Feelings about weight

I know this is my second post today but I really wanted to just get my thoughts down about something. Today I attended a workshop about raising a child or teen with healthy eating. It was a small group discussion with 7 women, including myself. 4 of us had children and then three of us had kids or special teens in our life. I also wanted to know what they said about raising a healthy kid because eventually I would like to have kids!

So, Marlene, the nutrionist here, was one of the women and she was giving us some information on how to handle food when it comes to children and teen. Several things she said was interesting....like we cant force kids to eat..the only thing we can do is be good role models for them and they will eventually pick up the habits we set and learn to eat the right things for themselves... something to that effect, I am oversimplying it but thats the gist of it... the one thing that struck me the most was Marlene's comment that if there your child is on the pudgy side or the heavier side, that is their weight issue and not yours. "everyone's weight is their own issue." She said heavier kids should not be placed on special diets. Everyone in the family should be eating healthy.

I thought that was interesting because most of the times you hear that these kids should be placed on diets. But Marlene is right...no ones weight should be anybody else's business. I think most of the time kids overeat is because something else is going on with them. I think when people start harassing these kids to eat "better," it not only makes the child feel bad but it may also make them a secret eater, which means they are building an unhealthy relationship with food... If parents create a healthy environment for the kid and becomes a good role model, the child will let them know if they would like to lose weight and seek help.

I think its probably a good protocol for people to stop focusing on what other people weigh and worry about themselves. I am learning so much about why eating for nourishment is so important. There are a lot of skinny people out there who eat HORRIBLY and are not fit or healthy. Just like there are some bigger people who eat healthy foods or are fit... We all need to look at ourselves and find ways to improve our own lives...

Some random thoughts on weight... Thanks for reading and take care!!