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| Fri, 10-07-2005 - 1:10pm |
Ok, so here are a few issues I am having... First I want to lose weight and cook healthy and stuff, but my family is resistant to conforming. Is it wrong for me to cook lighter meals and not want to buy snack foods for the kids or my husband? THe only one of us in the household who really doesn't need to lose a few pounds is my son, but the rest of us could stand to lose, especially me and hubby. So does anyone have any ideas? I don't want to have to cook two seperate meals one for them and one for me, that just seems like too much work. I would buy the snack cakes and stuff for them and fruit, cheese, yogurt for me, but then i run into the situation where if they tear through their snack cakes, they attack my snacks, but they want to complain if I don't buy the icky sweet stuff, what should I do? I am open to suggestions, I am actually despererate for some.
Also, are my choices for snacks good ones? I mean I don't really need a lot of sweet stuff, but I love fruit (bananas, apples, melons, peaches, nectarines, grapes, etc...) and I love cheese (cheddar, monterey jack, pepperjack etc...) and yogurt is good too, these are the things I like to snack on, are they bad choices? I am also a diabetic. My blood sugar is actually way high, so also if anyone has a clue if the fruit is a bad choice for me. I probably should go see a diatician or something and ask them, but I go to the Indian Clinic right now b/c I am not working and it takes forever and a day to get in to see any of the doctors there.
Finally, I love eating ice and eat quite a bit of it a day, do you think that counts towards my water intake, and if it does, how do I tally how much water that ice may substitue?
Missy

Hmmm...I'd say if your the one cooking the meals,the rest of the family has no choice but to eat what you serve ;o) I know when I first switched to ground turkey in place of ground beef,my husband had a fit.Now,unless we get a weird package that really tastes poultry-ish(lol),no one can tell the difference.I've also switched some full fat foods with low fat(heck,even I can't stand the fat free),and again,no one seems to have minded after a while.Then again,if anyone did complain,they'd be making their own dinners,lol.
As for snacks,thats a hard one.If I buy the chips and cookies that everyone else wants,then I end up eating it too...so that doesn't help me.And when I buy my snacks,the kids end up eating it before me~sigh~.So,can't help you there.
Certain fruits can raise bloodsugars more then others.If you are allowed,experiment with different fruits and check your bloodsugars.My husband can eat bananas and have no effect,whereas his Aunt can eat a half a banana and her bloodsugar is sky high...and vise versa with oranges between those two.And definately make an appt. for a nutritionist.If it takes a while to get in,at least you've gotten that far ahead and have a date set to get in.Good luck!
Bren
It sounds like you dont really have a choice about cooking healthy and living a healthy lifestyle if you are diabetic and want to live a long healthy life. I think it is very important to teach through example that a healthy lifestyle doesnt mean a bland lifestyle. It will teach your children to value health in the long run. Plus if you are diabetic there is a strong chance that your children will be also in adulthood, especially if they are used to a sedintary lifestyle with poor eating hahbits.
If you were officially diagnosed with diabetes your doc should have set you up with a dietician anyway. Definately take an aggresive approach to educating yourself...even if you cant afford a doc appointment, go find an educational book about eating with diabetes.
Your snack options sound healthy but as a diabetic you do have to consider fruit a sugar, so that means eat a protien with it. Like if you want a bannana, eat yogert with it...always add a protien to a sugar and that will slow the blood sugar down.
My official opinion is cook healthy...if your kids dont like it, they dont have to eat it. We are "dieting" at my house and the family fusses and moans sometimes but i hate it for them...i love myself more than i love their desires for unhealthy foods. ha ha. That is a big problem with women though, seriously, we are born pleasers that never put ourselves first. Put yourself first and your body will thank you for it and your kids will eventually see how selfish it is of them to expect someone with diabetes to do otherwise. :-)
Stacy
Hi Missy,
My opinion has always been that although I am the only one who needs to lose weight my entire family needs to eat healthy. I don't want my children to have the same weight problems as I have when they are older. We talk a lot about healthy foods and what makes something good or bad for you. I only cook one meal. If the children don't like it then they can fill up on veggies or bread, but I won't cook anything else for them. Sometimes they complain, but they usually end up eating it. If something turns out really bad or if I know they won't like it I will fix them a sandwich or something.
AS far as snacks go, I only buy healthy snacks. If I do end up buying something like gold fish or graham crackers I put it in tupperware so I don't see it when I look in the pantry. That way I am less likely to grab it. I might take them out every few weeks for a special food treat like ice cream or cookies to make up for us not having it in the house. I try to stress that these are "sometimes" food to coin cookie monsters new phrase. I also gave up buying cokes and fruit juice. I only keep water and milk in the fridge. At first they grumbled a lot, but now I notice they are going for the water. Not only is it healthier, but it has saved me a ton of money each week.
I don't know much about diabetes. I have heard that fruits can cause your blood sugar to spike. You might want to keep it at one or two pieces a day. there are a lot of really good low fat cheeses and yogurt out there. My main snacks consist of fruit, carrots or bell pepper strips, ff yougurt, cottage cheese with Sugarfree pineapple, and 94% fat free popcorn. You can also eat sugar free(natural) peanut butter with an apple. That would combine the protein with the apple which might keep the blood sugar low. Just don't go overboard with the peanut butter.
Hope this helps
sharla
Missy,
Tammy
Don't let your past determine your future!
Missy
I am the same way about the snacks..when I buy them for them I will eat them, not often, but around "that time of the month" I do get a sugar craving and I seem to eat only eat junk food, and those cupcakes, and honeybuns, and cookies, just yell my name.
I have heard that I should always mix my fruit with a protein, I think I am going to start doing that, I love fruit and I would hate if I have to stop eating it because of the blood sugar issues, but I have heard that once I lose the weight, it is entirely possible that my blood sugar could get to where it is supposed to be and I can stop the medication all together, so that is a definate goal I am striving for.
I have an appt for a nutritionist in a few months, so that should help me a bit and I have been doing some research online too.
Missy
I have kinda been thinking about the idea of if they don't like what I cook, they can cook something for themselves. My kids are 17 and 18 so it's not like they can't cook for themselves, and when i have my small nieces they pretty much eat anything and it is probably good for them to eat healthy, but I usually buy them quick meals anyway incase they are picky about what they like.
I keep hearing about adding a protein with a fruit so I am thinking that is something I really, really need to do. You are right, us women folk have a problem with always pleasing everyone else and putting everyone else first. I have tried to teach my daughters to not be so accomodating, but I don't set a very good example, seeing as how I am still letting them win the battle of the meals, but you are right, I need to put myself first and just cook how I want to and if they don't like, it either go hungry or make something themselves. Thanks for the hints.
Missy
I love your idea of putting their snack foods in a container so I don't see them when I am searching for something to snack on, great idea. I am going to try it. I also think I will buy more raw vegetables and low fat cheeses and stuff to snack on myself, I do like these things, i just don't eat them often. I am a soda fanatic, I have switched to diet soda though, my favorites are Diet Cherry Coke, Coke Zero, Diet Coke w/Splenda, Diet Sprite, and Diet Dr. Pepper. I have tried to switch to unsweetend tea, but have trouble sticking to that one, but I have started buying splenda packages to add to it so that should be good, and I buy crystal light for when I want some kool aid. Lucky for me my kids hate diet drinks, so I usually get to keep my drinks to myself, now if I could get them not to eat all the snacks, even if I just buy fruit they tend to eat it up quickly, I may just have to have a "Mama Missy Only" snack cabinet, maybe that will work.
Thanks for the help,
Missy
I you could make the kids their own cabinet for their stuff, then it would be easier for you not to cheat.
Another approach is to teach the whole family a new healthy way of living and you can all enjoy the new adventure. By sharing healthy recipes, journals, and activities, your family will have a healthy active future, sharing it with you.
Hugs