Diet and weight are huge issues in our society. Huge! I read HERE how you should never say about yourself that you are fat and ugly in the presence of your daughter or her life and body image will be ruined forever. The author ended the article with ~
Let us honour and respect our bodies for what they do instead of despising them for how they appear. Focus on living healthy and active lives, let our weight fall where it may, and consign our body hatred in the past where it belongs.
Then I read THIS where the author responded to something posted on Facebook.
The post on Facebook ~ If I ever have a daughter: She will always know how gorgeous she is. There will be no scales in the house. The words 'diet' and 'fat' will be like swear words. I never want her feeling like I do. The author responded in her article with ~
If you are going to try and control something, control what your child eats so they don't get fat in the first place. Teach them good eating habits, teach them to adhere to a healthy diet. That will save them far more grief than turning the words "fat" and "diet" into swear words. They won't have a bad connotation if you don't let your daughters get fat.
This is not an easy subject. We were careful with what our children ate when they were younger. I fed them very healthy food and wanted them to play outside a lot. We wouldn't let them eat much junk nor would we let them overeat. We were definitely considered "strict parents."
As our daughters got older, if we thought they were gaining weight, we would talk to them about it. I know this is supposedly a "taboo" subject but we felt no subject was "taboo" with our children. If we saw any sin in their lives, we would talk to them about it.
Do they think we did it the right way? I am not sure. I am not sure there is an exactly right way to handle this situation. Food and weight are extremely sensitive subjects but I don't think they should be avoided. Most men do like women who are in shape. Not necessarily thin but in shape and healthy. Being at a decent weight is much healthier also.
Each couple must seek wisdom in this area but I think it should definitely be talked about, modeled, and confronted in your children's lives. Even if you do everything right, they may struggle with their weight since we live in a society of abundance and junk food everywhere. We are admonished to be known for our moderation, however. This is a good quality to teach your children.
Let your moderation be known unto all men.
The Lord is at hand.
Philippians 4:5
Logging you in...
oklahomanicole 30p · 614 weeks ago
I knew that it was not HER job to control her weight, but mine as her mom. I knew that my job was to teach her early how to make good choices in her diet and physical activity. I don't feel like discussing weight gain as a problem is wrong. It is a problem. I wanted my daughter to know that we were going to figure out what foods her body responded to the best, because we are all different and have different needs.
I read the book Ending the Food Fight by David Ludwig. It was excellent! It made sense to me so I started implementing it's ideas. We because strict about her eating all five food groups, eating higher proteins, lower carbs, less starches, more vegetables, concentrating on lower glycemic foods. Thankfully we have never been a family that drinks much other than water, milk, and the occasional juice, so this wasn't a battle I had to fight. I took out all pre-packaged snacks and started making homemade cookies, muffins, etc., with a healthy spin on it. We realized that she also had some lactose intolerance and irritable bowel syndrome, so factored that into her diet.
Now that it is summer her physical activity is a lot more, which helps a lot. She loves to ride her scooter, swim, and his playing softball.
Recently I started reading the book Trim Healthy Mama. I was thrilled to see that it follows the same premise as Ending the Food Fight, so it's a diet we are all on as a family.
I am proud to say that my daughter's weight is now under control and she is feeling and looking so much better! She shows me her tummy all the time and says, "Look how healthy my tummy looks." She is still a bigger girl, still shorter, still stockier, still heavier. And she always will be, more than likely, but she now knows how to make healthy food choices and knows what too many carbs and sugars does to her body.
Education is key. And honesty, in my humble opinion.
Monica · 614 weeks ago
While there is a major problem in our culture with overeating and eating junk food, please don't fall into the trap that food and exercise are the primary cause for a healthy or unhealthy weight. There is so much more involved in having a healthy weight. Our bodies, to be healthy, need to have a correct balance of hormones such as adrenaline, cortisol, and insulin. Thyroid levels have a major impact on weight as well. Another issue can be the result of even a single antibiotic treatment which can change the balance of bacteria in our guts and can cause cravings for sugars and carbs. Sleep, stress, exercise, and medication affect our health and the ability to gain or lose weight. Did you know that high or low cortisol levels will not allow you to burn fat no matter how much you eat or move!
Our heredity has a lot to do with it as well. At a doctor visit years ago, I was told to watch what I fed my off the chart for height and weight 2 year old boy until he came to my 6 year old daughter who was under the 25th percentile for height and weight. He told me to forget what he had just said about diet! They both have learned now how to have a healthy weight, but they need to live it out as well.
Keep on encouraging us! I appreciate all that you do!
ayearinskirts 66p · 614 weeks ago
I wish there was a blog out there called "What health looks like" and would feature people who are runners or cyclists or swimmers or aerobic instructors and the world would see that people who are fit do not necessarily look like the "fitness health model" that is used to sell equipment.
Louise · 610 weeks ago
Fran · 614 weeks ago
Stacie · 614 weeks ago
I am very careful not to let my daughter hear me talk negatively about my body (and I try not to talk negatively about my body in my own head) and I don't use the word diet. Instead we use the words "lifestyle" and "choices." Because she is a dancer I am hyper-aware of body issues. As her mom I try my best to keep out the negative influences while helping her develop her own sense of self-worth.
kendra · 614 weeks ago
Amy · 614 weeks ago
Based on my own experience my goal, should I ever have children, especially girls, is to NEVER mention their weight. instead we will only keep healthy food in the house. We won't use food as a reward (another thing I recently blogged about) and our family will enjoy physical activity together like family hikes, bike rides, catch and tennis. I'll keep plenty of information about healthy eating around and I hope to lead by example. But I will NOT do what my mother did - which was to harp on about my weight - it only made me feel worthless and even more stressed about it - to the point that it actually did become a problem. (when it first started it was the common weight gain the both girls and boys have before puberty starts - it was NOT, I repeat, NOT a problem when she first started picking at it - but it became a problem and a scar on my heart and our relationship).
I love my mom - so I don't say this to demean her - only to encourage other moms not to fall into the same trap. For the sake of your daughter's health and happiness.
Lori Alexander 122p · 614 weeks ago
Shell · 614 weeks ago
Ellen · 614 weeks ago