A message to my son's paternal grandmother

[surfergirl602]

My inlaws buy crap when they see my kids. Gum, candy, soda... all the things that we do not feed our children. It really annoys me that they dont respect our wishes when it comes to diet and nutrition.

 

[surfergirl602]

So is it bad if I eat a foot-long tuna fish sub...sounds DELISH!!!!

I'm a bit iffy on the appropriate/inappropriateness of the sandwich for your teenager.

That sandiwch is high in calories due to the mayo invovled.

Also--when I look it up, a 6 inch is only 430, meaning a 12inch is only 860.

Where are you getting 200 extra calories?


He can alway save a part for later.

cheese maybe?

 

[Luv2Scrap]

So is it bad if I eat a foot-long tuna fish sub...sounds DELISH!!!!

I'm a bit iffy on the appropriate/inappropriateness of the sandwich for your teenager.

That sandiwch is high in calories due to the mayo invovled.

Also--when I look it up, a 6 inch is only 430, meaning a 12inch is only 860.

Where are you getting 200 extra calories?


He can alway save a part for later.

Where are you looking? Here's the official site:


http://www.subway.com/applications/NutritionInfo/nutritionlist.aspx?id=sandwich

 

[mking624]

So is it bad if I eat a foot-long tuna fish sub...sounds DELISH!!!!

I'm a bit iffy on the appropriate/inappropriateness of the sandwich for your teenager.

That sandiwch is high in calories due to the mayo invovled.

Also--when I look it up, a 6 inch is only 430, meaning a 12inch is only 860.

Where are you getting 200 extra calories?


He can alway save a part for later.

According to the Subway website, a 6 inch tuna sub is 530 calories. Make that a 12 inch and it's 1060 calories.

 

[Luv2Scrap]

I also wanted to mention, if my son truly was still hungry after eating a 6-inch, he knows he can always have something else to go with it, such as low-fat yogurt, fruit, or even some chips, etc.

 

[Wishing on a star]

I would rather my son eat more of the sub than chips!!!

Yes, it seems high calorie... but it is tuna, and even the mayo/dressing, isn't that healthy fats, as opposed to 'fried carbs'....

Anyhow, I too was wondering how and why the grandma has such 'say-so'????? OP, maybe you can learn to handle this differently and more effectively.

I think we have realized now that the food is not the underlying issue here... it is the Grandma's behaviors...

And, I also think that there is a difference in an occasional treat (even ice cream at breakfast) and a constant barrage of crappy junk food, which is well known to be against the parents wishes. Some people just choose to completely disrespect the parents. And, in this case, it isn't the treats, it is the disrespect!

 

[FireDancer]

I also wanted to mention, if my son truly was still hungry after eating a 6-inch, he knows he can always have something else to go with it, such as low-fat yogurt, fruit, or even some chips, etc.

Another thing to keep in mind that there is a delay between being full and feeling full. This is often refereed to as satiety delay. Many people of all ages don't realize this and continue to eat until they feel full. We also often mistake thirst for hunger.

In your son's case eating half of the sandwich along with a large glass of water and then waiting 15 minutes before determining whether or not he needs the second half may allow his brain to catch up to his stomach and feel as though he doesn't need the second half.

 

[Tink888]

Is she buying him the subs everyday? I don't know, it seems a like small thing to get upset over. Both my sons could eat those, they are at healthy weights and have general good eating habits. I think boys at that age are hollow.

If your son is at a good weight it doesn't seem like a high calorie sub now and then will do much damage.

Seems like there is an underlying issue with you and Grandma and really, it only crushes your spirit by allowing her to let her get to you. Don't let her KWIM?

 

[ols386]

Oh, this is not my mom. If it was her (actually my stepmom), I would have just blown it off. But this is his paternal grandmother (see thread title). My son's dad and I haven't been together for years, and her meddling ways was one of the things that was always between us.

Believe it or not, I forsee the real possibility of receiving a text from DS's dad within the next day or two (he lives across the country), asking me why I'm withholding food from DS. then I will have fun defending my actions, even though I have done nothing wrong.

Trust me, I know better than to discuss certain things with her - and if I had my way, this conversation would not have ever happened. But sometimes you get sucked into things before you realize what's happening, and honestly, I never thought providing a child with just the amount of food they actually need would be something she could find fault with!

Why is it any different whether it's your son's paternal grandmother or your step-mom? Are you saying that it wouldn't have bothered you if your step-mom said the same thing as the grandmother? Maybe it's the grandmother's "meddling" that is actually what bothers you, and it just happens to be about food?

 

[Mermaid02]

Unless Granny is force feeding the boy the entire sub- I don't really see the issue.

 

[ols386]

Another thing to keep in mind that there is a delay between being full and feeling full. This is often refereed to as satiety delay. Many people of all ages don't realize this and continue to eat until they feel full. We also often mistake thirst for hunger.

In your son's case eating half of the sandwich along with a large glass of water and then waiting 15 minutes before determining whether or not he needs the second half may allow his brain to catch up to his stomach and feel as though he doesn't need the second half.

That's very true, and good advice!

 

[Robinrs]

I wish my son's paternal grandma would give him a Subway sandwich ... or a call.. or a birthday card ... or a thought.

Why take it as a personal offense to you? Why do women do this??? They always think that someone is belittling their parenting skills. It's a disease on this board....

Gratitude. RIP.

 

[padams]

I wish my son's paternal grandma would give him a Subway sandwich ... or a call.. or a birthday card ... or a thought.

I recently posted about my MIL giving DSs a bag of Hershey kisses that expired 2 years ago. A subway sandwich made today? That would be awesome...

A little perspective might be needed here (and I can MIL bash with the best of you).

 

[princessmom29]

I can totally see not wanting the kid to have a footlong every time at subwway, but I can see the other side of the coin as well:

As a child, dance was the only thing that kept me from being obese. My mother micromanaged my food intake from the time I started eating solids because she had family members that judged both me and her for the fact that I was heavy. The micromanagment caused passive agressive behavior about food on my part. I would eat bad food that i knew was bad for me and I knew I didn't need just because I was constantly being told "you don't need to eat that." It has lead to a lifelong struggle with my weight, and a feeling that i have to deprive myself of anything "good" to lose weight. As a result I am a heavy adult, which is my own fault. I work hard not to do that to DD. My main weapon is not having unhealthy things in the house. If she gets cake at a birthday party or ice cream at school once in a while that is ok, but we don't buy those things for the house unless it is someone's birthday ect. So far she doesn't have the food issues I had at this age, and is a healthy child. She will say "I'm not hungry" when I never would.

 

[mjkacmom]

Yes, it seems high calorie... but it is tuna, and even the mayo/dressing, isn't that healthy fats, as opposed to 'fried carbs'....
!

A footlong subway tuna sandwich has 60 grams of fat! I don't think 60 grams of any kind of fat is healthy.

 

[starrzone]

There are people who tall me all the time that I am too skinny when I am very much not. I am athletic and am in shape. One of my friends has been practically accused of starving her children because they are fit.

I think it is because there is almost an expectancy that people are at least a little overweight now which is a sad commentary on the state of health in our nation.

I lost almost 40 lbs in 4 months, and returned to my hometown and saw a woman whose kids I used to babysit. She asked me "What have you been up to, other than wasting away to nothing?". I mean, I was in the best shape of my life, but the comment seemed an odd way to tell me I looked great!

 

[Mouse House Mama]

A footlong subway tuna sandwich has 60 grams of fat! I don't think 60 grams of any kind of fat is healthy.

Yes but it is oh so delicious.......

 

[hercamore]

My 6 month old infant grandson was diagnosed two months ago with Monogenic Neonatal Diabetes. There is no diabetes in the maternal and paternal families.

He is insulin dependent, and now his parents will monitor his diet very closely as he grows. I will do whatever I can to help.

Since his diagnosis, we are all changing our eating habits for sure. When my grandson is older and comes to visit, I need to have healthy food available for him and any future grandkids.
herc.

 

[C.Ann]

No, my 13-year old son does not need a 1060 calorie foot-long Tuna sub every time I bring him to Subway. I think it’s bad enough that the 6-inch Tuna sub is the only one he will eat – it’s one of the highest calorie, highest fat subs they have. And just because the sign on their door says they serve “heart healthy” subs, that does not mean that every single one of their subs is heart healthy.

No matter what you think, my son is at a very healthy weight, and no, he does NOT need to put on a few pounds. I am not a bad mom because I will not let my non-athletic son consume 1060 calories in one sitting! For God sakes, even my husband doesn’t eat a foot long sub, and he’s athletic!

Oh, and guess what – since I showed my son the nutrition information on the Subway website this morning, he is now in complete agreement with me, because he knows my grandmother died of obesity and diabetes, and he does not want that for his future!

Anybody else have to deal with grandparents doing things like this to you?

There is the difference. As I said, my son is NOT athletic. And he doesn't eat anything but the tuna sub, with almost no veggies on it. He has never complained of still being hungry after a six-inch sub, so why stuff another six inches down, if he's not still hungry?

Since you have now showed him the nutritional information and he is in agreement, he's certainly old enough to tell grandma from here on out that he would prefer the 6" sub..

Problem solved..