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Tell a Few Diet White Lies

Posted on Jun 25th 2009 12:00PM by Bev Sklar

Filed Under: Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements, Fit Family

Photo: discoodoni/Flickr

Do you announce to the world you're dieting? What about to your family? I diet-lie to my kids, but they're tiny white lies. Like when I'm trying to lose five pounds, but prefer not to fold my 5-year-old and 7-year-old in on the plan. I'd rather they focus on healthy habits, not my wish to fit into that dress by next month's wedding or the D-word -- diet.

The other day my daughter asked why I didn't have any ice cream at our favorite scoop shop. Honestly, I'd have loved a twist cone dipped in chocolate, but I'd just eaten a healthy, filling dinner and my hips don't need the cone. So instead of telling her I was dodging the treat because I was on a 'diet,' I told her I was full. She was content with that response, digging right into her cone with a clean conscience that mommy wasn't deprived of the sweet fun.

Parents, listen up. Kids emulate you. Incessantly chatter about dieting, body size and fitting into itty bitty jeans, and someday they will, too. Consistently stock the kitchen with wholesome foods, then stay active yourself, and you'll help build a foundation for healthy living. A couple days after the ice cream white lie, I asked my daughter if she wanted any more of her snack. She replied, "No, I'm full."

Fit Family Summer Assignment: If you go on a diet this summer, don't tell your kids. Quietly eat right, exercise and see what happens.

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Tags: Bev-Sklar, dieting-and-kids, fit-family, Fit-Family-Summer-Assignment

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Lauren 6-25-2009 @ 8:19PM

Good call. Hopefully those healthy habits will become second nature to your daughter and she'll never have to worry about obesity, diabetes, heart disease, etc.

craigB 6-26-2009 @ 7:53AM

I agree. So many kids grow up to have food obsessions that manifest themselves in a number of ways - anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, and obesity. It started at home with parents that were constantly putting emphasis on diet and weight instead of teaching their children what comprises a healthy lifestyle. You have to program your kids to eat healthfully and move more as early as possible so it becomes a habit for them as they get older.

Todd29 7-05-2009 @ 8:45PM

Stop dieting; keep track of everything that you eat each day. No one wants to be overweight! Secret information will help you to get the body that you want. Are you skeptical? The following is a tidbit to help you. Each day keep your body properly hydrated with plain drinking water and definitely limit your sodium intake. The most difficult thing to be able to control to keep your weight in check is mindless grazing. It is not always easy to do, but eat to live don’t live to eat. Some type of daily regimen is needed by everyone; but do not diet, your body needs nourishment. Diets and diet aids do not help anyone! The only way to successfully lose weight and get the body that you deserve is by using secret information. This information is in the book Lose Weight Using Four Easy Steps which can be ordered through the website www.bbotw.com Everyone who has gotten a copy of these secrets has lost weight and become healthier.

audreydc1983 8-04-2009 @ 3:12AM

No, diets don't work. They have a 95% fail rate. Why not be proud of the body you have instead of trying to get into a smaller dress? Why not just buy a dress in the size you are now? Why is size that important to you? Why not just move for the sheer JOY of moving your body - instead of torturing yourself by working out excessively. Don't deny yourself something that your body is asking you for - that equals a binge on "forbidden" foods later on.
Question everything. Is obesity a disease? No. Does being "overweight" make you less healthy? No. In fact, many researchers (independent ones - not the ones funded by the diet industry) have found that people categorized as "overweight" - from BMI 25- 35 were HEALTHIER than "underweight" people - and they were healthier than really fat people. What this tells us is that there is a large variation in healthy body types. Weight does NOT equal health. You can trust the diet gurus - who have a financial stake in your trust - or, you can do some research, and discover that satisfaction with your body makes you happy. But it doesn't make anyone money.