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Food Psych

Lisa Eirene

About Lisa Eirene Lisa lost 110 pounds through calorie counting and exercise. She swims, bikes, runs, hikes and is enjoying life in Portland, Oregon. Her weight loss story has been featured in First Magazine, Yahoo Health, Woman's Day and Glamour.com.

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14 Comments

  1. bethh

    Thank you for sharing that podcast information! It sounds really interesting.

    I don’t have kids but there are kids in my life and in my extended family. It’s really really interesting to see how differently households manage food, and it’s very different from how I was raised (you eat what’s served and you don’t leave the table til it’s gone). I can see how it would be really hard to separate your own food thoughts from how Logan is learning to interact with food! Good luck doing the minimal amount of damage, parents can never get it perfect!

    What a strange comment from his doctor, and of course it caught you off guard. I can’t see how 97% height and 50% weight says “monitor” to anyone – how odd. Maybe you can prep some neutral questions in advance of the next meeting, or follow up with online questions, if you want to dig into it more deeply.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      I grew up in a house like you, you eat everything on your plate and don’t leave the table until it’s gone. It definitely did damage. I think kids in general are pretty good at intuitive eating, it’s when we force our own food stuff and rules on them that they can get disordered.

      It was a strange comment. Especially considering his age and the fact that as kids grow they grow OUT then grow UP in their growth spurts. That’s normal!

  2. Vickie

    Is it possible this is actually blood sugar related for him? If his blood sugar drops, I think the natural response is to feel hunger and crave carbs.

    The snack you described would send blood sugar up and then it would drop. And it would not hold him, he would be hungry again.

    I think it is a good habit to pair protein with other foods, in general, for kids, teach them to eat that way.

    I would try adding protein/healthy fat with every snack and see if that helps. Cheese stick, deviled eggs, nuts, peanut butter, yogurt, jerky, rolled sliced meat, etc. So raisins for example might be ants on a log (celery, peanut butter, raisins).

    Thinly sliced apples pair great with cheese slices.

    Spreads and dips are very very fun way to eat veggies. Or peanut butter on apples is great.

    I used a round sandwich cutter for many years.

    We use to roll up all kinds of layers and then slice into pinwheels for fun snacks.

    I have added protein powder to lots of things over the years like pancakes and waffles to even out the numbers and hold kids longer.

    I just went back and looked at pictures. He has a full face, do you suppose that is throwing off what she sees? His clothes are loose on him, that might be throwing her off too.

    I too used to dilute apple juice by half with water. I diluted chocolate milk by half with regular skim milk too. We drank real orange juice in the morning. But my kids rarely had anything but water to drink the rest of the day. And that is a super good habit (in my opinion).

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Those are some great tips. We already do a lot of them. Some of the trouble is Logan is still at the picky-eater stage. But we do what we can. I haven’t tried protein powder. That’s a great idea. We aren’t a juice family (although Logan gets watered down apple juice once a day). He’s the only one in our family that drinks milk, too.

      1. Vickie

        I get an unflavored protein powder that just sort of disappears into things. You could probably even stir it into peanut butter.

        I also add egg to a lot of (cooked) things. My example of waffles and pancakes. I use Kodiak mix. I use milk instead of water, I add egg and protein powder. It is shocking how much you can change the numbers from carb heavy to nearly even.

        There are higher protein noodles available now too. I also buy very thin sliced bread. And the small flour tortillas that are available now. And I get very small apples.

        My kids used to eat small bananas with peanut butter (girls) or wrapped in cheese (son).

        They are also all into dark chocolate (turn up their noses at milk chocolate). That one took a while, I just kept upping the percentage.

        With all the recipes out now, another good thing is to only make just enough servings when baking. Mug cakes which can be split 2-3 ways. Baking 6 cookies so you each have two and they are gone, etc. My drop biscuit recipe makes 6 too, and they are small. I also have 6ā€ cake pans. A layered 6ā€ cake is very very fun, split between several people.

        So I adjust the scale and quantity of the occasional things. And I make just enough with no leftovers. Exactly like you buying one piece of cake to split.

  3. emmaclaire

    This is going to sound like a silly question, Lisa, but was the doctor suggesting you monitor his weight because it’s too low? 50% in weight while 97% in height sounds like he is quite slender and she might think he’d benefit from a little extra. Just a thought…

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Huh, I never considered that. Good point!!

      1. Vickie

        That is a very good point. I suggest sending her an email and saying she caught you off guard with her comment on his weight and asking for a telehealth appt or phone call. I would compile a list of questions following both tracks so you are ready.

        1. Lisa Eirene

          It’s a good suggestion. We have a new pediatrician because his doctor left. So we will get a new start soon.

          1. emmaclaire

            I’ll be interested to hear what she has to say. It’s always hard to switch pediatricians – I drove my oldest 45 miles each way for a couple of years after we moved because I trusted the doctor who’d known him for his whole little life. Good luck!

          2. Lisa Eirene

            It’s definitely hard! Besides the weight comment, I REALLY liked that pediatrician. She had a background in child psychology.

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