Why I Should Eat Like My Kids

I’ll admit it. I’m carrying around an extra 15 pounds right now. No, I don’t have a few sacks of flour strapped to my chest. My metabolism just isn’t as great as it used to be, but I carry my weight well so I’m sure not too many people would notice the change. I notice, though, and maybe that’s all that matters anyway.

I’ll admit I haven’t exercised lately as I should, eschewing my spin class because of money concerns, but maybe it’s more than that. Perhaps spin isn’t really the thing for me anyway. Maybe I’ll try Zumba once the tax returns comes in. I honestly have no excuses not to, and it would make my doctor happy too.

But the thing that I have the utmost control over is my diet, and I’m not quite living up to my potential that way either. Yes, I try to eat healthy, but the sugar calls my name. The chocolate is my best friend. The ice cream and I are soulmates, and I just can’t seem to say no when they come calling. I explain it off as me being an adult and being able to eat whatever I want now. But I don’t convince myself of that.

One thing I do right, though, is make sure my children eat healthy, that they have balanced meals and proper intake of sweets when appropriate. Why is it so hard for me to do the same for myself? Here’s why I should eat like my kids…

• They always get balance. Vegetables and fruit are their good friends, even if they don’t believe it.
• They drink water before juice. While they don’t like this either, they don’t whine about it anymore.
• Their sweets are limited. They may want to eat chocolate from morning to night, but they get small amounts after they’ve eaten their full meals.
• Portion size. Portion size. Portion size. They want to eat their full weight at every meal but they only get portions comparable to their size, and it keeps them full.
• Proper snacks. Sugar usually stays out of the snack arena with them, paving the way for fruit or crackers as replacements.

If I care so much about my kids having proper nutrition and balance in their diets, then I should care enough about my own choices. I may be an adult, but that doesn’t mean eating whatever I want. It means recognizing that I too need to set limits on what I should and shouldn’t eat, on my own portion sizes, and on my choice of snack foods. So, I’m taking a page from my kids’ playbook, even though I might whine at first about it. If it’s important enough for them to follow it, then it’s important enough for me.

Sam