Parents The cupcake Gym

[cbifoja]

I don't like the cupcakes because they are at the end of practice. After gym, I need to feed my child a healthy dinner. Letting her shove a cupcake down get gullet interferes with her appetite.

And I don't want to transport it home because inevitably she gets the icing everywhere it isn't supposed to be and cannot resist temptation for the 30 minute drive home.

I'm a Scrooge though and I think it's ridiculous what we do for kids' birthdays. I'm all for celebrating an achievement but they didn't do the work on their birthdays.....Mom did!

Sent from my LGL55C using ChalkBucket mobile app

 

[Deleted member 14190]

I don't like the cupcakes because they are at the end of practice. After gym, I need to feed my child a healthy dinner. Letting her shove a cupcake down get gullet interferes with her appetite.

And I don't want to transport it home because inevitably she gets the icing everywhere it isn't supposed to be and cannot resist temptation for the 30 minute drive home.
==
WAIT! we agree!

 

[Blackie6]

This is really something that mostly the younger girls do. When they get older, maybe they just bring in some munchkins, cookies or fruit. Near-by my daughter's gym there is a Pretzel Co & sometimes the mom will bring in those. Really, a cup cake here or there to celebrate is no big deal to us. My daughter (12) has often sacrificed a whole birthday party, sleep overs, school dances and friend time for a gym practice. I'm not wrestling a little cupcake out of her hands, LOL

 

[shelovestoflip]

I don't understand 'no junk food the week prior to each meet.'
As a parent (and a teacher), I think it's hard to define 'junk food'.
And what does that mean the other weeks...eat whatever you want?

My daughter eats healthy food...she will choose a salad or fruit over other things most any day. I've never restricted her food. She's training Level 9 and has a body that is rock solid muscle. So, if she wants a cupcake the week of a meet, I'm good with that (not that she ever has had one!)

Marketers today label granola bars as 'healthy' yet kids are eating granola bars with chocolate chips or covered in chocolate.
Yogurt is seemingly healthy yet some brands are sold with M&Ms, Reeses and cookies as mix ins. Actually, many yogurts are full of sugar and artificial coloring (Trix yogurt comes to mind)

I'm not at all being critical if you buy these things. I don't buy them but if my daughter goes to someone's house and has these, it's ok.

I guess what I"m saying is we adults need to be careful about saying one item (i.e.: cupcake) isn't healthy/good for our kids yet others are.

Just my 2 cents!

 

[Deleted member 14190]

I don't understand 'no junk food the week prior to each meet.'
==
you just said "I Don't Buy Them"

 

[cbifoja]

Personally, with the obesity epidemic in this country, I am working hard to help my daughter identify simple carbs and sugar as junk foods. We try to avoid white flour, sugar in all forms, and most starches. Most of our meals revolve around proteins and vegetables. I live in a permanent state of ketosis and only indulge in the above kind of foods on Thanksgiving and Christmas. And even then, while I partake, I limit my intake so that that glucose burns off fast and I can get back to ketosis within a few days.

It is a struggle with her though. She is still in elementary school so every blip of a day means cookies or cupcakes at school. Every now and then a gym parent will do the same. Everyone wants to hand out sugar...go to the bank - sucker! checking out at the grocery? free suckers next to the cash register! What the heck?????

Yes, I agree an occasional sweet snack is harmless but my experience in American society is that the definition of occasional has become far too frequent.

 

[GymBee97]

I think it's at the mexican markets but they to sell these crazy arrangement of cut fruits, especially melons.

And yes typically I see parents only bring enough for their immediate group. Optionals or by team level (say level 4 team, level 5 etc as these can often be their own group).

in my area they are all over the place you can see what they have here Edible Arrangements® Fruit Baskets & Bouquets, Chocolate Strawberries and yes we get the dipped in chocolate too. Its only usually for the kids she directly trains with so maybe 7 -9 girls. I've never seen any one bring in for everyone on team but not all the team is there every night either. We don't do special snacks for skills but if they have a great meet Ive seen the owner celebrate with sleep overs, trips to the local ice cream place etc and if nothing else it promotes more of a friends on a team feeling.

 

[GymBee97]

Childhood obesity isn't caused by an occasional cup cake. these gymnasts are extremely active and burn just about every calorie they eat so I don't worry about that. Today however childhood obesity is more from the lack of activity and they high FAT foods these kids eat. How many of them are eating the super sized mcfood just about every night. with TV and video games and internet most never leave the chair except to eat some big portion of junk food and go to the bathroom. they socialize on the internet or texting. When I was young we didn't have any of these except TV. We went outside, rode our bikes played outdoor games, etc and were in shape. School lunches were nutritious not the crap they serve now. My DD comes home and tells me todays lunch was a baked potato bar or a nacho chip meal with ground beef and tomato and lettuce on top Not a lunch I want my kid to eat. Ok Coming off my soap box - sorry for the rant but Its more the unhealthy lifestyle they have in general not the occasional slice of cake.

 

[BlairBob]

I'm a Scrooge

Ehh.

Seriously, take the cupcake and hold on to it if you don't trust your kid. Or let them have a bite and say that's it before dinner (and toss it out or take the rest home).

Don't even get me started on low carb for athletes, especially gymnasts.

 

[cbifoja]

There is a LOT of research that says sugar plays a bigger role in obesity than fat. If fat was a problem, America would be a thin country with all of our "fat free" products. I don't keep track of my fat grams but by cutting out sugars and carbs, I've lost a ton of weight (as in over 50 pounds). I eat all the fat I really want and yet, I'm not getting fatter, I'm getting thinner.

And while I agree that gymnasts are not the "typical" American, I want to make sure my child doesn't balloon up after she quits gymnastics. Because yes, right now, she can burn the empty calories of a sugary cupcake in probably 90 seconds. But I don't want her to grow up believing that eating that kind of junk has no consequence. Because when she's 40, she'll be showing those cupcakes in her butt!

And I'd probably not worry about it if it were truly occasional. But I'm not joking that it seems every single day, someone somewhere is trying to shove something sugary in my kid's hand. Drives me crazy! I've at least trained the bank teller not to send out the suckers with my transactions. Now if I can just convince my neighbor that my child is not "too thin."

 

[cbifoja]

Don't even get me started on low carb for athletes, especially gymnasts.

I agree. DD doesn't do low carb. I do because of the weight loss it provides. She eats carbs but I would rather her eat complex rather than simple. And she is allowed more sweets than I would prefer but yes, she is a kid and she doesn't need to lose weight.

 

[gymmom1974]

This may be a mute point to make, but I am one of those moms who takes cupcakes for my DD's birthday (in fact, I just did 2 weeks ago when she turned 13). Not only does she think of these girls as her gymsisters, but her birthday is in the middle of summer. She has never gotten to take treats to school, and trying to have a party for her in the middle of summer (and so close to July 4th) is a constant challenge.

I guess if a parent doesn't want their child to have a cupcake occasionally, then teach your hold to politely decline. But why should all the kids miss something (especially when the HC says its ok) because one or two parents don't want their child to have it. You never know how special that small cupcake may be to that child.

 

[bookworm]

And I'd probably not worry about it if it were truly occasional. But I'm not joking that it seems every single day, someone somewhere is trying to shove something sugary in my kid's hand. Drives me crazy! I've at least trained the bank teller not to send out the suckers with my transactions. Now if I can just convince my neighbor that my child is not "too thin."

You could always decline to take the cupcake...

 

[gymdog]

Hm, well, we have cupcakes maybe once a month at our gym. Nothing even remotely close to what people are stating. So I guess if it is that much issue, then maybe someone should say something. But we just don't have this problem. Smaller treats (like a small piece of candy) are more frequent. I don't see a problem with that. I don't believe in restriction of any kind, but I do think that primarily "good choices" should be offered and modeled. I don't eat a standard American diet. I also strongly agree that a lot of things that are marketed as healthy are NOT HEALTHY. And actually full of sugar.

The average pudding cup purchased in stores or even made with a powder has negligible amounts of processed dairy and a TON of sugar, probably as much as a cupcake in some cases even. Even yogurts marketed for children have an absurd amount of sugar and dyes. Honestly I would consider a homemade, dye and preservative free cupcake to be a better choice over those kinds of yogurts, especially in the long run since the body burden of all these synthetic foods we consume can also interrupt the endocrine system and cause all sorts of issues. This is likely a major factor in obesity. To be honest, I don't avoid most of this stuff (like dyes and preservatives and processed food), but I am sure it is not good for us and try to limit it. But I don't limit sugar like in homemade goods.

As far as "ballooning up" - well okay, that happens sometimes, but pretty much everyone I did gymnastics with is active still. I haven't gained any weight personally, and I eat a lot of sugar. Everyone is different and personally sugar doesn't affect me that greatly (I mean I'm sure at a certain point it would, just not at regular amounts), just like gluten doesn't affect me. I have cut them out - no magical difference. Simply my body processes these things fine in a balanced diet. Also, doing gymnastics when you're young isn't going to reset your genetics. There have for ages been "sturdy" people, I am not denying there is a problem within a certain range of like the top percentage of obesity, but the bottom line is some people are more solid than others and fitness is the most important thing. Being able to run, move around, and have upper body strength (this is huge since many women simply never gain ANY upper body strength, and it becomes harder and harder as they pass through puberty and beyond), at whatever size you are, is the key. In other words fitness of the muscles and cardiovascular system.

You could be at the lower end of BMI and have poor fitness measures and have problems. And I have seen women who are classed as "obese" that are actually really fit. At the top end of obesity are usually people who have been extremely sedentary for a long time, and then become disabled and essentially never moving again (without serious intervention, which doesn't always exist). At these extremely high weights you could theoretically lose like 10-20 lbs per day with the right interventions, but at that point the systems in the body have become so dysfunctional it is incredibly hard. The short version is, I think it's incredibly misguided to focus on food beyond offering a balanced diet and drinking water. THIS ONLY LEADS TO PROBLEMS. The focus should be on encouraging fitness and cardiovascular health.

 

[cbifoja]

You could always decline to take the cupcake...

I frequently do. And I always appreciate the opportunity to be the bad guy.....

Why can't people bring in a banana to celebrate? Apples are a cheery, festive color. And nothing says woo hoo like a handful of cashews.

But no, it always had to be the processed, sugar-laden cupcake....

Sent from my LGL55C using ChalkBucket mobile app

 

[Deleted member D3987]

i hate when they do that at my place...and even after being told and being in a handbook. some things in life are hard to shake. let them eat cake!

 

[2G1B]

I'm with the others who say when it is done it is just for the kids on my kids' actual level. Even to the point that if I bring something in for my older DD's birthday it is for her team (and since she is a twin, I bring it in also for her brother's team); but I don't bring something for little sister's team (though I do let little sister have one). I think there are more than 100 kids on team at our gym, I'm certainly not going to try to bring treats for all of those kids! I bring them for the 10 or so on their team.

As for bringing in alternatives... There is always something that a kid either can't have or that their parent doesn't want them to have. If kids brought in pudding or ice cream, my older DD couldn't have it (lactose intolerant). Any sort of nuts? Lots of kids couldn't have that. Apples? I know quite a few kids who are allergic and then there are all of the kids with braces - my older DD can have apples that are sliced up; but can't eat a whole apple due to her braces.

I'm just saying that there are always going to be kids who can't have what is sent in. It is up to each of us as parents to make sure that our kids will turn down something that they either *can't* have (for health reasons) or aren't allowed to have. My older DD has to turn down ice cream at birthday parties, apples, most candy (chewy stuff, hard stuff), apples... And she turns it down. Sometimes there is later pouting to me a bit about how much braces stink or how unlucky she is to get sick if she has dairy; but overall she handles it well. For dairy she has been having to do it since she was 5 and it hasn't been an issue. (she is 9 now.)

I have taught my kids what foods are healthy and what foods are treats. They know to ask permission before treats - if someone from the team offers a cupcake they ask me first if they can have it. But they are all 3 healthy, active kids and if there is no medical or dental reason I will usually let them have the treats.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

the truth is, i hate getting that blue, yellow and red stain out of my carpeting each and every time they drop the frosting. and i don't know what's in that stuff, but it's the damnedest stuff to get out of the linoleum in the kitchen also. i hate that.

 

[2G1B]

Parents really should stop getting the blue or red icing - that stuff is awful! And you can't take a picture of the kids after they eat it because their mouths are bright blue (or red), along with their teeth! I avoid those colors if at all possible.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

i'm glad at least 1 person doesn't think i'm crazy...