AskRoni _v14s2 – Kids on Diets, Food Addiction, and Stopping Self Sabotage

22 Responses to AskRoni _v14s2 – Kids on Diets, Food Addiction, and Stopping Self Sabotage

1. E says:

   November 3, 2008 at 4:41 pm

   Great answer in response to the kid diet question. Its almost “too late” when kids are at that point that they need Weight Watchers to teach them the tools for healthy living. Not too late in that there’s no hope for them, but too late in that parents could have been more proactive in modeling healthier habits so that their children wouldn’t “need” Weight Watchers in the first place. I wish that healthy nutrition was taught in schools, for all kids. Those chubbier kids who are getting educated through Weight Watchers are learning tools that all kids could benefit from, but they are being singled out in a way that might lead to food obsessions and diet cycling. If nutrition was just another part of the public school curriculum, maybe we could circumvent those issues while still giving kids the health knowledge they need.

   Kids are so at the mercy of their environment; you are really giving the Toddler a great gift by planting healthy habits early and making it easy for him to be healthy in his own home.
2. E says:

   November 3, 2008 at 4:50 pm

   Also: awesome food addiction article. The brain-weight connection is so interesting, I can’t wait for more research to come out and hopefully make things clearer for all of us!

   Check out Es last blog post..“Mental health instead of material wealth”
3. Annette says:

   November 3, 2008 at 4:54 pm

   yeah……….video time with Roni and my green tea!
4. Laura Brandon says:

   November 3, 2008 at 5:02 pm

   wow roni, the answer to that last quesion totally made sense to me! even my myspace says something to the effect of “i’m pretty much always on a diet.” that’s who i am! who will i be when i’m “off” the diet and into maintenance? i don’t know because i’ve never gotten there! i never really thought about it like that – i’ve just always known that one day, i’ll gain it all back, and then i’ll lose it again, and on and on, and i’ve never thought about why. that’s an interesting theory, thanks for sharing!
5. Susan says:

   November 3, 2008 at 6:44 pm

   I agree – I always used to think about food. All of the time. It was actually really annoying. Now, my thoughts don’t always focus on food. It is a relief! I like to plan my day out and then I know when it is snack or meal time.

   S
6. Fitness Surfer says:

   November 3, 2008 at 7:13 pm

   Thanks you for covering the topic on kids dieting. I totally agree in teaching them to make their own healthy choices. I know that with my toddler and 8 month old I make most of those choices for them, but they do see what I eat. I know that fast and easy snacks are usually un healthy and that it takes time to plan healthy meals for your kids and even harder to plan healthy on-the-go snacks for them. After a while it just becomes habit, but it is easy to be lazy and just give them fruit snacks when they need to be quiet at the store. I guess what I’m trying to say is it’s worth it.

   I wish that my parents would have taught me something about nutrition. I ate a giant cookie and orange drink every day for lunch in Jr. High, and I played sports. That could have had a huge effect on my performance in school and athletics. Either way it’s no excuse not to change, and I’m loving the way I feel now that I’m eating healthy, and I can always see a big difference in my kids when they’re getting the nutrients they need.
7. Jen says:

   November 3, 2008 at 7:53 pm

   I love your Q and A videos. You have such great insight. I think about the kid issue all the time and hope that I can teach healthy food habits to my family. I struggle with that right now with my 2 1/2 year old – she is sooo picky and wont eat any veggies besides canned green beans. She will eat fruit, but as for healthy grilled chicken, or any healthy dinner that I cook, she wont touch it at all. She will only eat a few “kid” foods that are definitely not what I would have hoped for her. I just live in hope that as she gets older she will expand her palate. I will keep trying with her. One of these days, maybe she will eat that broccoli. (With a serious miracle.)

   Check out Jens last blog post..Exercise More
8. Giyen says:

   November 4, 2008 at 1:19 am

   Roni,
   Was watching you work through your thoughts about being busy and what you want your purpose to be. I know exactly how you feel about being overwhelmed. That’s why I quit my job! : )

   Keep blogging and remember the 80/20 rule!

   G

   Check out Giyens last blog post..It’s A Girl! Woohoo!
9. Christy says:

   November 4, 2008 at 4:48 am

   I think that placing a child on a diet might end up making hte child eat super unhealthy when they have the chance. They could act out against food once they no longer have someone watching over them.

   Re: food addiction – I think your explanation is great! WW’s really does make people focus on foods because you have to plan. So the best thing to do is follow your advice and focus on healthy foods. (Now I am hungry for a chicken cheese steak like you described!)

   Re: feeling like the chubby girl – I know how you feel. Some of the spouse’s in my husband’s unit that I used to hang out with have all lost weight (in unhealthy ways). They all did it together and lost really fast. They do not work or go to school…I work full time, volunteer in the community and just finished my bachleor’s degree by going to school online…I did not always have time to hang out. Now…I find that when we hang out I am the ‘chubby’ one and I sort of resent their weight loss since I am losing so extremely slow. (11 pounds in 3 months) I just see that I eat carrots sticks and they are munching on good stuff when we hang out…I can understand my jealousy…I don’t know if it is really fair to them for me to feel this way though.

   Check out Christys last blog post..Go ME! Doin’ the Happy Dance
10. Michelle says:

    November 4, 2008 at 7:23 am

    In response to Terry’s question on food obsession…

    I recently blogged about this in my own weight loss blog. I feel the same obsession. And when I am having a bad day and I have a binge, it’s even worse. I almost feel compelled to eat. AND now that I am at goal, I almost give myself more freedom than I used to. Also, now that I am at goal, I don’t have a problem telling people about it. I can openly admit that I love food, and not have to hide it. I feel like if it’s out in the open, I am less likely to try to sneak food or hide the fact that I am eating it.
    The best thing for me is planning. I stress this to everyone I know when they ask me ‘how did you lose all the weight?” I plan my meals for the next day every single night before I go to bed. When I get u in the morning, I know exactly what I am going to eat that day and there are some days when I ‘just can’t wait until lunch’ because I can’t stop thinking about whatever it is I have planned for that day. BUT at least it’s planned and its accounted for and I don’t have to worry about going overboard.

    I think there are many of us out there who have a ‘food obsession.’ We just need to channel our energy into portion control and planning.

    Check out Michelles last blog post..2nd Race
11. crazylady says:

    November 4, 2008 at 8:28 am

    Your answer to the self-sabotage question has really, really resonated with me. I’ve recently been thinking more and more about why I am getting in my own way when it comes to losing weight. Why I’m stopping myself when I supposedly want it so bad. I need to think on this a lot more but I guess, whether justified or not, I feel like a failure in many (if not most) areas of my life and failing to lose weight definitely validates that. Weird how that’s really just hit me properly right now. I still have no idea how to change it but I’ll keep thinking anyway.

    Check out crazyladys last blog post..Treading water – just.
12. Melissa says:

    November 4, 2008 at 8:44 am

    HI Roni,

    I just had to comment on the video post of self sabotaging. The armchair psychology was right on! I think many of us do fear success so actually “plan” to fail. I became this new athlete, I started running, did a 5K and was training for my 1st Triathlon until I moved cross country. I slipped very easily back into the person I have been for the past 8 years. It makes me so mad that allowed myself to fall back to old patterns and ways. I am yet to go to the gym, I rejoined WW but had a terrible 1st week. I guess I still identified myself as not working out, not eating well etc.

    Great site! Love it!!!
13. Charlie Hills says:

    November 4, 2008 at 9:25 am

    I only wish I had self sabotaging. I’m still trying to deal with the pesky little Long John Silvers vs. Charlie conflict.

    Check out Charlie Hillss last blog post..Oatmeal
14. Christy says:

    November 4, 2008 at 10:09 am

    haha…Charlie: Step away from the LJS…just put the fish and hush puppies down :-)

    Check out Christys last blog post..Workout Playlist and Tips
15. Crystal says:

    November 4, 2008 at 10:34 am

    Roni,

    Have you noticed how lean your face is getting? I don’t mean that in a bad way. It’s just that you can always tell the buff people by their face even if they’re wearing a lot of clothes. A lean face to me always me that this person works their ass off! Just an observation!

    Crystal

    P.S. People reading this comment: Don’t forget to vote!!!!
16. bessie says:

    November 4, 2008 at 11:30 am

    Thanks Roni! Your answer was what I had been thinking all along. I believe it’s the parents role to show kids healthy eating. The kids don’t do the grocery shopping, so it’s up to mom and/ or dad to buy helathy foods and good snacks for the kids. This kid could have eaten ice cream with the youth- there are sugar free options at Cold Stone… but I bet the parents haven’t taken time to show their kids this is even an option. It’s also up to the parents to provide activity for their kids- other than using thier thumbs on the Nintendo DS…

    Thanks again! You’re great!
17. Anna says:

    November 4, 2008 at 11:46 am

    Roni, your segment on self-sabotage really caused me to ask myself a tough question: “Why am I afraid to succeed and therefore sabotaging myself?” I realized what the answer is: “I’m afraid that even if I lose weight, I will gain it all back. I’m afraid that my success will be short-lived.”

    Now I am at the point that I don’t know what to do with this new-found knowledge. How do I get over this fear?
18. vickie says:

    November 4, 2008 at 12:26 pm

    I have been working with my kids (18, 14, 10) on nutrition for quite a while. They are up to the standards of bloggers that you know that eat mostly whole foods and eat evenly from the food groups. They are NOT on par with the kids that we are around on a regular basis. My kids are appauled by what they see other kids eat.

    All of this started with my changing myself and then putting forth the effort to shop and cook so that they ate whole foods. Their (prior) poor habits were from my feeding them ‘kid food’ which I no longer do. Their lesser food habits were ALL about ME and not about them at all.

    Things we work on:
    how to adapt recipes so they use more whole foods,
    reading labels,
    dividing food into portions (like spaghetti into 7 servings),
    eating whole foods,
    eating EVENLY from the food groups,
    eating more variety,
    making healthy choices away from home,
    thinking of food as fuel for the body,
    thinking that marketing people are trying to trick them.

    Your question on the video – boy with the ice cream -
    My 14 year old might choose NOT to eat ice cream on a trip too –
    because she
    wasn’t hungry enough to make it worth it,
    she didn’t like that brand of ice cream,
    what she ate earlier in the day/week,
    she was saving “junk” serving for something she REALLY wanted later

    but she would NOT be sitting there chanting to herself. And if someone asked her why she wasn’t eating ice cream – she would tell them whatever the reason was.

    She is BIG into splitting things with friends – half a carmel apple, half an ice cream sandwich, a gooey brownie split 3 ways with friends. She totally gets that 1-3 bites is the same as eating the whole thing if you really relish the taste.

    She still has the ability to stop when she is full. All 3 kids do.

    She and I met with a nutritionist so that she (daughter) could see the bigger picture from an outside person (and not just me/mom).

    I am working in a dedicated/healthy food way with her – because she will be in college in 4 years. She needs to be able to do all of this herself – with ease in 4 years. She eats away from home a good deal now – school, youth group, friends. We talk about the food that is out there – a lot.

    I have an 18 year old in college NOW – and he is a good, healthy eater. He makes good choices. He can SEE the choices that other kids make at college (and most of those are really bad). He also noticed when everyone stopped wearing jeans and started wearing elastic waist sweats. . .

    We talk about food at our house all the time. We read cookbooks. We cook. We adapt recipes. We talk about good combinations. We shop together. We read labels together.

    I am at the standing with my mouth shut and my hands in my pockets stage with these kids and food.

    Now it is more letting them work through the
    ‘which label IS healthier’???
    (like the fooler soft taco shells where white is actually healthier than whole wheat) and
    what I have I eaten so far today? -
    so what does my body still need?

    It is very much a teaching process.
    Starting earlier does help – but it is NEVER too late.
19. Carol says:

    November 5, 2008 at 8:17 pm

    One point about the kids and healthy eating habits…I have 7 year old twins, a boy and a girl. I have always tried to make sure we eat healthy meals and snacks. But here’s the thing, my dd is a very healthy eater and will choose fruit and veggies for snacks. She stops eating when she is full even if her favorite food is still on the plate. She is slender, but not picky about food and not underweight. My ds, however, who eats almost exactly the same food is a little overweight. He is constantly thinking about food and would prefer eating junk all the time if I let him. He wakes up and asks me “what’s for dinner tonight”. He inhales his food and is always the first one at the table to be done. While I won’t put him on a diet, I do find that I need some rules (that the whole family follows) like no seconds at dinner, school lunches only 1x a week, and only 1 small healthy snack after school.

    So, I guess what I’m saying is that even though I’m trying to teach both my kids healthy eating habits, I think my ds will always struggle with his weight. The interesting thing about having twins is that you really can see the “nature v. nurture” differences between them.
20. Dori says:

    November 7, 2008 at 5:42 pm

    weight watchers is NOT a diet.. its a lifestyle..
    so why are you discussing putting kids or not putting kids on diets..
    instead of using the word “lifestyle”.

    you are getting long winded in your responses ..
    which has led me to fast forward thru some of your answers..
    im busy and dont have time for really long answers…
    sorry.. but please consider shortening the blabbing….

    thanks!
21. Tracy says:

    November 7, 2008 at 11:50 pm

    I love your long answers and completely understand what you are saying. Thanks so much for taking the time to record and post your videos. You are so inspiring and uplifting and I appreciate your outlook on things! It is so refreshing to hear someone else that has struggled through the same issues and SUCCEEDED through it all. Thanks for all you do!
22. Nina says:

    November 8, 2008 at 6:05 am

    Hi Roni!

    Great questions, and great answers!

    You are so right about kids and diets, kids should be taught a healthy diet and about fun with food. And food should not dominate their lifestyle. Even if they might get weight problems later because of emotional reasons or some medical condition, they can always come back to it.

    And take care of yourself! I am the same kind of person, my organization skills are kind of – creative – but don’t lose the overall picture and lose yourself in too much work. You want to do it for a longer time than two weeks. I have had a burn out, and it was so hard to get back to the things I actually liked before because I was actually afraid that they might burn me out again. Which is not true as there are many other things which also lead to it at the same time, but the fear is hard to overcome. And the getting back on the horse-part is hard to do.

    Next task for you: Go on a date with the husband!

    And I also have an idea: we have an online agency here in Germany called mydays.de, and they are a kind of booking agency for all kinds of activities, from romantic to sportive. I bet you have something similar there in the US. So have a look at one of those sites and be inspired. You do not necessarily need to book there, but it gives you ideas. If I don’t read about a date in three weeks…then…beware! :D

    The last two questions were questions that actually concern me very much, too. And I have found that I would like to write something about those questions on my blog as my answers would become too long for a comment. Just in case anyone might be interested.

    Love,
    Nina