Health knowledge made personal
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As of mid-December (now), she weighs the same... 82 pounds, but she has grown 1 1/2 inches, as children tend to do. That is my goal for her. That she weigh the same on her 9th birthday that she did on her 8th. She is already smaller, because she wore a compfy 10 1/2 jeans at the beginnng of the school year, in August, and now she wears and 8 1/2. I am proud of her accomplishment. She is in basketball and loves it. She doesn't buy ice cream at lunch anymore. If it can continue on this trend, the doctor might possibly tell me that she is out of the problem area in June. That is what sparked all this: her pediatrician telling me she is "at risk for obesity" and would like to run blood tests to check her sugar and cholesterol levels! Crap! I didn't know that was an issue with kids.
So my thought is that if she weighs the same 83 pounds in June 2009 that she did in June 2008, she will no longer be considered "at risk for obesity." (Because she is taller and older, and you know how kids spread wider as they get older)
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Motivating factor:
She is eight and weighs 83 pounds (On June 14th). She is supposed to weigh 75. (Well, now she weighs 81). She started this with me. I measure her calories, but she doesn't know it. I refuse to tell her she needs to lose weight. An 8-year-old does not need that. I am telling her, however, that she does not need to gain any more weight. Plus, she is not one of those children that waddles around and you think "Man, can't a parent skip McDonald's, just once?"
She is just a little chunky. I think she is cute that way, but I don't want her to wake up at 15 and feel ashamed and embarrassed because of the way she looks. SOOO, every day, I tell her how beautiful she is. I also am sneaky about this. When my students in high school, who all know her, make comments about her being cute, I beg them to tell her. That way its not coming from her mother all the time. She is already saying I have to say that because I am her mom. So she gets it from other people too.
NOW... I am also teaching her about healthy eating. We cut french fries completely out of our diets. That wasn't too hard... We didn't especially care for them beyond eating them when they were there.
For example, she has to eat 3 servings of veggies a day, two servings of fruit, and can only have 1 junk food thing. Her icecream doesn't count as junk food, because it is fat free frozen yogurt. But I measure it out anyway. She only gets one serving, but she can have ONE TEASPOON of sugar-free caramel syrup if she wants.
I switched her to diet soda too. She didn't notice really, because I was already letting her have my diet sodas when she wanted one. She is never allowed to have more than one soda anyway, but ONE A&W ROOTBEAR has 40 grams of sugar. That should be illegal. Most people don't even add in calories from drinks.
Also, I spoke to my family who watches her. She is not allowed to have more than one junk food item, and ANYTHING she eats must be reported to me. I think this was part of the problem. She would go over there and have cookies and chips and soda and not tell me any of this.
So, does obsessing over these things for my child make me a bad parent?