I have been on EVERY diet known to man, recently I have counted calories, then started Atkins for a few months after my DS was born in Dec, I lost a total of 40 lbs after his birth from a mixture of walking, Atkins and before Atkins I was counting calories, so they all helped contribute to the loss. I went form 238 down to 198, now I am back up to 208, I am very swelled in the ankles again, my belly looks alot bigger like it did before I started losing, which is from what I am guessing not exercising lately and eating whatever I want to, totally bloated and lots and lots of water retention, I did drink a whole gallon of water today though, yeahh for me (no I am not pregant, I had a tubal done right after my DS was born 9 months ago.) I am very depressed about the weight gain, after I got sick of Atkins, I decided to try S Beach, but gave up on that to when we got busy as a family 3 weeks ago and ordered pizza a few times, then ate Wendy's, McDonalds a time or 2, I just totally lost all control of myself, now I can't stop eating, I mean that literally, the PB&J sandwiches are calling my name all the time and I can't help it, I am lost and don't know what to do.

I have 2 children who need to lose some weight, my daughter needs to lose a good 30 lbs and she is only 8 yrs old, my son is 7 and needs to lose maybe 15 or so, I need a plan for the whole family, Atkins and South Beach are not recommended for kids, so I was buying extra grocery's that they needed but as a mom/dad was off limits to us such as fruits, milk etc (phase one of SB and induction of Atkins), it just seemed we were spending a fortune on food eating that way, and we don't have a fortune to spend, needless to say I wanted to have bread and some other things back into my diet, I can go w/out bread for my sandwiches, no problem, once I get back into it, but how do I do that, get back into this weight loss thing? All my swelling went away while I was doing Atkins, but I realllllllly don't want to go back there, I did lose alot if not most of my appetite and literally had no cravings then, but I simply just can't afford it right now and need to help my children also and that just wasn't doing it, if anything it probably helped contribute to some weight gain for them, they were eating like me/daddy.. hi fat/low carb, then turning around and going to school/Grandma's and eating sugared cereal, or puddings/chicken nuggets etc at school which in turn turned to complete sugar in there system which had protein in it all day long etc, hard to explain if you don't know that WOE.

I guess my rambling question is.... what way of eating does everyone suggest we should do as a family. I have Dr.Phil's 7 keys book and have skimmed it for about a year now, but I plan on starting it for real tomorrow morning from cover to cover, is there any certain thing that has helped you and your family shape up, my daughter is so overweight, that it is so hard to get her to go outside to play for the exercise, or do walk away the lbs, any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance,

Sorry this is so long,
I just need some friends right now. Thanks again,
Amy

Hey Amy,

I completely understand your dilemma of how to feed the kids. I am quite overweight, but the only other person in my family (my teenaged son) is of a healthy weight and very active. I would think that a reasonable diet would be:
breakfast - low-sugar cereal (raisin bran, oatmeal), skim milk and fruit
lunch - whatever they serve at school (and I always remind my son to eat whatever vegetables/fruit they offer)
dinner - 3-4 oz protein, 2 grains/breads, 2 fats, and 2 vegetables (adjusted to a kid-sized portions)
snack - milk/yogurt, and fruit or a grain/bread

Anyway, my son naturally gravitates to healthy foods, and I do too, but I "enhance" my diet with other crap ... desserts, mochas, bad lunch choices, etc. I am heading back to eating better, but I'm putting a "Mediterranean" spin on it. I'm focusing on healthy grains (2g of fiber per 15g carbohydrates), seafood and chicken in lieu of red meat, and olive oil/nuts in lieu of butter/mayo.

The fast food is always a bugger!! I don't know how much of a difference this will make, but lately I've decided that sometimes I can't avoid fast food, and rather than go whole hog and order whatever, I've tried to get a sandwich that I like but get a side salad instead of fries (at Wendy's). I figure at least I'm getting my vegetable servings in, even if they do have dressing on them. I also order my pizza with thin crust and extra sauce, and vegetable toppings. It obviously hasn't worked that well for me, as I am still quite overweight, but I've heard those suggestions in various healthy-eating articles.

I would maybe see if you can arrange for a family walk/bike ride a couple of times a week. When I was young my mom started suggesting I do exercise videos, and I HATED it and her for suggesting "old lady" exercises.

The good thing about your situation is that it sounds like you are the primary caregiver and that you have quite a bit of control over what they eat. I think your kids are definitely young enough to develop great eating habits, too. I'd also check in with your family physician, see what he suggests.

Hang in there! There are sooo many "diets" and "food plans" that it's hard to know what the heck is really the right thing to do. From these boards, it sounds like there are many ways of getting goals met, so that is encouraging.

Regarding your kids, I'd recommend playing outside with them if that is possible. Toss a ball, ride bikes, jump rope, hopscotch, go to a park. The extra activity should help keep their weight under control. My neighbor has a 10 year old son who is pretty overweight (140 lbs.), and before we moved in he spent most afternoons watching cartoons and eating. Now, he is always on the lookout for when my husband or I come home so he can play outside with us (catch with a baseball or football, or kicking around a soccer ball) and our dogs.
As far as diet, I follow weight watchers, but I have heard a lot about Dr. Phil's philosophy and it sounds very sensible. I think it was more of a cook for yourself plan, with fewer instant gratification foods, right?

Amy,

Congratulations on the baby!!!! I can really relate to your situation It's hard to balance family and diet. I find it overwhelming. Especially with a meat and poatatoes kind of husband. I think Phantastica offered some great solutions!!!

It's great that you are trying to create a sensible plan that encompasses the entire family. I think Dr. Phil has some fabulous ideas! I incorporate his keys with WW. I did try MANY of the recipes listed on his website in the weekly meal plans set up my his nutrionist. There are alot of great ideas. Unfortunatley, it got kind of expensive in the winter. Fresh fruits and veggies get expensive in rural northern PA in January. We're kind of on a hamburger helper budget, you know? But you will also find ALOT of great recipes under the food tab on the 3FC homepage.

I think some girls "chunk" up a bit right before they start on thier big growth spurt and puberty. As much as I hate to say it 8 is not that far from that whole deal. But, as you said it could be her eating habits. The key is to not make a HUGE deal out of anybody, even you needing to lose weight. Instead focus on health. Wanting to have a healthy family. My Dad did make a big deal. Not getting into annoying details, but it set me up for a lifetime of emotional eating, binging and feeling out of control. It's text book, both my sister and I are the same way to some degree. Little kids have enough to worry about without having to think they are overweight and don't measure up. Kids are faced with a barage of media that tells them they are not good enough, thin enough, pretty enough. It's about educating, and leading by example.

I think WW has a kids' program where kids accompany thier parents. WW teaches a balanced approach to eating, they recommend whole grains, fruits and vegetables, lean protien and dairy. While learning portion control. Your daughter may or may not want to do this kind of thing. You don't want to really push the idea that she is overweight and therefore not ok in some way. But, kids do need to learn what is good fuel for thier body and what is not. So maybe se eif it's avaible in your area and talk to her about it. Let her decide though, maybe after trying one meeting or something.

They make alot of "kids" oriented workout DVD's and there is a cute show on Nick, I think, called Lazy Town. They teach healthy eating to fuel your body and getting moving. Not sure what age range it focuses on, but it might be right for your kids. Sprots is always a great way to get kids active. Heck, even girlscouts, not always about hiking, but really getting kids involved in something postive and away from teh couch and the tv has to be a plus. Phantasticas ideas for family bike rides and such is great. I'm a swimmer. I taught swimming and was a lifeguard for a number of years. Maybe if your budget allows find a Y, college, local school with winter swimming. Go as a family, even your baby can join in, and have fun. You just have to find the balance that is right for your family.

I don't think any plan that cuts out entire food groups for any length of time is really a lifestyle change, or really a very good idea. But Attkins and SB really have some positive ideas. Ideas, that are increasingly being seen in MANY eating plans. Limit your intake of processed carbs. That means the junk, cake, cookies, flour, sugary junk. Dr. Phill ocvers this with his High Yeild Low Yield idea. When you eat carbs (which you should) they should come from nutrious vitamin packed sources like whole grains and fruit.

Buy bags of apples and oranges (usually resonably priced), put them in a bowl and leave them out for snacks. There is alot of debate about the nutrion in school lunches, but they all have to meet guidlines to ensure they are balanced. So, I think they could be a viable option. So is packing lunch, buy healthful options and let your kids choose what to pack that day. This is a great time to talk about balancing foods from all food groups. Dinner is a hard one for me. But in it's simplest form serve grilled (those indoor grills like the George Foreman are great) lean protein, two sides of steamed veggies and a healthy portion of a starch.

You'll find alot of great ideas in Dr. Phil's book. You might find the part about making a shopping list, and shopping around teh outside aisles of the store helpful. I created a menu plan in Excel. I print it out, choose the meals (including the furit and vegetable that goes with the meal) and create a shopping list from that. Have your kids help. Offer them some recipes and ideas and let them choose when to have it. Let them help you cook it that night.

Sorry this is so long. But I think it's a great topic that should be discussed more. As parents we're setting up an entire lifetime of eating ideas, and concepts. I strive everyday not to instill the messed up logic I was given so that someday my kids won't have to struggle like I do. Food will be a non issue for them. They will eat healthy, sensible meals to fuel thier bodies.

http://www.americanheart.org/present...tifier=3030484

I thought this site had a few fun ideas I hope it's ok to post

Thank you all so much for all your ideas, you gave me some interesting thoughts. Have a great weekend.
Amy

All the above advice was excellent but I really have tried to just think about what I like that is good for me and eat those things. I have thrown out the sugar and that is probably where you should start. Just start going through your every day condiments, etc, and tracking down the items that contain sugar and when you need to buy new, purchase those without the sugar added...check the ingredients list for any sugars, alcohols, syrups, etc... Next start adding in the 2 fruits and 3 vegetables... My daughter and I now snack mostly on fruits and vegetables with dip... I make jello to help with the sweet cravings...or she makes it (9 years old) with fruit cocktail and whipped cream... She still has the occasional chip or cookie, but we have eliminated it a lot and we talk a lot about sugar making people fat...as well as fat makinng us fat...

Since you are in somewhat of a binge right now (you might have IR because I do, and sugar just sets me off on huge binges...I try to eat diabetic chocolate when I get those cravings along with milk or a piece of protein before I eat the sweet to make the sugar metabolize slower-otherwise it goes directly into your blood stream), I would suggest the vinegar detoxes...(basically apple cidar vinegar, 2 T. in 8 ounces of cold water before each meal...3x day, rinse mouth well with salt immediately after, then brush teeth because the vinegar is hard on your teeth) listed on this site...it helped me to get rid of my sugar cravings and decreased my appetite after 2.5 weeks of binging and regaining 10 pounds. Also, make sure you get at least 3 ounces of lean protein in at the 3 meals... The protein will really help keep you full, as well as high fiber foods like Fiber one cereal, oatmeal, and whole wheat products. I switched to whole wheat pastas and rices and my daughter doesn't really telll the difference...