Toddlers are bad for your diet (Erin’s new study reports)

My kid is a picky eater. I know, I know, all l kids are picky eaters. We’ve been working very diligently lately (now that we feel like the speech stuff is going better) to work on the eating. So tonight we thought we had a slam dunk – Noodles’ Mac and Cheese and flat bread. I mean, seriously, you’d think that would work. He completely refused. Pushed the chair away from the table and screamed at us. Eventually, thank goodness, he worked on the flat-bread, but he would not touch the noodles. So, here I am on my 1,300 calorie diet, eating a low-calorie nutritious option from Noodles, and I have to try to coax him to eat. By coaxing, I mean eating a little of his Mac and Cheese and saying, “Mmmmm, don’t you want some?!” The entire time I’m thinking, “10 calories, 50 calories…..” How do you stop the “mommy munching?” Whether it’s coaxing a kid to eat or eating off his plate because you’re thinking about how much food you’re wasting. Plus, you’re stressed because your little cherub won’t eat his darned food! If you’re a stress eater like me, it’s a train wreck.

Speaking of train wrecks, my Dr. Oz plan continues. Just kidding (sorta). Today is “Don’t Graze Before Bed.” This one is actually pretty interesting. First off, I’m done eating for the day (well, after I finish this tea). According to Dr. Oz, people who eat at night gain more weight average per year (like 3 pounds), which is kinda a no brainer. In addition, eating 70 minutes – 2 hours before bedtime could decrease stroke by 76%! That’s crazy! It has something to do with circulation changes brought on by the digestive process restricting blood flow to the brain. So, that pretty much convinced me to stop the nibbling 2 hours before bed. Thank you, Dr. Oz.