Re: Did you "diet" as a child?

Yep, my mom start controlling my food when I was in 2nd grade, Nutrisionist (sp?) by 3rd grade and going to the local Gym in 5th grade for aerobic classes by the time I was in 10 th grade I was eating very little a day (Juice or milk for breakfast, sandwich for lunch with 2 cookies and 2 boiled egg or cheese quesadilla with a orange for dinner). By the time I was by myself I start eating all the junk and not controlling my intake and 30+ pounds later now I am self concious of my weight and hate looking at myself in the mirror

Re: Did you "diet" as a child?

my Mom always made comments to me about my "size" - I was not more then 115 in hs and a size 4 (played 3 sports per year)

she always told my sister how tiny she was (my sister also "bloomed" later then me and was 6 years younger)

but I was often told my legs were "jiggling"

to this day I have a huge complex about my legs- and always feel like they are too big for my body

she would encourage me to lose weight and be on a diet from 8th grade on- even encourgaed a very unheathly diet that almost caused me to pass out during my econ final (and not graduate)

very unheathly- I have yo-yoed all my life b/c of this

Re: Did you "diet" as a child?

Only at my dads house, cause you know with "firehydren legs" you need to watch what you eat!


And, to think he should question our lack of a relationship. It boggles me!

Re: Did you "diet" as a child?

A diet specifically; No. However, I was never allowed anything other than Cheerios or Corn flakes for breakfast. No chips or cookies as snacks. I had my orange slices as a snack most of the time. We had a cookie jar..filled with no salt pretzels. I wasn't overweight, but my mom was.

As I got a little older (early teens) and gained weight, due to a medical condition, It got worse. She watched everything I ate. She still does in some ways.

I've learned that it's HER issue, not mine. I am overweight, but I am okay with this for now and DH loves me.

Re: Did you "diet" as a child?

never.

we never had ac or cable, we were out all day long everyday.

played sports year round.

my mother was a thrifty shopper...no junk was going into her cart.

There were 7 kids in my house, everything was portioned out. We were all slim. Which leads me to believe we all have portion issues now.

Re: Did you "diet" as a child?

I didn't diet exactly, but I remember my mom giving me apple slices as an afterschool snack in 5th grade instead of whatever junk food my brother ate, because "it couldn't hurt for you to lose a couple pounds." It was true, if that makes a difference, but I've often wished my parents would've encouraged me to be more active instead.

Re: Did you "diet" as a child?

I just need to say reading this thread that it is amazing how almost everyone's parents made their weight an issue in one way or another and caused self esteem problems/eating disorders later in life.

Really makes you think about what you say to your kids and how it has long lasting effects...

Like I said in my response- although weight was never an issue in my house, the unhealthy eating I was taught as a child has stayed with me well into adulthood and made it very difficult for me to maintain healthy eating habits even now... regardless of my weight...

Re: Did you "diet" as a child?

NEVER diet as a child. Probably was unheard of. But on a side note.....our kitchen wasn't filled with junk food. Maybe if I had a friend sleep over, etc.

Even sugary cereals were limited. I do remember that I always asked my mom to get Tang and she would always tell me NO, too much sugar.

Every time I see it in the stores I laugh.

Re: Did you "diet" as a child?

Message edited 8/17/2009 3:44:07 PM.

Re: Did you "diet" as a child?

No. I started my own sick version of dieting at 14-15 year old. I was relatively thin to begin with back then, but had my own ideas of what looked good.

Re: Did you "diet" as a child?

Posted by anonttcer

I just need to say reading this thread that it is amazing how almost everyone's parents made their weight an issue in one way or another and caused self esteem problems/eating disorders later in life.

Really makes you think about what you say to your kids and how it has long lasting effects...

Re: Did you "diet" as a child?

No. My mom never said a word to us about what we ate, but she didn't keep a lot of junk at home. I didn't even notice. W tended to have pretzels instead of chips or juice instead of soda. I can't even imagine my mom making it an issue, that’s just not how she was. My mom was (still is) very heavy.

Re: Did you "diet" as a child?

Yes I did and I should have stuck to it.

Re: Did you "diet" as a child?

Posted by Lisa

Posted by Phyl

I was on a "diet" since I was 8!

It caused me a major eating disorder! Thanks Mom and Dad!

same with me!

I look back at pictures of me as a kid and I was not fat at all....

Re: Did you "diet" as a child?

Posted by anonttcer

I just need to say reading this thread that it is amazing how almost everyone's parents made their weight an issue in one way or another and caused self esteem problems/eating disorders later in life.

Really makes you think about what you say to your kids and how it has long lasting effects...

Like I said in my response- although weight was never an issue in my house, the unhealthy eating I was taught as a child has stayed with me well into adulthood and made it very difficult for me to maintain healthy eating habits even now... regardless of my weight...

Re: Did you "diet" as a child?

Re: Did you "diet" as a child?

I was never on a diet, we just practiced moderation. My mom bought whole wheat bread when everyone else ate Wonder, she only bought 100% juice when the other kids drank Capri Sun and soda was at parties only when the adults drank alcohol. She stressed eating raw veggies, but on the ohter hand we ate bologna and hot dogs and I was a picky eater. I thank her now that she stressed healthy eating habits, I never had a eating disorder, although if I don't watch what I eat and excercise I do put on weight. I like butter, pasta and bread and fatty foods, and I eat them, but small quantities and workout regularly.

I do the same for my kids, show them that I'm physically active, make sure they are not parked in front of a screen all day so that they are active too. They should know about portions as they get older, American eat too much! Are they allowed to eat cheese doodles, sure but they are not a staple in our house. Do they eat ice cream and candy daily yes but again in moderation. But to me cantaloupe and cottage cheese is NOT diet food, it's just healthy! I eat it for breakfast and if they like it why not, I wouldn't consider my small girls being on a diet just because they are eating it! Am I raising kids who are going to be scarred if I sent them hummus and baby carrots for snack instead of doritos (but will let them eat doritos sometimes on other occasions). I sure hope not. I never say the words "I look fat" around them (saw this one on Oprah about how girls pick up from their mothers on body image).

It's all about lifestyle, I hope I teach them correctly and am a positive role model so they never have to diet.

Message edited 8/17/2009 5:02:01 PM.

Re: Did you "diet" as a child?

Wow, I'm very sad to hear that so many of us were put on diets at a young age. I guess times were different then, though. I have major food issues now. When I was a teenager, I would starve myself for days on end, pass out in school, etc., it was bad. And STILL my mother would comment that I was fat. Last night I was looking at pictures at my aunt's house and I say a picture of myself from when I was about 15 in a bikini. I had a gorgeous body that I starved myself for, and STILL my mom told me I was fat. Even now, my mother loves to harp on my about my weight. Granted I'm fat now, but I feel like the last three years I've just rebelled against dieting ebcause I was just so sick of being on a diet my ENTIRE life. I guess I need to get over that and get thin again

Re: Did you "diet" as a child?

Not really. I went through some chunky phases but I was mostly on the thinner side. I was a very picky eater so my parents did more encouraging than restricting. I did not have problems with my weight until I was about 35 or 36.

Re: Did you "diet" as a child?

Nope, never.

Re: Did you "diet" as a child?

Posted by GinaR

Posted by anonttcer

I just need to say reading this thread that it is amazing how almost everyone's parents made their weight an issue in one way or another and caused self esteem problems/eating disorders later in life.

Really makes you think about what you say to your kids and how it has long lasting effects...

Like I said in my response- although weight was never an issue in my house, the unhealthy eating I was taught as a child has stayed with me well into adulthood and made it very difficult for me to maintain healthy eating habits even now... regardless of my weight...

I was just thinking the same thing. makes me realize I'll have to watch what I say when i have kids. I want them to be healthy- but I don't want to scar them or anything. I bet most peoples parents want just that- but some probably don't realize they are going about it in the way that they are.

Re: Did you "diet" as a child?

yes, i did. i was overweight as a child. i still remember my pediatrician calling me fat. i am sure he did it in a nicer way than that, but i still remember the word fat coming out his mouth. i went to weight watchers when i was in the 3rd grade. i lost 20lbs and was so proud of myself and i remember being in my best friend's backyard the summer before 4th grade in a my first and (ONLY!) bikini running through the sprinkler. i have always been overweight. i was not a morbidly obese child, but i was chubby even though i played sports all the way through elem. school to college. i remember my mom having to "let out" the communion dress my sister wore so it would fit me and shopping in the "pretty plus" suction in Sears. i remember getting the "tsk, tsk" under her breath from the lady that we had to go to get measured for our Catholic school uniforms. i type this and chuckle to myself at these memories, but really, they were so hurtful to me at the time. . .
as a young teenager and adult, i dieted all throughout high school and college and grad. school. lose 30, gain 50, and repeat several times. it has been an ongoing struggle for me.

my mom and sisters and really my whole family was/are thin. we hardly ever had junk food in the house and my parents were immigrants so they really knew nothing about McDonald's and all that crap so we didn't' eat it. not sure why i was the chubby one. however, my family never put pressure on me to be "thin" or to go on a diet. if anything, i think my mom worried more about my feelings and self-esteem and pressure i put on myself more than anything. a size 12 was the "thinnest" i've ever been

i just had a DD and i pray that she doesn't' inherit my propensity to be overweight. i know that weight doesn't shape who she will be as a person, but i know being chubby as a kid really f-ed up my self-esteem and I still have a bad body image to this day. i want her to be happy and healthy and unfortunately, in our society, unless you're a size 6 or smaller, you are ugly or fat. it's a tough way to grow up.

Message edited 8/17/2009 5:29:41 PM.

Re: Did you "diet" as a child?

From the moment my mom put her boob in my mouth as a babe out of the womb, she has been asking me "Do you need to eat that???" Hence the fact I am overweight and I hoard food.

Re: Did you "diet" as a child?

I did but it wasn't anything that I was really "forced" to do by my parents and it started when I was around 12 or 13 years old. My mom didn't by a lot of junk food but she did buy some. I was never told NOT to eat it BUT I was always encouraged to eat healthier foods instead. If I did eat the junk food I was definitely limited in what I was allowed to eat though. By the time that I was a young teen my friends and I would diet and compare our weight.

Re: Did you "diet" as a child?

Never. My mom always packed me with fairly well-balanced lunches (tuna sandwich, apple juice, apple, and maybe some chips), but I was never on a "diet". Actually, she took me to McDonald's every weekend so I could collect the happy meal toys, so no, I was not on a diet! I ate plenty of fast food, but I ran around with my friends, and was a fairly averaged-sized child.

ETA: When I was in Hebrew School, all of the kids would bring snacks. Most of them would have chips or candy bars, and I would bring a salad. However, that was my own doing b/c I love veggies.

The only reason I think I child should be on a formal diet is if their pediatrician says that there is a need for it (i.e., they are becoming dangerously overweight). Otherwise, parents should just incorporate balanced nutrition into their everyday meals without making it an issue.

Message edited 8/18/2009 10:36:55 AM.