to restrict how much my DC eat?

[Ormirian]

In particular the eldest 2 who are 12 and 14 and, not to be put too fine a point on it, are getting a little chubby?

Over the years we had got into bad food habits - too many packets of crisps and biscuits so about 5 years ago DH and I put a stop to it. The new rule was that the only thing they could help themselves without asking was fruit -assuming it waan't just before a meal. Otherwise they had to ask and could have fruit, wm toast, a sandwich, cheese, cereal, if hungry. Now that the older ones gets themselves home from school before DH and I they can help themselves. After dinner they might have some sort of pud - fruit, a piece of cake, ice-cream. And if hungry later a snack as well. Junk food such as we have in the house is kept to a minimum.

Problem is that they will eat endlessly. It might be reasonably good stuff but they eat heaps of it! I must get through a big box of cornflakes and/or weetabix a week and probably 6k of apples and bananas, monster amounts of cheese and enough bread to feed an army! Apart from anything else we are a bit short of money atm and I can't afford to keep going back to the shops every day. And of course there is the chubby children issue - I tried to explain to DD last night that whilst an apple and cheese are good for you they still contains calories along with the vit c and protein and there is a finite amount you need in a day!

I know they are growing children and they need their food but surely there is a limit to how much they need?

Help!

[Laquitar]

Do they spend lot time on tv or pc? Most people-and teenagers- eat a lot when do that. I rarely watch tv but when i do i snack non stop, i guess its boredom. So i would focus more on theiir activities/hobbies, get them to cycle, skate..Get them busy.
I like the idea above about making them do housework .

[AppleAndBlackberry]

Can you tell them money is tight and talk to them about eating when they're hungry rather than just out of habit? I think some growing teenagers do need to put a lot away in a day so if they are hungry and a meal is not imminent they should eat, but if they are just snacking out of habit then they should wait. It's a good lesson for life I think.

[ZZZenAgain]

this thread is making me want to go and have a bowl of crunchy nut clusters and a great fatty slab of cheese.

drat

you say they have an evening snack after their meal and dessert if they are still hungry. I wonder if they need that one.

[Collaborate]

The more you eat, the more you have to keep on eating to feel full. Gradually reduce what they get to eat to help make their stomach size smaller. Just buy in enough food for the day, and don't buy in any food that they snack incessantly on. Hard I know if you're both working.

[pingu2209]

I too am cutting back on my food bill considerably so know where you are coming from re shopping.

As a suggestion, could you sit your 2 children down, with your husband, and explain that money is really tight. Say you never wanted to let finances affect their lives, but such is life. Say what they can and can't eat and how much and when (for you to decide). However, also say that if they continue to eat as much you will stop all puddings and if that doesn't work cut back on their pocket money (I assume at the age they are they get pocket money).

When I was growing up money was very very tight. I always felt deprived as our cupboards were so bear in comparison to other families. There was no squash let alone 'proper' fruit juice. No biscuits or cakes etc. I was so deprived I didn't get those raisons in little boxes (the envy!).

My mum (single mum) would buy 5 pieces of each fruit twice a week. She would say there is 1 banana, 1 apple, 1 orange and 1 pear each. If you eat all in one night that is up to you but you do not eat any more till I go shopping in 4 days. Wo betide anyone who ate someone elses fruit - 1 satusma always leads to 1 more, but my siblings or parents would have chopped my hands off for nicking their food!

[Ormirian]

pingu - that is more or less the way we were - not fruit so much as we always had crates of stored apples in the shed from our garden. But it sounds barbaric now doesn't it?

I think of cheese as a staple. I guess that came from my childhood too. We ate full-fat normal foods - just no processed food and as much as possible home-grown and home-made. Nobody was fat. But we never snacked either

[Ormirian]

Right. First step - bigger evening meal and I will keep the pud in some form. But it will be made clear that IS IT! No more after dinner -kitchen CLOSED!

Thanks

[thumbwitch]

Keep the cheese - it's a good protein food and protein has more chance of filling them up than a carrot stick.
But cut down on the snacks they are allowed; make them ask for them instead of a free-for-all.

Introduce them to the benefits of nuts and seeds - also good protein foods. :)

[hiddenhome]

I keep all treats locked in the shed.

I tell them they can only eat fruit between meals.

I never give them sugary cereals or stuff with hidden sugar in. We hardly have any junk food either.

It's difficult to get ds1 to exercise and he is a bit chubby. ds2 is far more active and doesn't eat that much.

[MoChan]

Agree with keeping the cheese. It's cereal and toast, etc, that causes all the problems, IMO.

Nuts are a good thing.

[Ormirian]

"I keep all treats locked in the shed."

Yep! me too. I hate doing it but it seems to essential! Not much these days -but I put the odd pain au chocolat of packets or jaffa cake in their lunc boxes and they'd not be safe if they were in the kitchen!

[GypsyMoth]

ormirian,i also have this problem....and think the same way as you with regard to carbs!!

mine are 16,14,12,8 and 3. you cant fill them up. its impossible!

i have some packets of flavoured couscous one dc will make as a snack,seems to work. i also find they will snack on cold boiled eggs and slices of cold cooked meat (MY low carb snacks!!) and as you will know,they are fairly filling.

when i was a child it was 3 meals a day only,NO snacks at all. i was explaining this the other day to my lot who were speechless. i clearly remember the delight i felt aged around 8/9 when my mum gave me a half an apple as a treat inbetween meals and i only remember this on ONE occasion. my dc were even more shocked when i said us kids had to go out and find our own snacks.......raw peas from the garden,berries,and scrump for apples!

[Ormirian]

Ha! Glad to see the last few posts. Cheese is A GOOD THING!

[CherryDrops]

Cheese should be monitored, an adult serving of cheese is about the same size as a matchbox. This is for a reason - high in saturated fat and (therefore) calories.

If you want to keep offering a pudding every evening, why not have fruit and/or yogurt as a daily option, with a naughtier option once a week? Much healthier for them.

You also mention that they can have a sandwich or cereal as a snack if hungry. These are meals, not snacks. It is probably best to limit these to mealtimes, and have fruit, veg, crackers, rice cakes, etc. available as snack options.

[ChazsBrilliantAttitude]

Ormirian - you can freeze cheese too. So you can buy a big block still which is cheaper then cut it into smaller portions and freeze them. Only take out one smaller portion at a time so they can't eat it by the kilo.

[WhoAteMySnickers]

monster amounts of cheese and enough bread to feed an army!

There's your problem, right there. Cheese is ok, monster amounts of cheese is not.

[Ormirian]

That was a little bit of hyperbole snickers! I also use cheese in meals so it doesn't all get snarfed by the DC.

[Ormirian]

Good idea chaz.

[AvonCallingBarksdale]

I would second keeping the cheese, just allowing it in moderation. FWIW, in DHs family, they were allowed fruit snacks btw meals and pudding was either yoghurt of fruit. If they were hungry/bored after dinner, then more fruit was allowed. THey all ran around A LOT. On the flipside, my family puddings were usually apple crumble/cake/ice cream and my dad used to "reward" me for good behaviour/good school work with a chocolate bar every day [hmmm]. I also realised when I met DH how much bigger my family's food portions were!!! I'm 37 now, and it's taken years to have a "normal" attitude to food for me!

[AvonCallingBarksdale]

sorry, littered with typos! And not saying, Ormirian, that you do any of the above, but the portion size was a shock for me, I do remember!

[JudysJudgement]

certain times of the month though lots of women get cravings for certain foods - I know I do - and fruit just doesnt cut it :)

[eurochick]

If you use the finances reasoning then you won't be making them paranoid about their weight. It also helps teach the value of things.

Stopping the top ups sounds good. How about having a limited box of mostly healthy snacks but with the odd "naughty" snack thrown in and a rule of "once it's gone it's gone" until next week. Or would this lead to competitive eating to try to to snaffle as much as possible before the other one got any?

[MrsBethel]

Crisps are pretty evil - lots of fat, lots of calories, yet they don't fill you up.

The 25g bag I've got in front of me contains 8.5g of fat!

[Henrythehappyhelicopter]

I had the same problem with my DS who is now 10.

I would add up the amount of calories they are having on average, and check it against what they should be having. Unless they are consuming very large amounts it would be better to concentrate on extra exercise.

When I did this I found my DS was actually having less than he should.

We started increasing the exercise and swim a lot.

One year later he is lovely and slim.

I think it is not a good thing to cut the food intake of a growing child too much.

[savoycabbage]

Does anyone know how much fruit is too much?