Packing On the Pounds

Common Reasons Moms May be Adding Weight and What They Can Do About It

Moms are constantly on the go. Get up early to pack the kids their lunches before sending them off to school. Rushing to work. Rushing to pick up the kids after school to take them to their soccer game. Or recital. Or dance class. Or club meeting. Then it’s a mad dash home to make dinner for the whole family. Then it’s time to check homework assignments before setting up her laptop to complete her own tasks from the office. By the time she’s in bed, she’s exhausted. In the morning, it’s a repeat. In all of this, where does Mom find the time to pack on the extra pounds?

Consider what’s happening in-between all the rushing about.

A pizza crust here. A chicken nugget there. Scoring a few French fries from your kid’s (or mate’s) plate. Eating leftovers from your child’s plate when you’re clearing off the dining room table; you know, because you don’t want to be wasteful. A candy bar to make up for the missed meal in-between meetings. Feeling emotionally beat? That extra dessert or snack means love.  

It may seem like small potato chips, but the extra calories all add up over time. In fact, a Harris Poll survey shows that 81% of moms with kids under the age of 18 admit to eating off their kids’ plates before, during or after a meal. Furthermore, one in three say that they eat less healthily now than before they had children.

So what’s a busy mom to do?

Experts advise eating mindfully. Being aware of what and how much you eat is essential. Eating slowly allows you to better taste and enjoy your meal as well as give the body time to recognize when it’s full.

Moms who eat off their child’s plate should incorporate those calories into their daily meal plan or calorie count, and perhaps forego a snack later to compensate. Another idea is to choose the less caloric items your child has left on their plate, i.e. go for the veggies and fruits instead of the fries or nuggets. Better yet, how about re-evaluating what your child eats? If it's a lot of fatty stuff typical kids like to eat, perhaps cutting down on those foods and increasing the healthier options of fruits and vegetables. 

What to do about leftovers? If your child is not eating everything on their plate, perhaps it’s time to consider smaller portions. This can help avoid leftovers and overeating. Moms can also save the leftovers for a later snack or meal.

A very good piece of advice experts typically offer is to try to eat meals together. This helps avoid mom from eating off their child’s plate because she’s hungry or rushing to do the next thing. Eating together also allows for conversation and togetherness time. And that’s always a really good thing.