Sane or Insane?

So I started an experiment of sorts with my kids.  Their eating has gone downhill as mine has taken a particularly healthy turn. It's true. I'm super crazy about what I eat. Because I am so crazy about what I eat, I don't feel like fighting with my kiddos. It makes it easy to say - "here are your chicken nuggets for dinner" when I am eating steamed broccoli and salmon. I love eating healthy.  It makes my body happy. I feel energized and I don't have mood swings as much. I feel stable and strong. Why am I keeping that from my kids?

Many of you know that Hunter struggles with his weight. Let me rephrase, I struggle with Hunter's weight. Last year our doctor told us that he meets the requisite for obesity based on height, weight and age. Looking at him I don't think anyone would say that he looks obese. However, it is a good wake up call to watch what he is eating.

For the past year we have struggled.  The more I push him towards healthy foods, the more he resists. Or he asks for an enormous amount of food. "Can I have 3 sausages? Can I have 2 or 3 bagels?" It felt like I was in a sinking ship, and I was afraid I was hurting our relationship. Not only was I constantly cutting Hunter's carbs, but some of my other children turned into carbaholics.

Landon, for one, would only eat carbs for breakfast. An hour or two later he would crash and be so grumpy and difficult. Actually, the stress of caring for him and his mood swings really took a toll on me. I started planning what his next junk food snack would be before he did, just so I didn't have to face the prospect of another fight. I didn't want to deal with his grumpiness or his anger or his mischief. So, we went into a downward spiral of waffles, chips, donuts, etc. Whatever kept him happy and kept him from being mean to me!

Aspen and Maisy are pretty healthy eaters. Well, that is to say that they enjoy fruit and veggies. Maisy isn't a great meat eater and she LOVES super processed, dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets. Ok So this is our starting point.

I was talking to a friend, stressing about Hunter's weight (as usual) and wondering what changes I could make. She told me about a diet program called Sane, which is an adaptation of the book "The Calorie Myth" but for families.  I read the information on the basic site: http://sanesolution.com/sane-fast-results-blueprint/ and decided it was worth a try.  The next day we were leaving on a 6 hour family road trip - so what better chance to begin?

So I cleaned out all the unhealthy snacks in our house and am allowing them to finish the bagels (their favorite). I didn't allow chips or sweets at all on the road trip, which is a MAJOR score.  They did have some sub sandwiches from Firehouse (I had a salad with no dressing and extra protein). We stopped for snacks at Starbucks and bought protein boxes with peanut butter, hardboiled eggs and things of the sort.  When we stopped at the grocery store, I bought about 70% fresh fruits and vegetables and 30% proteins and other healthy foods.  We are on day 3 and I have to say - I am SHOCKED. My kids are not fighting me on the healthy eating. Sausage and eggs for breakfast? Fine? Spinach and mixed berry smoothies - great! Soup or meatballs or protein bars for lunch - Wonderful! Not only do I feel like my kids are getting more of the nutrients that they need, but their blood sugar levels are remaining more stable.

Landon has been an absolute pleasure. It might be the vacation, the lack of school, or the increase in exercise - but I'm crediting part of it to eating a healthy diet. I am actually just amazed at the lack of fighting between the kids and with me, about what they are eating. So far - success!