Weight Management and Childhood Obesity

Today Joey and I made a weight watchers recipe for Gingerbread cookies, I will let you know how they taste after the come out of the oven.

While we were doing this, I began to ponder schedules, food and childhood obesity leading to adult obesity.  Today I spoke with a StrollerFit mom about schedules.  anyone who knows me from my work ife knows I was always very schedule oriented, but now that I am home with the kids, I do not follow a schedule except when I have to work.  The kids do not nap on a schedule (Julianna is taking 2 nice long naps everyday, finally, YEAH!) and we are not on a scheduile for meals or snacks.

The other thing with food I do not do is force them to eat when I am hungry or finish what is on there plate.  My mother always said "eat what I made, this is not a restaurant!"  I abide by that sort of.  I am trying to get Joey know his body and learn at an early age to know when he is hungry (not starving), something I have had a hard time learning as an adult.  Mid day when he says he is hungry I give him chooses for lunch.  As for Dinner, if he is hungry before it is made he gets cut up veggies, yogurt or cheese, all healthy options.  Then When dinner is done if he is not hungry we try to get him to stay at the table for a bit and then let him play.  Later when he is hungry, I give him some of the dinner, if he does not want it he can have cereal or more veggies or fruit.

As long as he is eating healthy and not chips and chocolate I am ok if he does not eat on my schedule.  I use to think kindergarteners had it great.  WEake up, breakfast, 2 hrs later mid morning snack, 2 hrs later lunch, 2 hrs later afternoon snack, 2 hours later dinner (with naps and playtime in the middle).  I thought this was ideal because they recommend you eat small meals, but what I realize is those kids eat by a clock not when there body says it is hungry.  SO does this lead to us as adults eating on a schedule and never knowing when we are hungry and many times over eating, or because we say dinner is at 6, we are starving at dinner time and again we over eat.

I will continue to pnder and research this, but would love to hear your opinion.