I Created Monster--My Daughter's Weight Loss Challenge

I only have myself to blame. My daughter's incessant talk about what she's going to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks; what exercises she's going to do, etc. Day in and day out for the last two years.


"Just stop talking about it!" I want to scream at her but I don't. Why? Because she's only using her voice for the daily thoughts swirling around in my head and through my actions for most of her life.


Ironically it hasn't always been like this. In her tween years my daughter used to carry her curves with a PHAT (pretty hot & thick) attitude! Frankly, not only did I love it, I admired it, wishing I had the confidence to carry my own curves like that. Instead, I was always trying to "fix" my body, speaking mainly about what was wrong with me instead of what was right.


Today, I see my obsession in my daughter. She wants a flatter stomach, trimmer thighs, toned arms--a.k.a. the perfect body. And its all my fault. So far it's been the last two years that she's been working at losing weight but if she's like me--not wanting to make the necessary sacrifices to achieve the wanted results--she's got an even longer road ahead of her.


While I'm glad that my daughter, and son for that matter, have learned about the importance of healthy eating and exercise--we incorporate it in our family life--I regret my daughter's obsession with transforming her body. I see her road being just as long as mine, but I hope I'm wrong.

So what do I do at this point in her life? Encourage and support her is all. Keep healthy food in the home. Be her workout buddy when she asks. Advise her to focus on health benefits as opposed to appearance. Compliment her often, curves and all.


Any advise? How are you helping your weight loss obsessed child/teen?

LaCharmine (L.A.) Jefferson
Author, Writer, Blogger

Website: www.lajefferson.com

Blogs by me:

L.A.'s Literary Love Life@ http://lajefferson.blogspot.com

A Day in the Life of L.A. Jefferson @ http://lajefferson.blogspot.com

All Things Love @ http://all-things-love.blogspot.com

Naturally L.A. @ http://naturallyla.wordpress.com

Surviving Work @ http://survivingmydayjob.wordpress.com

Follow me on Twitter @lajefferson

Confession of the Day: Belly Gazing

If it's true that we're predisposed to characteristics of our parents--good or bad--boy oh boy, did I catch a doozy from my dad. Particularly, during my teenage years, I can clearly remember my dad criticizing--that's putting it midly--people, especially women, for being overweight.

"Ughh!" He'd unapologetically say. "These women are just lazy, letting themselves go like that. Who do they think is going to want them with all that fat on their bodies?"

Think I'm exaggerating? I'm not! Seriously! He would even talk about my mother, who wasn't even a big woman. But just the fact that she wasn't as skinny as she was as a teenager and young adult was enough to be on his "unsightly" radar.

But there's good and bad news. The bad news is that I'm not nearly as bad as my dad, but, I do possess his critical eye. And, like my dad, my primary target is women because, unfortunately, society dictates that it's okay for men to get fat. They can still be considered desirable. Since becoming a skinnyfat, when I come into contact with other women, my eyes automatically gaze toward their stomachs. It's become somewhat of an addiction. Anyway, if the stomach is fat I cringe for two different reasons:

1. It's unsightly
2. It's like looking in a mirror at how I look to the outside world.

On the other hand, if it's flat--or close to it--a myriad of thoughts ramble through my mind. Among them are:

1. What did I eat today? What did she eat?
2. Are small stomachs genetic in her family?
3. How often does this woman exercise?
4. Did she have a tummy tuck?

Crazy, right? I know. Believe me, I chastise myself each and every time. But that doesn't stop me from doing the same thing over and over again. It's a vicious, insane cycle!

Oatmeal for breakfast is a good start to this morning. Hopefully, the rest of my meals for the day follow suit. Might be a good idea to get to the grocery store.

****UPDATE****

Didn't make it to the grocery store. Didn't cook any dinner. Me and the kids have been over my mom's house all day as we prepare for the homegoing of my grandmother. For dinner, we had Pizza Hut pizza for dinner. Personally, I had three slices in the course of 4 hours. Not bad, huh? Not to mention, before I left home this afternoon I did do some crunches and pushups. Yay me!