So I am scheduled for my surgery in a few weeks, I am trying to get myself eating now the way I will need to later...everything I have read says this will make it easier for me after, plus...I was asked to loose 10lbs. I am doing fine for myself. I fix myself separate items from my family. The thing is...one big reason I am doing this is to help my children. Both our girls are heavy for their ages (my hubs and I are both too and he will be having his surgery in the spring) I do NOT want my kids to have to go through this. I want to help them now while they are little. It is my duty as their mom who loves them more than anything in this world. Where I am having trouble is dinner...what in the world do I make for a family that is low in fat, low in sugar, high in Protein and...my kids will actually eat??

I love my babies and I don't want them to suffer the way I did as a child/teen/adult. The teasing and laughing and being left out. I also don't want them to loose their confidence or self esteem at the hands of me...because I didn't take control...

They are both dancers and are very active kids...good grief are they active...but the weight sticks in their tummy area just like mine and my husbands. (He says it's sympathy weight from when I was pregnant...nearly 10 years ago lol)

Anyway..any ideas or advice other parents can give me on how to handle the dinner situation and also...tips on weeding out the crap like hoho's in the lunch box..what do I swap it for and the chips...without them crying...and hating it. I want them to see that eating right can be great!!! I know it can...I've done it a million times but...you all know...

Thanks y'all!

~dreaming

So I am scheduled for my surgery in a few weeks, I am trying to get myself eating now the way I will need to later...everything I have read says this will make it easier for me after, plus...I was asked to loose 10lbs. I am doing fine for myself. I fix myself separate items from my family. The thing is...one big reason I am doing this is to help my children. Both our girls are heavy for their ages (my hubs and I are both too and he will be having his surgery in the spring) I do NOT want my kids to have to go through this. I want to help them now while they are little. It is my duty as their mom who loves them more than anything in this world. Where I am having trouble is dinner...what in the world do I make for a family that is low in fat, low in sugar, high in protein and...my kids will actually eat?? I love my babies and I don't want them to suffer the way I did as a child/teen/adult. The teasing and laughing and being left out. I also don't want them to loose their confidence or self esteem at the hands of me...because I didn't take control... They are both dancers and are very active kids...good grief are they active...but the weight sticks in their tummy area just like mine and my husbands. (He says it's sympathy weight from when I was pregnant...nearly 10 years ago lol) Anyway..any ideas or advice other parents can give me on how to handle the dinner situation and also...tips on weeding out the crap like hoho's in the lunch box..what do I swap it for and the chips...without them crying...and hating it. I want them to see that eating right can be great!!! I know it can...I've done it a million times but...you all know... Thanks y'all! ~dreaming

So what I did withh my kids is find a veggie they all like, In my house it's cucumbers and ranch (fat free of course!) And trade that for chips and dip. And I use yogart and fruit snacks as a replacement for candy and ice cream. It's still sweet and can be frozen just like ice cream. Or for a rare treat, sherbet. (Fat free again). And them seeing you and dad make this change will help with less kicking and screaming. They're gonna resist any change, all kids do... But if u clean out all the "junk" and there's no choice but to eat right... Then they're gonna do it a lot easier than if they're doing it while seeing the box of ho hos in the corner! And even explain to them, I making sure we all live long healthy lives by making the switch for everyone.... Not just the kids!

Thank you!! Great ideas and advice!

Even sugar free pudding snacks would be a step up from ho hos! Or sugar free jello, do they like dried fruit or banana chips? Try the 100 calorie packs of cheez it's or party mix to kind of transition off of the other chips.

Try making a crockpot full of chili for dinner, if your a meat eater, ground turkey is a good substitute and you can also pack in lots of veggies in disguise. High in protein and you cant tell it's ground turkey. I'm a vegetarian so I use like 4 types of beans and a ton of veggies in my chili but I make my dad and fiancé turkey chili.

Thank you so much!! The turkey Chili is a great idea!! Yes we are meat eaters!! I made a turkey ham tonight for dinner with beans and peas...I made mashed potatoes for the kids n I had a hard boiled egg...but guess what??? They didn't even notice the ham was turkey!! Haha!! Love it!!

I'm not married and I don't have children however I majored in sociology of food in college which included food culture in America so I read several case studies on getting children to eat healthy and the "stigma" of healthy eating. One way to get children to be more motivated is grow some produce or visit a farm- being involved in the process (including cooking) helps motivate to eat fresh foods. I think another thing is everyone should become a little more educated on why they should eat healthy. It helps to not look at it as some pain in the ass thing they have to do- it nourishes our bodies, helps us think more clearly etc. knowing why foods are good helps me appreciate the flavor of raw veggies and healthy food over fried foods and junk. Break it down- a mcdonalds chicken mcnuggets has some nasty stuff in it. Also, find a way to make healthy versions of your favorite foods. My sister used to love junk food and I've been living w her the past year and I typically cook lean meats with fresh produce healthy grains etc. the other day she said I've ruined her on junk food after she ate Taco Bell. Some of her favorites are tacos with ground chicken and ice burg lettuce instead of shells, all things cauliflower (cauliflower mash, cauliflower tots, cauliflower soups, cauliflower crust). Hamburgers made with lean meat and mushrooms as buns, seasoned and roasted nuts, seeds and beans as snacks, Greek yogurt cheesecake with nut/rolled oat crust, Greek yogurt instead of mayo or sour cream (seasons roasted red peppers, garlic, etc) etc. I'll attach some pics of how good these can be! (I ended up attaching cauli tots and mushroom burger, spaghetti squash with cauli Alfredo and chicken sausage, cauli and squash soup w roasted red peppers and goats cheese, quiche, beet and goats cheese squares w/ balsamic redux, cheesecake and I forgot other but if you want any of the recipes they're all super healthy!!) I wrote a 50 pg healthy eating guide for a class I taught in college about eating healthy on a budget if you want me to send it to you.

Edited March 5, 201412 yr by chefkelly

I'm not married and I don't have children however I majored in sociology of food in college which included food culture in America so I read several case studies on getting children to eat healthy and the "stigma" of healthy eating. One way to get children to be more motivated is grow some produce or visit a farm- being involved in the process (including cooking) helps motivate to eat fresh foods. I think another thing is everyone should become a little more educated on why they should eat healthy. It helps to not look at it as some pain in the ass thing they have to do- it nourishes our bodies, helps us think more clearly etc. knowing why foods are good helps me appreciate the flavor of raw veggies and healthy food over fried foods and junk. Break it down- a mcdonalds chicken mcnuggets has some nasty stuff in it. <br><br> Also, find a way to make healthy versions of your favorite foods. My sister used to love junk food and I've been living w her the past year and I typically cook lean meats with fresh produce healthy grains etc. the other day she said I've ruined her on junk food after she ate Taco Bell. Some of her favorites are tacos with ground chicken and ice burg lettuce instead of shells, all things cauliflower (cauliflower mash, cauliflower tots, cauliflower soups, cauliflower crust). Hamburgers made with lean meat and mushrooms as buns, seasoned and roasted nuts, seeds and Beans as Snacks, Greek yogurt cheesecake with nut/rolled oat crust, Greek yogurt instead of mayo or sour cream (seasons roasted red peppers, garlic, etc) etc. <br><br> I'll attach some pics of how good these can be! (I ended up attaching cauli tots and mushroom burger, quiche, cauliflower/ squash soup, spaghetti squash with cauliflower Alfredo and chicken sausage, beet and goats cheese squares w/ balsamic redux, cheesecake and I forgot other but if you want any of the recipes they're all super healthy!!)<br><br> I wrote a 50 pg healthy eating guide for a class I taught in college about eating healthy on a budget if you want me to send it to you.

This was an accident-- don't know how to delete

Edited March 5, 201412 yr by chefkelly

Oh my, please come live with me and cook for me lol!

Edited March 5, 201412 yr by KristinaRnY

I'm not married and I don't have children however I majored in sociology of food in college which included food culture in America so I read several case studies on getting children to eat healthy and the "stigma" of healthy eating. One way to get children to be more motivated is grow some produce or visit a farm- being involved in the process (including cooking) helps motivate to eat fresh foods. I think another thing is everyone should become a little more educated on why they should eat healthy. It helps to not look at it as some pain in the ass thing they have to do- it nourishes our bodies, helps us think more clearly etc. knowing why foods are good helps me appreciate the flavor of raw veggies and healthy food over fried foods and junk. Break it down- a mcdonalds chicken mcnuggets has some nasty stuff in it. Also, find a way to make healthy versions of your favorite foods. My sister used to love junk food and I've been living w her the past year and I typically cook lean meats with fresh produce healthy grains etc. the other day she said I've ruined her on junk food after she ate Taco Bell. Some of her favorites are tacos with ground chicken and ice burg lettuce instead of shells, all things cauliflower (cauliflower mash, cauliflower tots, cauliflower soups, cauliflower crust). Hamburgers made with lean meat and mushrooms as buns, seasoned and roasted nuts, seeds and Beans as Snacks, Greek yogurt cheesecake with nut/rolled oat crust, Greek yogurt instead of mayo or sour cream (seasons roasted red peppers, garlic, etc) etc. I'll attach some pics of how good these can be! (I ended up attaching cauli tots and mushroom burger, spaghetti squash with cauli Alfredo and chicken sausage, cauli and squash soup w roasted red peppers and goats cheese, quiche, beet and goats cheese squares w/ balsamic redux, cheesecake and I forgot other but if you want any of the recipes they're all super healthy!!) I wrote a 50 pg healthy eating guide for a class I taught in college about eating healthy on a budget if you want me to send it to you.

Even though this was an accident, thanks for all the info!! What GREAT ideas!! I too wish you could come live with me and teach me all these things!! I really hope to learn all these little tricks and recipes!! I would LOVE any recipes you have!! I will pm you with my email if you are willing to share still!!!

Absolutely send me your info and I will get you the recipes! They are all very simple and quick!

I sent you a pm!!

I sent you a pm!!

I've been thinking about this a little topic a little more. I am sure so many people on this board can relate to this feeling but I wanted to weigh in again on helping your children make healthy decisions. My mom and dad were always very adamant about me losing weight. This never came from a place of wanting me to be something I wasn't. My dad just never wanted it to hold me back and my mom's dad was always really hard on her about her weight- basically, they just wanted me to be the happiest version of myself. I knew this my entire life. I knew they were never judging me and didn't love me any less because of it- it was totally well meaning. It still felt awful and like I was disappointing them but I knew they wanted in for me- not for them. I love m parents-they are the most supportive and wonderful people. I think the way the approached weight loss with me was MUCH better than belittling it but it also made me look at it as being miserable. I grew up in an incredibly small town in Kansas- no designer health foods- meat and potatoes- processed foods etc were the norm. My parents didn't grow up knowing a lot about nutrition- and the always followed fad diets. I always saw it was bad food was fun and good and healthy food was miserable. I think that the approach of really teaching your kids about health, and agriculture and how food affects our bodies is key to making a difference. It shouldn't be approached as a punishment for being overweight. Bad food is disgusting- the stuff in it hurts us, it makes us sick, it damages the environment- and if that ideology have been presented in to me when I was younger in an accessible way maybe I wouldn't have the problems I have today. In college I studied how food affects our culture and social relationship as well as horticulture science and it opened my eyes to food issues. And also learning about traditions in different culture and how to grow food and how food can nourish our bodies in a beautiful way. I would love if every kid could capture this feeling. Cooking and eating connects to nature, the people who cook and produce it and people who have come before us- whether we are celebrating, socializing or mourning- it involves food. It is truly- as James Beard has said- a common ground among people. We should know about what we are eating, how it is made, teach it as something to enjoy in the utmost thoughtful way- in regards to health and other ways. I think that is the way to approach health with children- just my two cents. I'm a bit of a romantic when it comes to the way I look at the world ha. Animal, vegetable, miracle by Barbra king solver is a good book about a mother who moves her family out to a farm to grow their own food for a year to learn about food.

Also I have clients tomorrow but will try to get you those recipes ASAP!

Edited March 6, 201412 yr by chefkelly