Hi,
I have not yet been able to get the book, nowhere in town has it, not even the library, so I might have to go out of town or online to get one, but I am in need of some help.

My children need to eat like this also, they need to lose some weight too. How do I do this.. do I have them follow the phase one too, they are definately carb addicted and will take candy from a stranger if you don't watch them , my problem is, they can do it when they are home w/ us, I can pack their lunches, make their dinners,snacks etc, but when they go to Grandmas (both sets) or Aunts they let them have popsicles (not Sf like we asked them to give them before), cake, pasta's whatever they want, their is no end to what the kids have. I have stopped in to see them eating Doritoes out of a huge bag while drinking a bottle of choc.milk while watching T.V.
All these people know that we have cut out all sugar in our house, we drink crystal light (well store brand anyways), we don't eat white stuff, no potatos, white rice, white bread etc, they do have carb watchers wheat bread though, yesterday my mom said something that really got me, my 9 month old has a head cold and won't eat much, he can't hardly drink his bottle his nose is so stuffy, anyhow I told her he won't eat his baby food, she told me to mash up a single potato really good for him that maybe it would appeal to him basically. When I told her that I have no potatos, that we don't eat them, she said.... "You don't have potatos in the house for those kids, they need healthy things like that, the skin alone is good for them", I said "No mom, actually" and she interupted me, so I let it go.

It's not like this is a new way of eating for us (the no white stuff), it has been this way since June, so they are fully aware of how we feel, they have seen me and my husband lose 40 plus pounds apiece, (my 40lbs has been since Dec, after having a baby) but not my kids not a pound, as a matter of fact both of our kids has gained like 3-4 pounds since June, and I know it is a mixture of low carb -high fat foods, then(plus) eating high carb -high fat junk when he goes away, we don't want to put a stop to them going to either place occasionally on a weekend because it isn't fair to neither the kids or grandparents, and I don't want to tell the kids you can't go because alls you eat is junk over there, so I don't know what to do. I think I can somehow make it thuru 2 weeks keeping them home junk free, but what happens when they stay and kids being kids accepts the dairy queen or chips/dip, will that undo all their progress made in the first 2 weeks. And also what about things like kids b-day parties at school who bring in treats, at 7 & 8 years old, I can't expect them to turn it down or can I????

Please if you can help me out at all, I would really appreciate it..
Thanks in advance and God Bless.

Sorry for such a long post.

Hi and welcome!! I also have 3 kids but I dont have them eating the SB way all of the time because they dont need to lose weight but I am one of those parents who limits the sugar intake. My dinners are always SB for everyone in the house but breakfast and lunch are not.

I can relate to the "grandparents, Aunts..." giving my children anything they desire! I feel that they should respect a parents decision on eating patterns and not sabitoge it when the kids are staying with them. I have told my in-laws on SEVERAL occasions to not add chocolate chips to the pancakes in the morning followed by a monster sized glass of chocolate milk, drives me crazy!! They also get unlimited candy, I just dont feel anyone should eat that way especially children, when they are presented with this stuff, they most certainly are not going to turn it down!! I do also understand that Grandparents want to spoil the children, but I think they can do so in a different way than with food.

My advice to you is to sit these people down and just tell them that you are trying to teach your children a healthy way of eating so that they dont have to battle with weight issues. They should respect your wishes on not feeding your children junk when they are together. I agree with you on it not being fair to keep them separated, that just hurts everyone but stress to them how important this is to you!

I wouldnt worry to much about the b-day parties or occasional school snacks, treats I believe are okay, just in moderation.

Boy o Boy! I think this is my longest post, I will stop rambling now!!

Good luck to you!!

You don't say how much overweight your kids are. Before you limit fats, etc you should check with your pediatrician. It is one thing to have your children eat healthy but yet another to unintentionally harm them. They should gain weight, their bodies are growing. I agree that too much junk or sugar is not a good thing but do be careful as my friend thought she was keeping her daughter slim and healthy and in fact she was harming her health (all is okay now, thankfully). South beach was not designed for children without a pediatrician's approval and guidance. I agree with the previous poster, children need different foods than adults, south beach is healthy but for kids you need to modify it and that doesn't mean adding junk food, sugar or white bread or potatoes..Good luck, you sound like a wonderful caring mother and you are right the eating habits they learn now will set them up for life

Talk to your kids doctors. I bet they will be against this form of weight loss for a child! Children (adults to, to be honest) need a BALANCED diet in order to grow. Talk to your kids doctor BEFORE you do this. This is very important.

As for the book.. it is available at amazon.com, overstock.com, walmart.com.... you name it. You can get it anywhere online. You can even get it on ebay.

Also..... 7 & 8 years old!!!!!!!!!!! They are to young for such a diet!!! My kids (and my oldest is 14) are to young for such a diet! Kids NEED balance to think, concentrate, sweat, run, energy, read, write, you name it!!! SB is NOT a diet for any child. TALK TO THE DOCTOR...... I bet they will be totally against it!

How about trying healthier choices and moderation? This is the healthiest way for anyone anyway.

I totally agree that kids should not be on any diet UNLESS the paediatrician has advised it and is monitoring it. Please see your physician!

Dr A recommends that kids begin in phase 2. They absolutely should not be in phase 1. Even in phase 2, you should check with their pediatrician.

My son eats much healthier than he used to. He eats much more fruits and vegetables now. He now eats ww pasta. He was already eating bread and rice that is approved. He does not need to lose weight and I do not keep him strictly to approved foods. He is occasionally allowed candy and I do not worry about what he gets at birthday partys or special events. His nightly dessert is SF pudding with fruit mixed in. He loves milk and so we never serve juice. Your pediatrician can check your children's cholesterol. Ours said that Brian's cholesterol was great so he didn't need to switch to skim milk. Remember that once your baby is a year, he will need whole milk for several years. Fat is very important to a child's development.

As far as finding the book, I got mine at target but my grocery store carries it. You might want to check yours.

A friend of mine had a son who was over weight for his age group for many years. His doctor said to try to maintain his weight until his height caught up with him.

We have to remember that everyone is on a diet of some sort. In nutrition, the diet is the sum of the food consumed by a body. We can be on a specific diet- weight reducing diet, low fat diet, low carb diet, diabetic diet, some people are even on weight gaining diets.

Phase 2-3 SBD is very healthy, you are just replacing the white stuff with whole grain stuff, white potatoes with sweet potatoes, reducing the amount of sugar they eat at home, reduce the amounts of processed foods they eat, stuff like that. Children should never do phase 1. And probably limit the artificial sweetners and stuff. I think young kids need the fat too don't they? Or is that just for babies?

My nephew grew up in a home without sugar and to this day he prefers an apple to a candy bar. When he went trick or treating he'd go through the bag and find the things he really liked and then gave the rest away.

It's always good to talk with the kids ped. run it by him see what he thinks.

Good luck
Sarah

I would talk to your kids' doctor. I don't know how overweight they are. I certainly wouldn't think that ph1 would be a good idea, although you might still want to do some kind of detox if they've been given that much junk by family. See what the doctor thinks about it.

Maybe a compromise with your relatives? Tell them no more than 1 treat per day while the kids are visiting them. That still allows them the pleasure of indulging your kids a little, but not to excess. The SBD even allows for a little occasional indulgence. You might also suggest some non-food indulgences instead of food. If they can't follow that, you might have to get severe and restrict their visits - especially if they are having a detrimental effect on your kids' health. Again, I suggest talking to your kids' doctor about it. He/she probably has come across this before and might have some good advice. What does your SO say - does he help you, or stay out of it?

Be stern with your relatives! Tell them that while they don't have to agree with you, they do need to respect your decisions, especially regarding how you raise your kids. If they interrupt, tell them to please wait until you've finished speaking. If they ignore you, warn them that you may have to cut off the visits if this continues. If they argue, thank them politely for expressing their points of view, but that you are firm. And BE firm! If you take a firm stand and stick to it, sooner or later they will have to take you seriously.

Sara - it's only babies and very small children who need the fat. At about the age of 2, children should start cutting back from whole milk, and should be on lowfat or nonfat by the age of 5. When DS is 2, we'll start cutting his whole milk with DH's 2%, and keep increasing the amount of 2% and reducing the whole milk until he is finally on 2% like daddy. I wish I could get DH to drink a lower fat milk, but that is one thing he won't compromise on, or rather, he has compromised on - he used to drink whole milk! 2% is the lowest milkfat he'll drink, though - he says if I buy any lower, he won't drink it.

Tracy - SBD isn't so much a weight loss diet as a healthy way to eat. Kids do not need candy bars and cookies to grow up healthy and strong. They do not need refined sugar and white bread to grow. Quite the opposite! They need whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and such like. Take a look at the USDA food pyramid, and you'll see - those are the kinds of foods kids need to eat, and that is what SBD is all about. The only real difference between phase 2 and phase 3, is that phase 2 is more limited in the carb and fat intake. If her kids' doctor says they need to lose weight, then that is where she'd most likely need to cut back. The sad thing is that nowadays, even very young children are becoming obese with increasing frequency. Isn't it better to nip it in the bud while they are young, rather than letting them grow up that way and then making them deal with it once they are well set in their habits of eating poorly?

Thank you all for your input..
My children are both overweight (2older,not the baby), she is in the 3rd grade and 4'10" and weighs 122.8 lbs, and he (2nd grade) is about 4'8" and weighs 94.2 lbs, see they are both relatively tall and large for their age, she holds hers in all places, belly,breasts,and thighs, and he holds his in his belly only.

What I was meaning by doing the SB for children is eating the low GI foods like fruits etc, they have always drank ff milk except when they were babies they drank full fat until 2 or 3, my meaning is no sugared cereal, no white things, only wheat bread,brown rice, sf puddings, sf jellos w/ fresh fruit, NO fruit roll-ups anymore, things like that, make them eat whole foods they now eat wheaties or something like that unlike fruity pebbles which they would prefer, but I will not get for them.

My doctor has already said to trim fats and increase exercise, but I have NOT discussed SB w/ him, haven't seen him since hearing of SB, I am hoping to increase my daughters energy level a bit also.

I will keep looking for healthy choices for school lunches. Thank you for your help.
Have a great night.

H-ko, I was able to wean my husband down to a lower fat milk over a period of time. He used to be a whole milk drinker. I bought a gallon of whole milk, then once the whole milk was about 1/3 gone, I filled it back up with 2%, then when that was about 1/3 gone I did the same.

Then I started buying 2% milk and he was suprised that it tasted the same. After a couple weeks I did it with the 1% milk and now he's drinking 1% because I think he's caught on to what I'm doing and doesn't want to go any lower.

Sarah

Sara - I tried that, too - but DH just wouldn't do it. The milk will sit there and go bad. So I figured that 2% is better than whole, and that at least he's drinking milk and not beer or soda. He doesn't drink it all that often, anyway (he drinks more water or black tea than anything); I've been using it to cook with, but I think I'll start buying 1/2 gallon of 2% for him and nonfat to cook with.

My DH doesn't like anything lower than 2% but he doesn't drink much milk so I was using 1%. My ped. said that was fine but Brian drank skim at my sister's house and wanted to switch so we have. I prefer it myself and Brian doesn't notice a difference.

Wow! Your daughter is tall. My son is short (about 46 inches) and only about 51 pounds. Sorry I can't help much on school lunches. i still allow my son to eat the lunch at school. He drinks white milk with it and I have his lunch account restricted so he cannot buy snacks (he wasn't buying them but the school kept charging me inadvertantly so I had the account restricted). When I do prepare a lunch for him, he often has peanut butter and jelly on ww bread or ham and RF swiss on ww bread with fresh fruit. You might also be able to pack a hot thermos of homemade soup for them if they like that.

Brian has definitely become more aware of nutrition and will often ask me if something is on plan. He likes to compare nutrition labels to see what foods are healthier. They have started a Marathon kids program at school to get them to run the length of a marathon during the school year. As a part of that, they are asking them to eat 5 fruits and vegetables a day. I find as Brian eats more fruits and vegetables that he eats smaller portions of the starchy foods. He shares a sweet potato for me when I fix it. I still fix a small red potato for my husband during times like that since he is allergic to sweet potatos.

I try very hard to put the emphasis on eating healthy so that we can be healthier and not on dieting to lose weight. My son knows I have lost a lot but he also knows I am much healthier now.