Posts: 810
7/19/11 5:10 A

I have been a member of SP for years, it wasn't until April of 2010 that I really decided to increase my physical activity and modify my eating habits. I try not to refer to what I am doing as a "diet" but more "becoming healthier" I have modified how much I eat but not depriving myself, otherwise I will binge on junk. I have shown my kids that you can have that brownie but why start out with a big piece, try a smaller one and see how that goes. They really noticed the difference when we went out to eat one night and the three of us shared a plate that I would have eaten all by myself not too long ago :) I make sure to explain the reasons for what I am doing so they too can see the benefits and understand what's better for them. As a result I find many days they want to exercise with me or choose a healthy snack over junk.

Pounds lost: 21.5

0 7.5 15 22.5

30

Posts: 214
7/19/11 12:05 A

My daughter is 10 and maturing quickly. I am extremely overweight and she is a bit "chubby". Of course I would never say this to her. I have been trying to make changes in the way we eat and have less snacks around the house. She knows I am trying to lose weight and have been using sparks people. We were using a similar program for tracking her nutrition and exercise but that quickly got boring for her. I have seen her body change quite a bit since school got out and she and I are both eating better and getting more exercise. Sadly I don't see those changes in myself. My biggest problem is not making comments about how bad I feel about my body, how frustrated I am about losing weight, and answering her questions about why she can't have all the goodies she is used to if she is not the one on the "diet". I am working on keeping my comments to myself and telling her that we both need to learn to eat better to stay healthy..blah blah blah...

SparkPoints: (7,717)
Fitness Minutes: (5,699)
Posts: 103
7/18/11 8:03 P

I've been wondering lately how to discuss my time on spark or the changes I'm making in my eating habits and level of fitness with my daughters. I am currently overweight and am trying to lead a healthier lifestyle now, and we certainly have always talked often about the need to make healthy choices and be active. From a young age, i've tried to help them understand how yucky they feel after eating too much sugar or watching tv all day and why we don't drink soda and theyve taken these messages to heart. But I am keenly aware that they are young girls not too far from adolescence, and I don't want them to develop body-image issues or grow up preoccupied with weight loss. I spend time on spark and they want to know what I'm doing, why I'm keeping track of what I eat, why I'm doing it and if they should too. I explain the healthy lifestyle angle, but the other truth is that I simply weigh too much.

How do you talk to your girls (or boys) about your own weight and/or weight loss?

Amy

Pounds lost: 11.0

0 10.25 20.5 30.75

41