My 13 year old has lost 3 lbs, and my 9 year old daughter has lost 2 lbs since my husband and I started atkins a month ago. Neither of them were really overweight, but of the four kids, they are my biggest junk food fiends. I wouldn't want them to lose any more weight, and they don't seem to be losing anything else, I think it was just their bodies adjusting to the changes in our household's way of eating.
We've been on Atkins for a month, and we have slowly eliminated the high carb snacks, by just not replacing them. Also at dinner time, we've been eating meat and salads or a green vegetable. It was so hard for me to give up my irish/canadian programming (gotta serve a starch!) I always served potatos or pasta or rice with dinner. Now I serve whole wheat bread or small whole wheat dinner roll with their grilled chicken and salad. Thank god they love salad!
The hardest thing was snacks - the dip idea works great for us too.... and they love cheese cubes or string cheese. A celery stick with cream cheese is a big hit too. I do still buy fresh fruit for them, but I cut back on the juices and buy club soda, or seltzer, sweetened with the Atkins syrups (they love the ginger ale, strawberry and raspberry) The hazelnut syrup (or chocolate) with club soda and a scoop of atkins vanilla ice cream makes a really neat ice cream soda!
I still let them have popcorn on the weekend, and I've tried buying nuts...they love pumpkin seeds.
And lastly I've started making the atkins or keto quick muffins
for them for breakfast. I make scrambled eggs the night before and throw them in the fridge, the next morning they help themselves to the eggs, throw a little cheddar cheese on them and pop them in the microwave. I also buy that fully cooked bacon in a box (it's actually quite delicious) My son says he isn't hungry at 10 a.m. anymore like he used to be!
I don't forbid them anything, and I will buy them pringles or gummi bears once in a great while, for a treat, but as far as their everyday eating habits - I've noticed a great improvement for all of us!
Sue