anxiety.
Hmmm, and I thought I didn't have anything to say? I should know better... I ALWAYS have something to say.
In case anyone is interested, this is a trailer for the race I doing on Sunday: CHECK IT OUT
Keep moving forward...
I'm very, very worried about my kid[s] having unhealthy eating habits - too much, or too little. I'm scared of my own disordered history and how that will impact his/her/their eating. I didn't even know they had dieticians for kids, though - that's a brilliant idea, to seek help from an expert!
ReplyDeleteI'm crazy about my kids & food, too. Like you, always worried if I'm being too restrictive or too giving...I try and trust the fact that the kids will regulate their own hunger but who knows. My 3 yo son is always coming up to me telling me he is hungry. I don't believe him all the time, I think sometimes he is just bored and looking for something to say or do. But still, it freaks me out.
ReplyDeleteI tend to think that because we are so worried about any potential issues, there will be NO issues with them. Just us :)
The BBC came out with a series, The Truth About Food. There was this one episode where kids were given a choice between 2 healthy snacks - equal in most aspects- however one of the snacks was labeled 'restricted' or 'limited' or a similar term and was made available in a smaller amount for a shorter duration. The idea was to see whether something that was restricted was more appealing to kids just because it wasn't freely available. Kids preferred the restricted snack and had larger quantities as well, even though there was a choice at the time.
ReplyDeleteThis clearly shows that using terms like 'banned', 'forbidden', 'off limits', etc esp for food can even lead to food addictions in children.
Your Dietitian was spot on.....
I guess the question I have a hard time with is what is "moderation" when it comes to these kinds of snacks. What is "restriction" and what is just too much? How does one make these decisions?
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