AAAHHHH!

MomofJandB wrote: My daughter just got home from school. She tends to eat too much for snack time. I decided to limit it and now she's whining about how hungry she is! She had a soft pretzel and strawberries with whipped cream. I think that is plenty until dinner!!! I have to stick to my guns, but i hate the whining!! She finally stopped and is getting ready for gymnastics. YEA!!! She's a little overweight and I want to help her get back on track. Any ideas for some healthy, yummy snacks? I went to the store and bought a bunch of fruits and veggies, which she will eat usually. Keep your fingers crossed for me!! I need her to take better care of herself and I know it starts with me!!!

MomToMany replied: Try yogurt for dipping fruit in. But look for the stuff that's not loaded with sugar, or get plain and whip up some smoothies with fresh fruit in the blender.

I try to watch how much sugar/fat my kids eat, too. But when the boys come back from their dad's eating Twinkies and candy bars for lunch, I get that hopeless feeling, but I know I'M doing my part by taking the best care of them that I can.

Stick to your guns. That IS plenty until supper. My kids don't usually get a snack since we eat at 5:30, but they will if supper is going to be late.

Lollie replied: Hi....

Mmmmm....Im sorry I dont have any idea for yummy snacks that kids will enjoy....but you can always send the pretzels,strawberries and whipped cream to me!!!!Yummy!!!!!!

Getting hungry...and jealous..just thinking about those strawberries and whipped cream!!!!!

kit_kats_mom replied: K is doing the same thing. She's addicted to pretzles, pudding, cereal bars and popcorn. Of course, she's younger and actually too thin but still it drives me nuts. The snacking, the poor food choices etc....I just got back from the store and this is what I stocked up on:

Avacado (I'll slice it up and make it a finger food)
Apples, Pears and Bananas for dipping into plain yogurt or to eat with cheese
Pineapple, mandarin oranges, rasins, dried fruit, yogurts, strawberries, cantelope and watermelon. I keep fat free whipped topping around and I let her dip berries in that.
Broccoli, carrots and cauliflower along with ranch dressing for dipping (you could try low fat ranch)
Cheese and whole grain bread (any bread product with more than 3 grams of fiber per slice is good)
Popscicles for sweet but low cal treats.
Boiled eggs
whole grain chex and rice crispies with low sugar trix.

All of those require a bit of prep but I just put them all in baggies and keep old jello/pudding cups for putting the dips in.

Honestly, since DH has gone on his low fat diet, I've kept a lot less junk food around. I know that if I'm hungry enough, I'll eat something healthy otherwise I just won't bother. I've been eating a lot more cereal just because of time constraints and it's a quick snack. For K, I make a bowl of cereal and I add a few trix just for color. She really likes the whole grain chex LOL

MommyToAshley replied: I think that fruits and veggies sound like good healthy snacks to me. That's what I give Ashley now for her snacks, I hope she continues to like them.

I find myself eating if I am bored, so I wonder if our kids do the same thing. Gymnastics should help with that, and give her some excercise at the same time.

Sounds like you are doing the right stuff!

kimberley replied: my kids act like nobody ever feeds them when they get home for school our usual after school snacks are...

cereal
carrot or green pepper sticks
yogurt
peirogies (sp?)
cheese and crackers
any fruit

sounds like you are heading the right way with her. good luck!

favre4fan replied: Sounds like you are getting on the right track with the fruits and veggies. I know my boys don't always make the right food choices but half the time My DH and stick to a pretty healthy diet so i try not to keep those temptations in the house and we never go to fast food places. That stuff is just bad period. If only I could give up chocolate!! kit kats mom listed some great snack ideas.

MomofJandB replied: Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! Getting her back on a healthy eating track has been on my mind alot! She sneaks food if I'm busy, the little devil! I'm just going to make sure my focus is on her when she's home and in the kitchen. I appreciate all your good advice and ideas! Poor thing, she's built like my husband who has a "lovely" belly. My son could eat junk all day and not gain a pound!!! I'm dreading Halloween with all that candy in the house. I'll just have to monitor her alot! Some of my friends say I worry too much, but my DD's health and weight can't be taken too lightly! (no pun intended ) Thanks again!

kit_kats_mom replied: one other thing. Keep the healthy snacks in one place for her. I keep one of the veggie crispers full of K's stuff. She knows she can go there if she's hungry and get whatever she wants. I keep a basket of the non refrigerated stuff on the lowest shelf in the pantry too and she will often grab something from there.

Josie83 replied: I don't really know what to suggest, but its sounds good to me what you're already doing. the ideas that other ppl have already had are pretty good ones, I hope that you manage to get it all sorted! Good luck xx

redchief replied: Good luck! I agree on the importance of sticking to your guns.

Try some dried fruits (not the kind dried with syrup). Have those in the house and available for snacky times. They last longer than and must be chewed and reconstituted in the mouth which makes them last longer.

Alice replied:
I'm one of five kids, and when we were kids, the Catholic schools always closed on Halloween-- that's when they scheduled teachers conferences. So we would be out from 11am until 5 or 6-- we got a LOT of candy. Here's how mom handled it:

First, of course, she would sort through the bags for anything that was questionable and needed to be thrown out.

Then we gathered all the hard candies and most of the lollypops and donated them to a local nursing home.

Then we gathered all the candies that weren't "our favorites" and donated them to a local hospital, for kids who couldn't go trick or treating.

And I'm pretty sure she snuck some into the freezer for when the supply was getting low, or for herself and dad to snack on.

We each ended up with one pot full of candy, and learned a little about generosity in the process.