Do as I say, not as I do

As you may know, or have read in an earlier blog, I have two children ages 11 and 7.  You may be wondering what kind of Mom I am as I am apparently not setting a good example for them in the weight area.  I wonder that daily myself; if I am doing enough to offset the obvious.

They love cooking and baking with me.  We modify the recipes by using only whole wheat flour and less sugar or substitute apple sauce for butter.  They never would have even tried white bread except in restaurants that don’t have whole wheat.  They also like making their own lunches (some days).  They put it all together and then together we make sure they have hit all of the food groups with a few fruits and vegetables.

You may be thinking,” but you are overweight, obese even, how can you possibly be setting a proper example?”  My eating during the day is usually exemplary.  I always eat breakfast with at least two (if not three) food groups and my kids have three food groups for sure.  My lunches with them are the same as theirs with all of the food groups, focusing on fruits and vegetables.  Dinners are almost always eaten as a family and consist of the four food groups and sometimes a small dessert for them.  It’s after their bedtime (see a prior post) that I can eat enough calories for a small army and they’re not always the best choices.

They are both very active (if you’ve met my son, you know that’s an understatement!) in sports and play outside all the time.  They know I go to the Y frequently (even if I’m not teaching that night…) and their Dad plays hockey too.  Hopefully I have covered all of the bases with them and can now also prove that you can do anything you put your mind to.

Both of my kids are aware that I am overweight and when the subject comes up I try not to scare them by saying how unhealthy that is, but say that I am working on it by eating healthy and exercising.  Ultimately I am trying to teach them that it’s what’s inside that counts.

My daughter is approaching the age of “diets” and being a perfect size and peer pressure (depending where you read it, she may be already there).  I hope that I have given her and my son enough information to eat properly later on in life when I am not the one making the menu.   I feed my kids healthy food based on Canada’s Food Guide and allow some treats, but not always daily.  They are learning that it’s all about choices and moderation and that there is no “bad” food as long as it’s a small part of a healthy diet.