Do the children of obese parents...

amother

Wed, Nov 22 2006, 3:17 pm

posting anon cuz embarassed...

My mom is very obese, my father is a little overweight.

I've never had a real problem with weight...

Part of the reason is because I am intent on not repeating mistakes my parents have done, and their lifestyle with regards to food and diet.

I eat much more healthy than I did growing up, rarely have desserts or junk food around, and try to go walking whenever I can and stay active. All grain products I use are whole grain, minimal use of sugars, lots of fruit and veggies and proteins.

BH so far so good. I am 5'5 and about 125-130 lbs, which is a healthy, normal weight. I hope weight wont be an issue as I have more babies though...we will see.

so for me, the answer would be yes. Children of obese parents do stand the chance to be healthy if they make healthy choices.

Some pple have an unfortunate genetic dispensity for obesity-they might have to work harder to avoid being overweight.

Idea

amother

Wed, Nov 22 2006, 3:28 pm

My parents struggled with weight, and I do , too. But I think it is mainly due to food choices.

So far, most of my kids are slim, and those who are making not good food choices, are putting on weight.

I think the heredity part of it is more due to food choices. Although I've seen some really skinny people making poor food choices, so there MUST be something genetic.

If I had it do over, I would feed my kids more healthy foods, even though it takes longer to prepare than pasta and potatoes.

[anon so as not to embarrass my kids]

Tefila

Wed, Nov 22 2006, 5:13 pm

Actually in lots of cases I have found from observation that obese parents children are in fact normal to underwieght. Confused

My theory goes perhaps they are more careful with their kids, since they know first hand where it could lead them if they r not careful and giving them good eating habits Confused

Mitzvahmom

Wed, Nov 22 2006, 5:50 pm

Tefila exactly right!!!

Plus on my side, I was not raised frum.. So because I had to research alot of things to change my lifestyle when I became frum I have more of an understanding of healthier eating!

B"H my daughter's fav food is spinach
my son is carrots and pasta (oh well - but I use whole wheat pasta)
Youngest - is the only one that could be a problem...but K"H he's only 4, and going through a chocolate phase... honestly it's pretty easy to make thing he wants to eat

but on a whole my kids prefer healthy eating any day, and it's all I give them.

and I am trying to loose weight... my mother is obese

MyKidsRQte

Thu, Nov 23 2006, 12:14 am

My mother was extremely overweight. My father is a bit overweight. 2 of my siblings are a bit overweight whereas I was really overweight. I know that I was overweight due to nonstop eating when I was miserable. I don't think it is hereditary. I think it is more what and how you choose to eat.

Ruchel

Thu, Nov 23 2006, 8:58 am

amother wrote:

Do the children of obese parents stand a chance of being a normal weight?

If it is a problem of lifestyle or disease, certainly. If it is a problem of genetics, it may be more difficult but it is also very possible with a good lifestyle!

lubcoralsprings

Thu, Nov 23 2006, 12:33 pm

DH and I are both thin, I am 5'9 140 and he is 5'11 165, but we watch our weight. I don't buy lots of snacks for the kids and make them eat a piece of fruit or a veggie when the kids get home from school. My oldest DH hates spinich and broccoli but will eat a healthy salad. DD eats a wide variety and the baby, DS eats a variety. I hope my kids stay healthy and on the charts.

anon

Thu, Nov 23 2006, 12:46 pm

I didn't read the previous posts so I'm not sure if I'm just repeating what others have said.

I'm sure some people do have a genetic predisposition and in that case it's likely that the children will also be heavy.

However, I have been surprised to observe the eating habits of a few "fat" families. I would think that if everyone in the family was heavy, the mother would serve healthy, low-fat foods. But many times, the opposite was true, where the mother seemed to serve the sugariest, starchiest, oilest foods! like HELLO!!

So if you're concerned about also being heavy or you're children being heavy....well, take matters into your own hands and have your family get used to healthy foods. And the "nosh cabinet" shouldn't be stuffed with every chip and candy known to man, with everyone having free range to take whatever they want. I think that children who are taught to have good eating habits when they're younger will naturally have good eating habits as adults (even if, as children, they're always begging for candy).

amother

Thu, Feb 08 2007, 8:50 am

Tefila wrote:

Actually in lots of cases I have found from observation that obese parents children are in fact normal to underwieght. Confused

My theory goes perhaps they are more careful with their kids, since they know first hand where it could lead them if they r not careful and giving them good eating habits Confused

you would think that that is correct, that if a couple is overweight or obese then they would serve their children healthier. well, I know a family that the parents are obese and their children are also all obese......its very sad to see...

Mrs. XYZ

Thu, Feb 08 2007, 10:54 am

Quote:

My theory goes perhaps they are more careful with their kids, since they know first hand where it could lead them if they r not careful and giving them good eating habits

Not always. Yes, a smart mother will learn from her 'mistakes'. But many mothers who are used to eating/noshing alot, just automatically give that to their kids from when they're very young. Kids are not born with eating habits, they are trained by the mother.
I was once watching an obese friend feeding her 1 year old, and was like shock

! The amount of food she was 'shtupping' him with! She thinks that I STARVE my kids with the amount of food I give them!

There are also mothers who feed their newborns/infants every time they make a sound. And I'm not talking about feeding on-demand, when the baby is hungry. Just every time the baby kvetches, its just so easy to shush them up by feeding them. This is not good! First, the baby gains tons of extra weight. Secondly, it teaches the child 'when I'm sad/uncomfortable, I EAT!

lubcoralsprings

Thu, Feb 08 2007, 9:23 pm

[quote="Mrs. XYZ"]

Quote:

There are also mothers who feed their newborns/infants every time they make a sound. And I'm not talking about feeding on-demand, when the baby is hungry. Just every time the baby kvetches, its just so easy to shush them up by feeding them. This is not good! First, the baby gains tons of extra weight. Secondly, it teaches the child 'when I'm sad/uncomfortable, I EAT!

I don't believe you can over feed a baby, especially one that is breastfeeding. My kids were huge I mean HUGE babies and they are normal size children. I fed them on demand and YES when they cried. When they got to be toddlers and stopped nursing is when I taught them their eating habits.