How Your Diet Affects Your Daughters

World Wide Web | How Your Diet Affects Your Daughters | My girls are everything to me.I love them unconditionally and would do anything to protect them from being hurt. For those of you who haven't read the 'about me' section on the website, I have 3 daughters. I will protect them and attack any who try to hurt them - I'm a regular lioness. But what if the one that's hurting them is themselves, or even worse, what if it's me?I haven't really touched much on this subject but our influence on our children's health is immense and it is becoming more and more of an issue for me. As my girls grow up I realise that the life I have lived and the relationship I have with my body is becoming an issue for and has an impact on them.

I don't know if any of the mothers reading this can identify with any of these statements but they are things I have thought in my life and since having children 

I hate my arms

I wish my stomach wasn't so wobbly

If I could just lose 2 stone then I would be happier

I wish I could get back into those jeans I wore before I had the kids

My face looks fat

I look fat in everything in my wardrobe

These are all things I used to say to myself when I looked in the mirror. I used to hate getting ready to go out anywhere because I hated the way I looked in my clothes and when anyone paid me a compliment I would shrug it off.

I know that my behaviour has had an impact on my children. For 2 years now, I have been working to reverse that impact but I may never eradicate the damage I have done.

Did you know... ? 

Daughters of women who regularly diet are more likely to diet or be overweight themselves and a recent poll suggested that teens who had mothers who regularly dieted are more likely to develop an eating disorder.

I am not telling you this to make you feel guilty or to question your parenting. I've already said I am as guilty as anyone but I think it is really important that we don't pass our burdens onto our children and we try to fix not only our own eating habits as well as those of our kids.

My mission is to educate women and particularly mothers into a way of losing weight that does not involve dieting but involves learning to have that normal healthy relationship with food that we all crave. My mission is to help those women to support their daughters in developing that normal, healthy relationship too.

So if you've been a dieting mum and need some ideas here's 5 things you can do to improve your weight and health and that of your daughters. 

Eat together as a family. Eat the same meals and model healthy eating. Include as much fresh food as possible and allow small treats in moderation.

STOP DIETING. If you do nothing else, do this. Don't say you are on a diet, don't say you need to diet, don't mention dieting. Don't even refer to a healthy diet. Food is food. Eat what makes you feel well and feel nourished at mealtimes.

Throw away your bathroom scales. You can see if you are a bit flabby in certain places. What you actually weight is arbitrary, if I weighed 10 stone I wouldn't look the same as you because I am only 5 foot 3. If you must measure use a tape measure and measure your waist, arms, chest and thighs but its best to use your clothes and your mirror.

Get some exercise. Again make it a lifestyle choice. Walk to the post office or bank, play a game on the Wii, run up and down the stairs. Do things together as a family so that movement is part of a healthy lifestyle and as a bonus you can bond and have fun whilst you do it.

Stop relying on food to change your mood (and that of your children). Emotional eating can be the hardest habit to change when it comes to food and you may need a little help. There are a number of therapies on offer (including hypnotherapy) that can help, if this is something you struggle with. In terms of your children, try to avoid rewarding them and celebrating with food.

If you'd like more information or help please use the contact form or leave me a comment below.Throughout her adult life Rachel Swann has battled with her weight going up and down as well as emotional eating. She has tried diet after diet, slimming pills, you name it. She even worked for a diet company as well! Finally discovering hypnotherapy she lost 2 dress sizes nearly 2 years ago and has kept it off without a diet or slimming pill in sight. Inspired by this success she qualified as a hypnotherapist and now supports others in their quest to find permanent weight loss.