My little boy, he's nine, set his alarm to get up and exercise with me this morning. AND he has grown an inch since tracking his weight and has lost a little weight at the same time. AND he put on a pair of pants this morning that he wouldn't previously wear because they were too tight and he came to show me that he needed a belt. AND we had a talk and I asked why he thinks we are focusing on his weight. His answer? Because he doesn't want to get obese and die when he's 50. Yes, yes, yes! He doesn't think it's for vanity purposes, he knows it's about his health.
Yeah!! I'm just tickled that we've tackled this as a family and it is paying off.
What a wonderful positive post to read this am. I have a 9 year old boy too and while he doesn't need to lose any weight, I'm concerned that my poor role modeling in the past could set him up for obesity in his future.
I let my son know Friday evening that we were adopting a healthier lifestyle mainly for mom to get healthier but the added benefit is that it is good for him. He's pretty excited as there is Wii involved.
Congratulations for getting your family involved and excited!! You son sounds like a sweetheart!
Thanks guys! It is a really good feeling. This little son of mine is a total couch potato and always has been despite my efforts to prevent it. He doesn't play, and NEVER has. He does not play with toys. When he was tiny, we had limits of only 20 minutes per day of screen time and the rest of his day was pretty much filled with Mom scheduled activities or absolutely nothing. He didn't crawl until he was 17 months old because he was completely content to sit on the floor and play with his toes. LOL! Fast forward to today, and it's all television, video games and reading. That's it. So he's a kid who needs scheduled exercise, and what better way to get it than with good old Mom.
that is great, Eliana. These good habits starting so young will be valuable his whole life.
My son is 5 and while he's underweight, I am still very happy that I am starting to model a fit and active lifestyle for him. He knows that I am trying "get smaller" so there will be more things we can do together. I haven't really talked too much about food with him because for now, his eating needs are so different from mine but maybe that's ok too - at least he's seeing me eat and enjoy lots of healthy foods and hopefully that will help him down the road too.
Elaina...you are the BEST MOM ever! How wonderful is it that you understand your son and the way he is...and not shaming him. I am tickled pink for you! WTG!
That is awesome! I have two daughters and worry all the time about setting a positive example for them. Since this December, they have learned to like new veggies and love having Mommy cook dinner for them every night. I have managed to keep thier weight steady (neither one are overweight), but replace the junk with good foods. They seem to prefer the better food. Honestly, what keeps me going more than anything is my husband and my girls. I know that what I make for dinner, they will eat too. I want the best foods in thier bodies possible.
Elaina, This is the best post ever. You are setting your son up so that he does not have the life long struggle that you (and me and many of us here) have had with weight/health issues. What a wonderful gift for your son.
*happy tears* for you and your son. My dd (who's also 9) is struggling already w/ her weight, and it's such a fine line between gently reminding/nagging. You're doing a great job!
Best ever NSV! My son!
AND he has grown an inch since tracking his weight and has lost a little weight at the same time. AND he put on a pair of pants this morning that he wouldn't previously wear because they were too tight and he came to show me that he needed a belt. AND we had a talk and I asked why he thinks we are focusing on his weight. His answer? Because he doesn't want to get obese and die when he's 50. 
Yes, yes, yes! He doesn't think it's for vanity purposes, he knows it's about his health.
