If you follow my blog, you may remember that at the beginning of my lap band journey, I thought hard about breaking the cycle of obesity that runs in my family. That’s a long, complicated and painful discussion for me. My grandmother was fat, my mother struggled with obesity, and then there was me. My mom and I shared our love/hate relationship with food. We dieted together, and we struggled with body image together.
I’ve broken the cycle of obesity that runs in my family.
My daughter is 10. She’s adopted. She didn’t inherit my genetic predisposition to obesity, and she didn’t inherit my legs (thank goodness). What I’m thrilled to say is that she is learning from my healthy eating habits and my attitude towards exercise and taking good care of my body. And that’s a wonderful thing.
Last week my daughter had two of her girlfriends over. They were having lunch, and I overheard my daughter say to her friends, my mom eats healthy! That was the second time I heard her say that over the course of the last few weeks.
For me that was a WOW moment. My daughter didn’t say “my mom is always on a diet.” She didn’t say “my mom doesn’t eat.” She didn’t say “my mom worries that she’s fat.” She said “my mom eats healthy food!” I’M SETTING A GOOD EXAMPLE FOR MY DAUGHTER! WOOHOO!
It’s so hard to help kids develop good eating and exercise habits nowadays. If you know any pre-teen girls, you’ll probably agree that it’s even harder to help young girls develop a healthy body image.
My kids are far from perfect, but an amazing thing is happening in my family. My children have a healthy relationship with food; they know what’s “good for their bodies,” and they usually make good choices. Don’t get me wrong, my daughter loves her dense, dark chocolate cake, but she eats one slice at a time; my son has a passion for mint chip ice cream, and that’s just fine. They enjoy their treats but they eat healthy food most of the time; they even make good choices when I’m not around.
My kids are asked to “do as I do, not “do as I say.” That is having an amazing impact.
My daughter is going bike riding with her friend today. Before going I asked her what she wanted to eat; she told me that she needed some “real food, something healthy,” and she asked if I could make her some chicken with broccoli and lemon, just like I eat. Five minutes later, it was ready, she devoured the food to fuel her day, enjoying each bite, asking for more broccoli, then grabbing a bottle of water on her way out the door.
Five years ago, I could have never imagined that I would be sitting here today, as a role model for healthy eating and exercise habits. That seems to me to be nothing short of a miracle.
I know that my problem was part nature and part nurture. Childhood obesity has become an epidemic in the US. I am thankful that Michelle Obama, the First Lady, has taken on the cause. Let’s face it, the problem is not all about genetics. Too many of our kids are not getting enough of the right foods; they are getting too much of the wrong foods, and they need to be more active. Watching what’s unfolding in my home, it’s pretty clear that it’s a lot more effective to get my children to “do what I do,” than do what I say.
like mother, like son!
So I’ve learned that helping my children starts with helping myself. My children were young, ages 4 and 6, when I had my lap band surgery. I changed my eating habits as they were developing their own eating habits. My children want to ‘do as I do”. They watch what I eat. My daughter stands over my husband and me when she sees a healthy tasty meal, and can’t wait to try what we are eating. If that meal, she saw me eat all the time, consisted of a stack of chocolate chip pancakes, smothered in butter and topped with whipped cream, she’d be asking for that stack of chocolate chip pancakes because our children want to “do as we do.”
And yes, I’ve broken the cycle of obesity that runs in my family. My children know how to take care of their bodies. They’ve learned by watching me. How cool is that!
Be Inspired!
Sign up below to receive regular inspiration and information direct to your inbox!
