~ Parents Chats ~ 

December 1, 2009 - Exercise. It may be cold outside. That can make exercising harder. Come chat about good exercise choices when it is too cold to go outside.

November 24, 2009 - Thanksgiving and other holidays. Learn how to help your child deal with this special day and other holidays. Come chat about food choices, stress, and weight management.

November 17, 2009 - After school eating. School or home stressing your kids out? Many kids deal with feeling this way by grabbing food. This may make them feel good for a little while, but many times kids feel guilty about it, and of course it can make them gain weight.

November 10, 2009 - Breaking the overeating vicious cycle. Many kids and teens get into a cycle of overeating. They may feel bad about themselves. This may cause them to overeat more. How can you help your kids and teens break this cycle?

November 3, 2009 - Eating disorders. What are eating disorders? Binge eating? Bulimia? Anorexia? Why are they harmful? What can be done to help kids with eating disorders?

October 27, 2009 - Losing Weight With Friends. Your child may find that friends can help motivate them to lose weight. Come by the chat room to discuss how to encourage friendly competition or support among your child’s buddies.

October 20, 2009 - Cravings. What is the difference between cravings and hunger? How can your child deal with cravings?

October 13, 2009 - Chat Potluck. Come as you are and let's chat about whatever weight loss issues are on your mind as a parent of an overweight child.

October 6, 2009 – "Displacement activity". A lot of kids and teens overeat because of a thing called "displacement activity", which means to get rid of nervous energy. Even animals do this. What can your child do to get rid of this kind of energy and keep from overeating?

September 29, 2009 – Temptation. Does your child struggle with temptations despite knowing that overeating will cause weight gain? How can you help your child or teen resist food temptations?

September 22, 2009 – Food is Fuel? We need food for energy. But sometimes, food becomes more than just energy...it can help kids (and adults) feel better, for a short period, when we are bored, sad, mad, stressed, and many other feelings. Some kids and teens say they start to lose weight when they really believe food is fuel...do you think it would help your kids when food is put into this perspective?

September 15, 2009 – Healthy After School Snacks - It is normal for your kids to be hungry after school. Come chat about ideas for making healthy snacks available.

September 8, 2009 - Finding Time to Exercise - Days are busier when kids return to school. Come to the chat room to discuss how to help your kids fit exercise into their busy days. Find out which exercises help their weight loss the most to make efficient use of their time.

September 1, 2009 - Teasing - School is about to start and teasing can be a problem. Being overweight is tough enough! Why do some people like to pick on larger people? Why does it hurt weight loss too? Come chat about how to help your kids deal with teasing.

August 25, 2009 – Taking Inventory - Before making lifestyle changes, it is helpful to know the child’s baseline. How often does the family or child go out for fast food? How often do they exercise? When do the kids eat? Where do they eat? Come by and chat with Ashlie about how to assess the current situation.

August 18, 2009 - School is Coming AUGGHHHH! - Your child hasn’t lost the weight they were hoping to lose this summer? Going back to school without meeting their goals is tough. Let's discuss ways to help your child stay positive!

August 11, 2009 – Shopping for Back to School Clothes - Are you having trouble finding clothes to fit your child appropriately? Come chat and brainstorm about sources and tips for finding the best clothes for your child’s size. Self-esteem can be boosted by clothes that compliment the body.

August 4, 2009 - Summer Exercise - Wow, it is hot outside! Come by the chat room to discuss ways kids can still exercise while it is hot outside.

July 28, 2009 - Toss in Spring Fruits and Veggies - With the warmer weather, comes tasty fruits and veggies. Eating more fruits and veggies helps lots of kids and teens lose weight. Let's talk about ways to fit them in everyday!

July 21, 2009 – Losing Weight with Music - Music can be an excellent tool for losing weight. Songs can relieve boredom, motivate, energize, or relax kids and teens. Come chat with Ashlie about the different ways music can be incorporated into your child’s life.

July 14, 2009 – Television Blues - TV can often take over as a form of entertainment for bored kids during school breaks. Come by to brainstorm about alternatives to excessive TV watching this summer.

July 7, 2009 - Summer Time Boredom - School is out or just about out. With summer, there’s no more homework and a lot more free time. This extra time leads many kids and teens to extra snacking. Come chat with Ashlie about ways to prevent this.

June 23, 2009 – "Choosing foods while traveling". Summer is when most people travel. Eating in restaurants and fast food places puts a lot of tempting high-fat, high-sugar food in front of your kids. How do you deal with this if you are trying to help your kids control their weight?

June 16, 2009 – Summer Clothes  How do you feel about buying clothes for summer time, considering most clothes are a little more revealing than a winter sweater or coat? What about swim suits? What kind of clothes work the best? Come to the chat and say what you think.

June 9, 2009 - Help! My kids can't stop eating when they are bored!  Do your kids find themselves with an empty bag of chips in their hand all day now that school is out? Many kids and teens eat when they are bored. Most are bored while on summer vacation. Come chat about things you and your kids can do to help them stop eating when they are bored!

June 2, 2009 – Summer Hobby Habits  Summer time can be a great time for kids to start new hobbies. Overeating is a bad habit that is difficult to break. But summer hobbies can replace the overeating habit and help kids lose weight. Come chat with Ashlie about different hobby ideas that you can provide or that are available in your area for your kids this summer.

May 26, 2009 - Hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, OH MY! Eating at summer cook outs.  Choosing food at summer cook outs can be tough. Come by the chat room to share ideas about planning healthy cookouts or selecting the best food from the cookouts hosted by other families and groups.

May 19, 2009 – Memorial Day Weekend Plans  Make this a healthy weekend with the family. Memorial Day signals the start of summer time (or winter in the southern hemisphere). Come chat about ideas for healthy picnics, BBQs, and outdoor activities for this weekend and beyond.

May 12, 2009 - AAAUUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHH! STRESS!!!  Stress from end of school year tests and finals can drive a person crazy...or lead them to overeating. Come to the chat room to share ideas about helping your kids deal with stress WITHOUT eating.

May 5, 2009 "Shaping Up For Summer!" Summer gives many kids and teens time to focus on healthier eating habits and activities. Come chat about summer strategies to make the most for your child’s time off.

April 28, 2009 Clothes Are you having trouble finding clothes to fit your child appropriately? Come chat and brainstorm about sources and tips for finding the best clothes for your child’s size. Self-esteem can be boosted by clothes that compliment the body.

April 21, 2009 Weight Loss Wishes Do the reasons for your desire to see your child lose weight differ from the reasons why your child wants to lose weight? If so, is there some overlap? Come talk about how your views may (or may not) differ and how this may change over time.

April 14, 2009 Community Resources Do you know what tools are available in your community to help your child lose weight? These may range from public health clinics, mental health counselors, and nutritionists, to after-school activities such as school sports, Boy or Girl Scouts, newspaper routes, and playing musical instruments. Even how your community is set up for alternative forms of transportation may influence your decisions in tackling weight loss. Come talk with Ashlie RN to learn what to look for in your community.

April 7, 2009 School Lunches Does your child eat lunch provided by the school cafeteria or take a packed lunch from home? Come chat about how to help guide your child in making the best choices from cafeteria foods or strategies in packing school lunch bags made at home.

March 31, 2009 Food Addiction Does your child have a tough time eating less? Do they have a particularly tough time eating less of CERTAIN foods? If your child has tried to cut down on those foods, do they get stressed out and “antsy”? They may be "addicted" to the pleasure of certain foods. Find out how to help your child identify and deal with food addiction.

March 24, 2009 Boredom Does your overweight child complain about being bored or act bored? This is an especially common problem after school. Come talk about the times your child seems to eat while bored and ideas for activities to reduce boredom.

March 10, 2009 Vicious Cycles Do you feel like you and your kids are in a vicious cycle? Sometimes an overweight child may tend to upset parents, resulting in a strained relationship, which causes the child to seek more comfort in food, which upsets the parents further, leading to a vicious cycle. It’s no one’s fault, just a misunderstanding. Come talk about methods of avoiding or breaking this type of vicious cycle.

March 17, 2009 Teasing Being overweight is tough enough! Does your child have to deal with classmates, friends, or other family members teasing them about their weight? Come talk about your experiences and gather tips on how to help your child deal with teasing.

March 3, 2009 Ch-Ch-Changes Have you ever wondered why some people can just change their eating in a snap where as others drag their feet for eternity? It is not laziness or will power. Others may change quicker because they are ready...ready to change. Come chat about what stage your child seems to be in.

February 24, 2009 Stress in Childhood That ugly feeling can drive children crazy...or lead them to overeating. Come to the chat room to find out how to help your child deal with stress WITHOUT overeating.

February 17, 2009 Portion Control One of the best ways to control your children's weight is to let them eat whatever they like, just less of it. The “standard size” of portions can be especially problematic in restaurants because they cause most people to gain weight. Come talk about strategies to try and reduce portion sizes both at home and in restaurants.

February 10, 2009 - Food Addiction  Do your kids have a tough time eating less? Do they have a REALLY tough time eating less of certain foods? When they try to cut down on those foods do they get "antsy" and stressed out? They may be "addicted" to the pleasure of food. Find out how to deal with food addiction.

February 3, 2009 - Sneaking food  Does your child do this?  Why do kids sneak food?  Is it because of overwhelming cravings?  Is is because of bingeing? What causes this?  Come hear what Ashlie thinks about this and tell others what you think.

January 27, 2009 - After school eating  School or home stressing your child out? Many kids deal with feeling this way by grabbing food.  On a recent poll on our site, kids voting say that after school is the most frequent time that they overeat.  Why do they overeat at that time?   The food may make them feel good for a little while, but many times kids feel guilty about it, and of course it can make them gain weight.  How can you help your child with after school eating?

January 20, 2009 - Talking to your child about weight  If your child is overweight, how do you bring up the subject of weight?  Overweight is not a cosmetic problem, it is a health problem.  It can also affect your child's social life and self esteem.  Most overweight kids on our site say that they are embarrassed to talk to their parents about their weight, or that their parents do not help.