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!

I do think that most kids arrive home from school STARVING and can't easily wait until 6/7pm for a meal. Especially if they have a packed lunch.

Would a substantial snack (say 2 slices peanut butter and sliced banana on toast) for each keep their noses out of the trough biscuit barrel til tea? Then I agree, a good meal, fruit or yog after if they want and no evening snacks.

I just wanted to say that I wish my parents had instilled healthy eating, non-snacking habits in me as a teenager. I am six stone overweight, mostly because I had no idea of moderation when I left home. I struggle with hunger and snack all day. I am desperately trying to change this before DD is old enough to be the same. I think getting home from school is the only time when they need to snack!

I don't think exercise is always the only answer. My db has always been very active; he has also been overweight since his teens. Imo the reason is that he got into the habit of eating massive portions, three as much as any adult should need. I have seen him come straight from lunch (three large helpings) and walk into a house where somebody else was having lunch and on being invited sit down and have another lunch. He simply had no idea of portion control. His partner is working hard on this.

My parents provided healthy food, but even healthy food will stick to your ribs if you eat enough of it, and I think they were afraid of giving him food issues by telling him to stop eating.

I don't actually think snacks are bad as long as they are healthy. It is better for our bodies to 'graze' - eat little and often. I wouldn't restrict food intake, just the type of food. Get strict, chuck out all the junk. Keep a variety of healtthy food in the house, if they are hungry they can have some but not just before a meal obviously. Cheese - I agree, cut off a limited amount for the kids for a week, say, and once it's gone it's gone. Just my opinion - I just think we have to be careful not letting children eat if they are hungry. And I agree with the focus being on some kind of exercise too.

"I would also get advice as to whether your preference for a low carb high protein diet would be appropriate for them"

I am not encouraging them to eat a low-carb diet! I have bread, cereal and fruit in the house. I only said I am not entirely convinced by the school of thought that things that carbs are the best and healthiest thing for hungry growing children.

cory -that's it! I think what they eat is OK - I really do. I just think they eat too much of it. I was happy for a long time with the idea that allowing them moderately free-rein in a kitchen full of good food was OK. I am having to come to the conclusion that it isn't as I didn't take into account the fact that they can eat so MUCH. The fruit bowl on a Monday morning looks just as if a party of monster locusts have passed through our house....

I would look at making sure there are lots of apples (but restricting other fruit), encourage them to drink more water, and eat complex carbs. Cakes with wholemeal flour etc. (and fewer cakes, more bread).

Maybe they are not drinking enough?
Also could you get them to only eat when they are sitting at the table? So they are not thoughtlessly grazing whilst watching TV etc? Also try making them eat slower, and have gaps between eating, to give their stomachs a chance to register being full.
Maybe you can set it as a family challenge.

My DS is starving when he gets in, but then he often doesn't eat even his packed lunch. So if I've provided one I often get him to eat it at home.

Oh also are they drinking a lot of milk? (Or worse fizzy drinks?)

WRT the low carb thing: I think children do need carbs, but not as many as most people seem to think they do. I think you have to keep a balance. I don't think a meal consisting of entirely carbs (pasta with pesto, say) is good at every meal, though I do sometimes serve those kind of meals. I just try to maintain a good balance. But I think that the diet industry has skewed our notion of what a good balance is, and I think that in the past, health professionals didn't get it right either, labouring the benefits of low-fat, etc, and I think we generally need to re-educate ourselves in this regard.

Quite agree mochan.

Good point there about drinking water.