Ellyn Satter for an overweight child - any success stories?

[firefighterpenny]

Hello

I wonder if anyone has had any success with Ellyn Satter's "division of responsibility of feeding"?

I have an overweight nearly 3yo DS and after months of attempting to restrict his food intake and him seemingly getting hungrier and hungrier, I saw a recommendation for "your overweight child, helping without harming" on here. We've been following the guidelines for a month and his eating behaviour does seem to be improving - he rarely asks for snacks between meals, he eats much more slowly and seems to enjoy mealtimes. This is all good! However, he is still eating a lot and visually looks chubbier than before :( Of course, this may be pre-growth spurt but I'm worried that things are actually heading in the wrong direction.

So, if any MNers have tried this, how long did it take for your DCs eating to reflect their appetite? I'm tempted to start imposing restrictions but I know that this is exactly what she warns against!

Just googled looks very sensible. Afraid I don't have experience but watching with interest.

Thanks Rabbit. Good to know that someone thinks it looks sensible at first glance!

I've read the book and think it's a really sensible approach. I haven't got dh on board or really worked out how to apply it to our arrangements (the dc only eat breakfast at home during the week, so we don't have direct influence over most meals). You've reminded me to revisit the idea, though, thanks!

I can imagine some kids might initially go a bit overboard with quantities if they're used to fearing they won't get 'enough', so I imagine things could get slightly worse before they get better.

Good luck. I'd be really interested to hear how you get on.

My dc request/demand/help themselves to snacks constantly. I find it quite stressful, so anything that would avoid that would be great.

@firefighterpenny

I know this is a long shot as you started this thread years ago, but on the off chance you’re still on here, I was wondering if you carried on following Ellyn Slatter’s advice, and how you got on? I’m in a similar situation with my 4 year old, and the theory is great, but worry that she is eating too much now!