Does anyone have an overweight child?

[Hedgehog]

I'd really like to discuss how this issue can be addressed effectively, without making the child in question feel bad about themselves.

 

DD9 has recently become rather - shall we say - plump. Like her siblings, she was super slim for the first 8yrs of her life, as was I during my childhood, and dh, and my siblings etc. So this is a new thing for us.

 

She's reasonably active; she does ballet 3x a week and plays out most days on her bike/running around with her neighborhood friends. She eats the same things as everyone else, yet where they are all slim and toned, she's gotten quite pudgy in the middle.

 

If you have a similar situation, how do you deal with this? Or any ideas from anyone! And alongside the practicality of "dealing with it", how would you ensure that you don't make her feel bad about herself or deprived if she has to have less/cut out stuff?

[Oak Knoll Mom]

Does she snack a lot? Does she eat a lot of simple carbs? I think cutting back on both of those will make a difference *and* not be too obvious that you're trying to help her be less "pudgy."

:grouphug:

[Adrianne in TX]

my son is 8 also and is right where your daughter is....18 months ago I was searching for 7 slims...now 8 are binding. I am convinced (or convincing myself ) that he is about to go through a major growing spurt....dad is WAY concerned because he was a pudgy kid.......we eat reasonably healthy and sister (13 months younger --is 10 lbs less). I am watching the "bad" stuff and pushing more veggies and fruits. We shall see if I can maintain the attitude I have now or if I will move into the "lose weight attitude" ..... I just keep trying to train him his stomach needs time to know if it needs food. Oh he does easily 4 + hr of Tae Kwon Do each week plus playing

Edited October 8, 2010 by Adrianne in TX

[LibraryLover]

Unless the child is drinking a lot of soda and eating junk on a continual basis, it's probably not the food intake. One of my kids, my skinniest kid, is a super-snacker. The metabolism of this child must be off the charts. I can't even eat that much, and that is saying something.

 

I would try to make sure all of the food is as healthy as possible, offer available quality protein snacks, and I would make sure we did activities together as a family (biking is my default). I do almost all of the food shopping, and I would not buy food I can't stand to see my children eat. I would not, under any circumstances , talk to a 9 yr old child about their weight or body shape.

Edited October 9, 2010 by LibraryLover

[idnib]

Make sure that she gets enough good fats so she doesn't rely too much on carbs. Also I wouldn't hit the panic button if she's just pudgy in the middle, comes from a slim family, and is 9 years old. Some kids get a little chubby before puberty and then grow into the height.

[LauraGB]

I agree with the others - kids that age tend to put on the middle weight just before a growth spurt. Dd was always a little bigger, then, just before she rolled into puberty, she became more plump; her belly, her face. But now she is super slim. It was like she took all the extra and stretched it upward ;). It was just her body's way of preparing. And she matured much faster than her age peers - right around the same age your dd is now. Ds is going through something similar now (I'm hoping). I'll know more about his situation after the impending growth spurt.

[kathkath]

this is great

http://www.amazon.com/How-Get-Your-Kid-Eat/dp/0915950839/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1286585472&sr=1-1

[joannqn]

I'm in the same position right now. We went to buy DS new pants, and ended up buying him size 10. :001_huh: He used to be small for his age (back when he had a lactose intolerance problem), but he's definitely caught up. I checked his current height and weight and he's 60th percentile for height, 92nd percentile for weight, and 94th percentile for BMI. I know that some of it is muscle weight but that close to obese (one more percentile) can't be all muscle...especially since his middle is now pudgy. I do not want my kids to have my weight issues. Ugh!

 

He used to do taekwondo 10 hours a week because the school he went to had an unlimited plan and all ages/levels were welcome at any class. We changed schools, and all he can do there is 3 1/2 hours a week. This is a major change to his activity level, for sure! And, we live somewhere where it simply isn't safe to send him outside to play.

 

I'm planning on working on the family's meals over all. We aren't the best eaters but we aren't the worst either. I currently serve food at the table, but he takes A LOT of his favorite foods when I serve those. So, I'm going to go back to plating in the kitchen so I can measure portion sizes for everyone. This should help DH and I, too. I'm going to talk about learning, as a family, to eat slower because it is healthier and allow seconds 25 minutes after we started the meal to allow the full signals time to hit. I'm also going to work harder on meal planning and getting more fruits and veggies.

 

When we move, I'll work on getting us outside more for activity. DD needs appropriate shoes first (she has no athletic shoes), and I need clothing and shoes since I have nothing suitable. So, getting that will be at the top of the needs list.

[Hedgehog]

Thanks for all your input and thoughts.

 

I would say that we eat "alright" but it certainly could be better. To be truthful we could well be eating too much, but the rest of us are temporarily getting away with it where she isn't.

 

I'm hoping that DD9 will indeed grow into her extra width (!) - and she is apt to be one that grows up, then out, then up, then out but this growing out has been much more than usual. She is a little self conscious - as is only natural, she has noticed all the slim girls at ballet and wants to be like them again - and I really don't want her to get a thing about her size.

 

Ah.. being a mommy, eh. Those who are not have no idea how complex it can be.