I periodically read the threads here, and can so relate to what many of you are writing. LC’ing has ended years of problems for me, and I hope that those of you who are struggling are able to find a solution that works for you.

I wanted to bring this up here rather than the parenting board, because I wanted input from people who consider themselves addicted to high carb food (as I was for almost 20 years).

Do any of you think there is anything your parents did that contributed to your issues with food? I have a 4 year old daughter who is already overweight and I am worried about doing things that could make it harder for her as she grows up.

My husband and I grew up in families with opposite (but probably equally harmful) ideas about food. His family offers junk food whenever my kids hurt themselves & seem to express love through baked goods. My family on the other hand gave the message that sweets were forbidden fruit, and it was necessary to do whatever it took to be thin (even if it involved unhealthy behavior). I had bulimia from my teens until the year before I became pregnant with my first child. I then gained weight & decided to just accept myself the way I was. Now that I’ve gone back to a lower body weight through LC’ing, however, I’m worried that my family’s attitudes will start to creep into my parenting. I’m also having a hard time figuring out what the ideal approach is with a daughter who is overweight.

I don’t actually blame my parents for what happened with me; it was my fault the bulimia started & then it became a physiological addiction imo. I just think the attitudes that I grew up with probably enforced the behavior.

My daughter likely became overweight because (along with genetics being against her), we used to have a lot of high carb food in the house & she developed a taste for it. I have made some changes – we no longer do fast food, but we still have carbs in the house & occasionally cookies, because dh is not LC’ing. I have tried to subtly change her diet and get her eating more protein, but she’s an extremely picky eater, and eats primarily carbs and dairy, and although she’s only 4, she appears to binge on these things.

This is an emotional topic, but are any of you open to giving me some guidance? Is it helpful or harmful to say no, and offer something else when dd wants to eat 4 pieces of toast and jam at a sitting? I’ve taught her about why we need a variety of food (explaining about vitamins etc), and haven’t made a big deal about her eating thus far. My plan was to just make healthy meals and never force her to eat anything she didn’t want. When we visit other people and they have dessert, the other kids seem to leave it after a few bites, but dd will eat all of it & ask if she can finish someone else’s. I don’t usually say no directly; I just suggest that the other kids are waiting for her and see if I can interest her in what they are doing. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't.

Thanks for any suggestions.