Ok, I have a very healthy 10 year old (going on 11). But I am so concerned for him I am constantly reminding him that he needs to learn to eat healthy now.
I watched everyone of my brothers and sisters go from healthy children into obese adults! And it scares me for him.
My brothers used to take a mixing bowl and fill it with cereal and then eat it with a serving spoon. AT the time--they lived under "he's a growing boy". So no one really addressed the issue.
my brother and I were very thin, until we hit puberty and the pounds started to pack on. we remained at the lower end of the obese scale. I believe it was hormones and an underlying issue with insulin resistance that we didn't know about. Probably brought on by our excessive soda consumption.
my sister was always a little bit chubby. but quickly grew to morbid obesity. My youngest sister used to walk around with her own soda bottle drinking out of it--it was a 2 liter. She is considerably chubby now and I worry for her too. She is 13.
Here are some things that worry me about him. I see a similar pattern to eating that helped me get overweight as well as the rest of my family.
After he finishes eating something, he is still hungry or wants more.
He can be full from dinner but still want desert.
He ate a whole box of cereal in 3 days--just for breakfast
He is always asking for cookies, ice cream or the like
He is not allowed to drink soda because of the destructiveness to bone. I don't want him hooked on that junk either. He can have it on special occasions. Plus he is very active and sugar wires him very very bad. He used to have to be on meds.
I am afraid he is dealing with the same issue as me: Too much sugar in his blood, but not diabetic, because of insulin resistance which makes you crave more sugar because your body refuses to use the fat stores for energy. (The reason why he is always hungry or wants sweets)
I got fat off of loving to eat healthy. So I know a calorie is a calorie. instead of 1 apple--he eats 4 or 5. I do not keep juice or soda for drinks. I make green tea and he likes my tea so he gets to drink that or water or milk.
Does anyone else have fear for your children that they will end up as not healthy adults? Please share. I don't think I'm the only one.