[hellokitty81668]

I have this problem. My kids want me to buy junk food, but when I do they get a piece , and I eat the rest. My husband is slim, so he thinks any kind of food is great to have around the house. Last night I ate the last 2 muffins in the house( sam's , gigantic muffins). I know the best thing is not having food that I will not stop eating in the house, but I don't know how to control what I buy and get my kids to understand that it is not healthy for them or me. Help!!!

[AquaChick]

You have to remember who is in control.

I have some junk in my house (cereals for the kids and that) .

My husband is in shape, he and my son practice Kung Fu- they are fine. So they don't have to watch it like I do.

I struggled at first with not nabbing that pringle. But after a few days of not laying a finger on that stuff I remembered I do have control of myself. It is an obsticle you have to overcome. You are the only one that can do anything about it, even though you unfortunately do not have the support system you deserve. But, this is what it comes down to in the end anyway. You have to do this for you.

I know you can do it.

PS, I have been watching my weight for a couple of months and my husband has noticed and has started to eat and feed the kids some of what I eat- the healthier options....

[JayEll]

This is going to sound really radical, but instead of finishing the junk food your kids don't eat, throw it away. Yes, in the garbage. They only ate half the french fries? Away those fries go!

Oh I know, we aren't supposed to "waste" food, but it is better to toss it than put it in your mouth! Same goes for "uneaten" muffins, etc.

Yeah, starving children in other countries, and all that--we need to help them, but eating the food ourselves doesn't do that! Send some money to charitable organizations if you feel guilty.

Just my 2 cents
Jay

[LLV]

Originally Posted by JayEll

Oh I know, we aren't supposed to "waste" food, but it is better to toss it than put it in your mouth! Same goes for "uneaten" muffins, etc.

Yep, that was another thing I had to conquer - the guilt over wasting food.

I don't know where that comes from. Perhaps it's from hearing my mother all of my life say, "eat that food, you don't want to waste it!" Or maybe it was my own excuse so I could go ahead and eat it. Whatever the reason, I had to get off that boat.

The thing with the fries happened to me the other day, in fact; I stopped at Wendy's and got myself a salad. I drove back home. When I opened the bag my salad was in, I was horrified to see they had also tossed in a thing of fries that I didn't order. I was like noooooooo!!!!! You did NOT do this to me! If those fries are in there, I'm gonna eat 'em, you idiots!

lol, it was pathetic. I pulled the fries out of the bag. Yep, stuffed a couple of them into my mouth. And slipped right back into that way of thinking - if I just toss these, I'll be wasting them. So I put them in the refrigerator. I don't like cold fries and knew that once they had been in there for a while, I wouldn't eat them. So it was sort of my way of not wasting the food by just tossing it into the trash but waiting until they were no longer edible so I wouldn't feel as bad when I threw them away. If that makes any sense. I've done that with other foods as well. Once they're all cold and nasty, I don't have a problem tossing them into the garbage. But if they're nice and hot and salty and yummy, it almost kills me to toss them. So I compromised - into the fridge, I know I won't eat them once they're cold and I won't be throwing away perfectly good french fries, lol!

How stupid is that?

[jillybean720]

I will start right off by saying that I don't have kids, so I am not speaking from experience, but rather from observation and hopes of how I will act when I am a mother. I am also not married, but I do live with my boyfriend, so I don't think the food situation is much different in that regard. Anyway...

My first question to you is: Do you do the grocery shopping? If so, stop buying the junk. If your husband wants it, make him go buy it himself. My boyfriend doesn't eat anything I don't buy and cook for us. If he needs junk food, he can go grab some fast food for lunch when he's at work, but it stays OUT of my kitchen!

No matter how active your kids are or how much they weigh, why is it okay for them to be eating junk food regularly? Kids need healthy, wholesome foods so as not to stunt their growth, cause early high blood pressure or cholesterol, or any of the other craziness we can do to our kids without even realizing it If I were 5'10 and 120 pounds, I still wouldn't eat junk food all the time because it would be killing my INSIDES and draining me of energy!

If your kids do need the occasional goodies, buy them single-serving containers. Buy chips or cookies in individual packages, but a single candy bar or small bag of M&Ms, buy only one or two muffins from the bakery section instead of a whole container of them, etc. It is true that these things are more expensive than if purchased in bulk, but since they're not things you need to buy every day, it shouldn't add up too quickly. Besides, if you're buying in bulk and end up eating half yourself, that's just as wasteful as spending more money on smaller packages.

On the wasting food, I used to be the same way. I would keep every scrap of leftover food I possibly could until I realized that ME eating food that I don't really need is just as wasteful as throwing it away, so why not toss it and save my hips the aggravation?

[yogachick30]

I know this questions maybe hard to answer but I think it gets to the heart of the matter... Are you using your kids as an excuse to buy and eat the junk food? You are the one that has the money to make the purchases so you need to be the one to make the decision to not buy unhealthy food. If the snack food section is hard for you to go through and not buy anything then avoid it. Keep your eyes straight ahead and walk briskly past it. If you take your kids with you to the store then think about just going yourself and leaving them at home or with a sitter for an hour. You DO have control over what you put in your mouth and in the cart. You have the strength in you to overcome this challenge. I believe in you, we all do here, I hope you start believing in you too. Good luck!

[lessthansign3]

I'm the kid myself in my family, but my dad always has junk food around. The guy's a chocolate addict, like me. He buys things I don't like, though. Cheap chocolate chip cookies, Coke, Nutty Bars, fun size Snickers... I can resist those things. Maybe buy unhealthy foods for your family that you personally don't like Or, if it's just too difficult, take one drawer in your kitchen and one area of your fridge and that will be your healthy food. Don't allow anyone else to touch it and you aren't allowed to touch anyone else's food. Make your husband shop for him and the kids and you shop for the healthy things both for you and for them, and put some of it in your own little area. Maybe that'll help?

[blues4miles]

As far as your kids - you are in control. You can buy them whatever they want. Sure they can whine and demand junk food but you don't have to buy it for them. Buy them single servings of string cheese, or keep ziplocks of sliced apples and baby carrots and celery in the house. They 'll eat it and learn to like it when they don't have other options. As far as your husband, does he demand you buy junk food? Does he buy it for himself? Maybe he eats it but if you are doing the grocery shopping AND the cooking (which I know I am) than once again you are in control. He probably thinks of healthy food as not tasty, so don't *tell* him you are buying/cooking healthier, just start to do so and chances are he won't notice a taste difference at all.

[ncola]

How old are your kids?

My aunt went on weight watchers a few months ago, and she has two children. One thing to remember is that, even if your kids are not overweight now, it's still good to get them in the habit of eating healthy. This is for life, and you never know how their metabolisms will change as they mature. Explain to them that it's not just about losing weight, it's about being and feeling healthier. You could try bringing only healthy things into the house, and then give your kids an "allowance"-- maybe 5 or 10 bucks a week, with which they can buy their own junk food if they want it. Just tell them not to bring it in the house. Same with your husband. I live with my bf, who is pretty skinny, and I finally told him look, I'm going on a diet, and I'd really appreciate it if you would follow the diet, too-- at least in front of me. What you eat when I'm not around is your own perogative. So far it's worked.

[Quirky1]

I kind of look at it as "tough love". My kids can whine and groan all they like about not having anything "good" to eat in the house but it is my responsibility as their mother to feed them healthy food. They still get junk food in so many places (especially at school, which is a whole 'nother issue)that I don't think they are too "deprived". I feel that it is my duty to have healthy stuff here and to teach them what healthy eating is now (after way too many years of being a bad example for them). I don't want them growing up to be obese like me and saying "Mom never showed us how to eat properly and it's her fault that I am fat."

[Laura43]

Hey Ladies - It called willpower. Sometimes I have to dig deep for it - but it's there! I keep the house stocked with fat free sugar free pudding - when I get a crazy craving, I prepare a box - everyone in the house loves it.

Also - I put my daughter's cookies in a low cabinet - I forget they're there until I pack her lunch. She's forgotten about them also!

I also have implemented a new rule in the house - for the last 2 weeks, the kitchen is closed at 7:30 pm - no food is consummed after that time! It's great - and it's working!

Laura

[lumifan4ever]

i dont' have a spouse anymore, but i do have kids. one teenager and two smaller ones. my middle child who is 6 is definately starting to see the results of too much icecream and cookies and such. she actually thinks she is suppose to have desert after every dinner meal. so, i finally figured out the best way to handle this without causing "her" to have hang ups as she gets older about her weight. i tell her a couple times a week, okay, you can have an apple for desert. she actually cheers for this. this week, we are trying to grill some plantanes, they are like big bannans, and having those for dessert. they are suppose to be heart healthy. as for my teenager, she is learning to cook. so we have been pouring thru this site looking for yummy receipes. and we all are going to be trying them this week. i'll let you know how they turn out. one of them is a cuccumber dressing. only 17 calories for 2 tbl spoons.

anyways, the thing is, we are all going to be trying new vegetables and learning to eat healthier together.

have the family help out with the cooking. it might make it more fun for the whole family.

[jillybean720]

Originally Posted by Laura43

Hey Ladies - It called willpower.

But sometimes you need to help it along. I know I have TONS of willpower (as can be seen in many other aspects of my life), but I still got up over 300 pounds. That's why I think the best suggestion is to NOT have the junk in the house at all! If you're compulsive like I am, you'll seek out the food and eat until it's gone. I have done this with ice cream--it's great to buy low-sugar, low-fat, low-cal, low-whatever ice cream and only have a serving at a time, but I would literally finish the entire half gallon by myself in 2 days. Just knowing it's THERE makes me think about it constantly until I finally just eat it, and it's gone. The only way I was able to work through this was by completely ridding my kitchen of any remote traces of junk food. After getting used to NOT having it for a few months, I'm now able to buy treats for my boyfriend and me without completely gorging myself on them. I am in control once again, but I needed the time to re-teach myself NOT to obsess over food.

[healthy2b]

My problem is the unsupportive husband. For instance, last night, he comes home from the store and brings me a huge hershey bar with almonds. He knows I'm trying to lose weight, but still brings me candy. What is he thinking?

[Angel33]

I so feel your pain. I have a husband with a bottomless pit for a stomach and a 2 year old that seems to have his same metabolism.
About 3 weeks ago when I started watching what I ate, I took one draw in the fridge to put all my healthy stuff in and in the pantry one shelf has all my stuff on it. So far it has worked very well. I just keep telling myself that if you want a snack those are the only 2 areas you can get it from.
Good Luck and Hang in there.