To spoil or to Care???

i have a question i would love input on. it is about food and your children. my kids have always had food when they wanted it. now i am not talking about making my kids overweight, but when they say they are hungry within a reasonable time, i make sure they have something to eat. my father used to buy all this awesome food and never let us eat it. we could only eat at certain times and only certain portions and i vowed to myself and my kids i would never let them go through that.
well due to the economy, we have moved in with family and we are doing kind of like a commune thing. it is working out great except for one problem...they have four children and they are worried about them becoming overweight so they don't let them eat when they want. they have a very strict schedule and they want my kids to follow the same rules. my kids are very depressed because of it and i must say i am not happy with it either. i understand that food is an expense but i think when there is extra food sitting on the stove and kids ask for a little more, they should be able to have some. all of these kids are athletic and always on the move...THEY ARE HUNGRY!!!
anyway just needed to vent. my husband and i are sitting down to talk to the family today to see if we can meet in the middle somewhere. i don't know about you, but it breaks my heart to have my kids tell me they are hungry.
let me know what you think. i would love to hear all sides.