Treats for the kids destroying your diet

RachBlue

Full Member
Just wanted to share something - I hear a lot of people here & about in the world saying that keeping treats in for the kids is destroying their good intentions.

Aside from the hopefully obvious fact that if you're eating them, the kids aren't going to get them anyway, I wanted to share a bit of history.

My mum used to work all day, and I'd be at school, and at about 6:30pm just after eating tea, she'd take me for a walk to the corner shop, to buy me a single bar of chocolate for that night.

Now, my mum was a smoker, so she'd buy her ciggies at the same time, but it also meant she never had to have stacks of multi-packs of sweets in the house, and also I never went short of a special treat - I could choose whatever I fancied, usually a Galaxy bar or a Yorkie bar. I don't remember asking for the huge bars, like 200g, but I'm pretty sure she would just have said no! (An under-used word, methinks... :whistle: )

It's my opinion that buying multi-packs (which look oh-so-appealing price-wise, I know) is a false economy for most people I've ever met, offline and on, because usually mum (and often dad as well) will eat all but 2 or 3 of the individual bars, which do make it to the child for whom they were intended, ending up paying MORE than the single unit price for each sweet that passes the little 'un's lips, and (worse than that) ending up with an unwanted calorific wallop on their own waistlines! :eek:

Changing your diet is about changing your thinking, including on what's good economically, even when so many of us are on very tight budgets - chips are cheaper than melon and fresh tomatoes, for example, but that doesn't mean we're going to start living off them.

But multipacks are NOT cheap if any of them end up unwantedly in the adult's paws, and I know I for one (no kids) wouldn't be able to have a pack of Kit Kats or crisps or something in the cupboard without talking myself into having more than one a day - I've actually made that mistake before, in fact.

And it's SO not about being smart or strong-willed, those kinds of foods with that fat-sugar (or fat-salt) combo have such a massive impact biologically that they're damned near addictive, at least when they're ready to hand.

So, just sharing - make of it what you will, but a food isn't for the kids if you're eating it, so the bit to focus on is how to make sure you don't get the chance in the first place! :)
 
Hi - this really hit home with me! I buy loads of multipacks and eat them all myself. I then have to replace them and sometimes eat those as well!

I do the same with packets of biscuits and if I lived alone would NOT buy them - I "buy them for my son". The only thing I can think of is showing my boy where and what the stuff is (I tend to hide it, I think I know I am going to eat it!). I would feel bad not buying him anything at all and also his grandad always brings him stuff as well.

I read another post of yours about the light evening meal - cereals etc. I may try this too as I place a lot of importance on dinner - what and how to eat it etc. and usually hae a massive portion. Maybe this would wipe out the anxiety I feel around evening snacking.

I took a look at Stephen Gullo as well. His ideas certainly hit home but I am not, no way buying more self-help books!

I'm looking forward to reading more of your posts. Are you into psychology etc by any chance?

Best wishes Pomooky XX
 
I agree but I buy a cadburys treat size multipack & my 3 little girls are allowed 1 each a day & it lasts ages, me & my husband don't eat them - we would have done 2 months ago but I've put far too much hard work in to eat them now :)
 
I have no treats in the house normally. I bring the boys to the shop on fri and they pick what they want and we usually have dessert on sat and sun. They never ask for sweets mid week anymore. I started this routine for their teeth mainly, and I'm not rigid about it but it's the norm now.
 
I just cant do multi packs at all cos I WILL sit and eat them all that night, which is a shame cos it would be handy to keep some nicies in for my dd and save some money!

Things can keep in for her stocked up are boxes of raisins, oaty chewy bars, organix crsips so I do always have something in for her that I am not going to scoff.

Just thought nI'd add th eone time I let my dd picka comic and sweets she picked a £3.30 hello kitty mag and a 75p kinder egg!
 
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