So...its a bad thing to try and improve our childrens nutrition? Bad to look for information that might help? Burn the childrens nutrition books and shame the forum threads that pertain to this? ........I don't get it, people.

I think there is a difference being implied between "improving child's nutrition" and "putting kids on diets." Just like we low-carbers say "It's not a diet, its a way of life," helping your child lose weight or get healthier should be done as a way of life - by improving nutrition. It should not be done by a "diet" such as severe calorie restriction or by only feeding them cabbage soup or whatever.

Very well expressed!

It's all in the spirit in which it's carried out, IMO. I know people who restrict what the "fat kid" gets to eat, while the rest of the family gets pizza and chips. To me, a FAMILY "goes on a diet" not just one member. The whole family can benefit from changing their menu to make a positive change, not force it on ONE member as a negative.

Teaching a child to fuel their body in a healthy way like Jiggerz is trying to do is the best gift you can give them. Shaming them into eating carrots when their friends are all eating ice cream is just abuse... which I think is what the OP meant...isn't it?

Those last three posts kept me sane Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!….

I would like to answer some of the “opposite side people”. This might upset you a little but hopefully not to much and I do not know any of you personally so this is in no way a personal attack I am only making generalized statements about what you had typed and not try to assume what I am about to write is true for you but merely a response to your quotes. The initial post was also a generalized and in some cases “Not to be Take literally”. I apologies in advance if I ruffle feathers or sting the feelings a bit.

But then again this could all be BS and I might just be emotionally stunted and you ladies around here might need to straighten me out a bit

This is long but want to cover everything up to this point. Only read if you are boared and have nothing else better to do
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If I had 2 girls and lived in this area I would move. If money or other issues kept this from happening I would beg barrow or steal to get my kids out of there as soon as possible and I would have to agree with you that there is NO WAY my kid would leave the house accept with me!
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I understand what you are saying here and that is why I had said


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I couldn’t agree with you more. If they learn good habits it will carry on with them through their life and hopefully they wont struggle with weight issues throughout life. I did say
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You need exercise to be healthy. Healthy doesn’t = skinny. While I agree that in some cases exercise alone will not make you thin if combined with GOOD EATING HABITS not a diet, your child will in most cases see a reduction in weight. I played football from the time I was 6 until college and some of the most athletic guys I new were well over 300lbs. Genetics can play a role in how much weight you have. There is nothing wrong with this. Some people not matter how much exercise and good eating habits they partake in will always be big.--- Love the quote in your signature by the way I laughed for a while then sent it to a friend of mine
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Lisa, you appear to be my Lex Luther in this post But that is good. It makes for a good conversation. Please read my post again I think you missed some of my points. If you just skim it or don’t read all of it you will easily disagree with me. Once again I am not saying feed your kids junk. I am saying teach them good habits and keep them from being stagnate. Don’t let the bad habits we have adopted rub off on your kids. Not you personally but that is just what I was saying in my original post.
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First off –Never backspace and reframe from saying something. If I upset you, made you mad or you disagree let it out. There is nothing wrong with unloading on “ME” if I evoked an emotion good or bad it is a discussion and I promise I can handle it. Besides Lisa doesn’t mind doing it JK Lisa…

If your child is a genius and cured cancer kids would pick on her, If she is a fantastic athlete they would be jealous and say things and if she is overweight they will pick on her. That is kids. Pretty people get talked about and stereo typed by ugly people, Smart people talked about by dumb people and Overweight people get talked about by skinny people and vise versa. This will happen forever even into adult hood. I am sure you do these things below but I just saying them as advice for those who do not. Teach them healthy habits, get them out playing (exercising), Praise the positive things they do and point out the great features they have. Comfort them and let them know as best you can that they are ok and people can just be mean, Correct the bad habits indirectly if it is what they eat then remove the soda and German chocolate cake (mmmmmmm German Chocolate Cake) from the house.
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No I was calling people who put their kids on diets without it being medically necessary idiots. If the parents bad habits and lack of interest in the child’s life causes a him or her to lack exercise and good eating habits then they are absolute idiots. Seems like in todays society people treat their kids like dogs. Give them some toys and a bowl of food then forget about them. Not saying you do it but, that was a point I was trying to get accrossed in not so many words in my original post.
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Listen when you have kids you make a choice to bring them into this world, you make a commitment to love them, give them the knowledge and tools to survive, and care for and protect them to the best of your ability. Laziness, media hype, and the inability to properly care for them is not an excuse to allow your child to become overweight then throw them on a diet and make them feel like a failure because you did not do your job. If this statement makes you mad and you feel like I am picking on you directly this is a sign. You know if you did or are doing something wrong. Take responsibility for your mistake and change it. Stop being a victim. It is easy to blame it on someone or something else. Teach your child something called character and self respect. Show them it is ok to be wrong as long as your correct it. We learn by failing. Failure is wonderful since it teaches you what not to do.

Don’t treat your kid like a little adult. THEY ARE NOT. As mature as they may seem they are still kids. They should not stress over weight or what other adults think. They need to be shown and not told what is right. You can not say don’t eat sugar then ask them to go get you a Pepsi. Teach by example! They need to know and have confidence that what mom and/or dad says and does is right. They need to have confidence that there parents will make it alright. They need to know they are loved and what others say does not matter. It is what they think and feel about themselves that is the most important.

I believe that it was dieting since the age of nine that has given me a terrible metabolism.



And nowadays when you look at the cereals parents are feeding their children (Dinoeggs Oatmeal comes to mind, with sugar listed ELEVEN TIMES in the ingredients list, in different forms), and the meals they pack for lunch (bologna -- sugar -- on white bread -- sugar -- with "low fat" processed cheese -- sugar, with a "fruit" roll-up for snack -- sugar-- and a nice container of liquid sugar, oh I'm sorry I mean fruit drink, to wash it all down)

Yuck.

And then there are those who say, Oh they're just CHILDREN! Let them eat what they want! But unforuntately this is not going to work anymore, not in our day and age of corn syrups, genetically modified produce and over-processed and coloured foods. Perhaps when we were kids, or when our parents were kids, having an extra cookie wasn't TOO bad, but these days, it's an extra serving of liver-damaging corn syrup, chemicals, bio-engineered grains and obesity.

So while I believe that putting children on diets too early in life is a bad thing, I do not believe that teaching proper nutrition is a bad thing. It's all about healthy choices.

You have to admit, though, that titling your thread "What the Hell is wrong with you?" was kind of asking for an argument?

Me start and argument? nooooooo never

I don't mind a good debate myself, but I'm often accused of having no sense of humor when I suggest that doing something about the problem is an option. We can't fix everything, but to me, making a small step in our own corner is more productive than lecturing on an internet board.

I think that the person that suggested grabbing the neighbors kid (dont remember who it is without going to look) and dragging them along was a very kind & thoughtful suggestion and one that needs repeated.

You could help save them..and a parent that may honestly have "no way" to do it.. (or letting some lazy bastage off the hook ~ but still great for the child)

Move to where, Primate? I live in big city and no matter what zip code I put into the sex offenders database, it comes up with at least 150 registered for that zip code...and those are just the ones that have been convicted and registered (I checked this last night just out of sense of morbid curiosity). Perhaps you should do the same with your zip code and see how many it comes up with; I have a feeling that it may be a real eye-opener for you. BTW....as I mentioned before, the neighborhood that I live in is not considered unsafe for the city that I live in...it's middle to upper middle class and the homes here sell for 100K and up. The fact is in today's world and in most places in this country, it simply isn't safe to let your kids run around unsupervised. I admit, I ran the neighborhood unsupervised at their age when I was growing up. Maybe my parents were fools for allowing it and some bad things did happen to me. So...knowing what I do, I'm not about to give my girls that amount of freedom just yet.

I have a feeling that the reason that you started this post is because you were reading through the Low Carb Parenting and Pregnancy forum and jumped to some conclusions. Perhaps you are misunderstanding what parents who choose to have their kids join them on low carb do? I wouldn't consider my kids low carb, but they certainly are controlled carb but not because they have weight issues. It's simply a far healthier diet (yes, I use the word diet and in doing so, I mean the daily food that one eats, not a weight loss program) for them to be on than the SAD. The whole family eats this way and has for the past 4 years; I just eat at a much lower carb level than the rest of my family does.
You started out this thread blasting parents for putting their kids on diets, but did you check out the circumstances for their doing so first or even what, specifically, they were doing?
As I said before, I don't agree with putting young children on weight reduction diets unless there is a medical/chemical reason for doing so, just like you, but there is nothing wrong with cutting out junk food for the most part and feeding them healthier food. No matter what you're eating, you're on a 'diet'. The question then becomes; how healthy is your diet?
Step away from the German Chocolate cake.....

Hello Primate
Point of interest. The way those of us here do LC is not a diet; it is a WOL. It is the most healthy WOE and WOL extant. This applies, not only to us, but to our children. I agree, children should not be on any diet that restricts, or does not provide, good, healthy, wholesome food choices, as this WOE does. Any diet that allows starch and sugar laden food, or drinks, will cause health problems, if not now, later for the child. Just my .02's worth.

You know with all the .02 around here we can put it all together and go get some German Chocolat Cake (Mmmmmmm German Chocolate Cake ) Jus kiddin. You know Lissa I am a man we tend to fantasize

Points well taken .Thanks all for the great discussion. I am very happy to be here and look forward to speaking with you all in future posts..

Okay, I backed you up before Primate, and tried to stay out of the debate, but you have crossed the line.

If you mention German Chocolate Cake ONE MORE TIME, I am going to personally come over and smack you!

Ditto - my FAVORITE cake ever. I dont even eat cake unless I have to for a birthday ... but I could never pass up German Chocolate ::drools:: and I havent even thought about it until now. I read it and my heart fell because I didnt even think to binge on any before starting my new way of life...then kick myself for even thinking that. THANKS ALOT!