I was watching my kids today as they were playing outside. As usual, I asked myself, "where do they get all that energy?" It's not as if they eat a whole lot. Regardless of where they get it, they have it and I want some of it!

So, my idea is this. What if I were to live like a kid? I'm not going to start jumping off the furniture, or spend hours catching bugs or anything. But, if I were to start living by the eating rules I impose on my kids such as eating all you healthy meals before getting any treats, snacking, and child sized portions, rather than take a, "do as I say, not as I do," attitude, then I could be onto something! Then, regardless of whether I feel like it or not, I need to stay as active as my kids are. All day! If my kids are outside digging in the dirt, I should be pulling weeds (not sitting in the sun) and if they're riging their bikes in the cul-de-sac, I should be on my treadmill that I have in the garage walking (not watching them from the window) Unless they're sitting down watching TV or coloring, I shouldn't be sitting on my @$$!

We give our kids rules for eating hoping that they will follow them for their whole lives. My kids are all very thin, very active and voracious eaters (for kids) If I lived by my own "rules," then perhaps I could harness some of their energy. I'd give anything to feel like a kid again and maybe, just maybe, this is what I need to get some of that life back. And maybe I'm insane.

I'll let you know how this goes!

good idea, I'll have to try it!

Or you could go ride your bike with them!

I do not have kids yet, but I totally love this idea! One of the things that I have tried talking to my bf about is what we will be like when we have kids. I have always been a very active, very outdoorsy type of person. Never had cable tv, etc cause I was always outside! He is a couch potato. I do not want my kids to grow up like that!
So getting out and moving with your kids, mimicking their behavior, in grown up fashion is a wonderful idea IMO!

Great idea! I used to think about writing a book called "Everything I Need To Know About Weight Loss I Learned From My Toddler," but then decided I didn't have enough material. Anyway, I remember a few things I wanted to include was:

The No-Food-Touching rule: If you portion out your food so that nothing is touching on the plate, you get automatic portion control.

Stop When You're No Longer Hungry: My child seems to instinctively know when she's full. She doesn't really eat for comfort or emotional reasons. She won't even finish ice cream or cake if she's had enough.

Eat Small Amounts Frequently: My kid is a snacker. She nibbles and grazes throughout the day without overeating. I definitely think she's got a handle on the 5-6 mini meal philosophy!

Make Exercise Fun: Kids don't do "formal" exercise. They run, they skip, they jump, they climb. It always looks like so much fun!

Be A Picky Eater: My child won't eat something at a party just "because it's there" or to be polite to the hostess. If she doesn't really want it, she won't eat it. I could definitely benefit if I were pickier about my food choices. Is a bag of Fritos really worth the calories?

One smart Mamma!

I love that! I always wondered why my kids too have endless energy from the time they get up until they pass out at night. They are definitely more intune to their body cues than I am. I can learn a lot right there.

This reminds me of the Friends episode where Phoebe goes running with Rachel and embarrasses her because Phoebe runs like a little kid!!

Agreed!

Banananutmuffin - great ideas!

I'm going to show my geek side and tell you that kids have a lot of energy because their cells are still regenerating, they're growing. But I do like the way you think!

I noticed when my kids were little...and really active, that they wanted to drink a lot of LIQUIDS.
Pound for pound, they drank a lot more milk, juice and water than I did.
They didn't eat much solid food, it was mostly liquid. So I rarely bought sodas.

I gave them one childrens vitamin every other day also.

YOU KNOW IT’S TIME TO DIET AND EXERCISE WHEN...

your driver's license says, "Picture continued on other side."