Overweight kids

spiriteagle99

I'll second (or third) the idea that whatever you try for the one child should apply to both. One of our granddaughters was on meds that caused her to lose weight. She was encouraged to eat a lot, especially ice cream, in order to maintain her weight. Her sister was very envious, and wanted to eat the same foods. However she was overweight, so was often denied. She ended up sneaking food. Several years later, both girls are overweight and the one who was not on meds is obese. Both parents are also obese, so there is a lot of fattening food in the cabinets. It is hard to watch but I'm not in a position to influence anybody except by example, and we don't see them very often.

whosshe

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

Treece68 wrote: »

Do not have "junk food" in the house is the best. Go to the doctor have them recommend a nutritionist. I was a fat kid and I do have a complex still today about secret eating my mother from an early age put me on every diet imaginable.

I'm not sure having no junk food in the house is the best idea either. Then you become that weird mother that doesn't have any candy or chips in the house. Why not just teach the children that these are sometimes foods? They are treats and not the base of a diet and teach them why.

Why is it weird to not have junk food in the house? I don't have junk food because I'll over-eat the junk food and plus I just can't afford it.

---

I was a chubby kid and my parents would comment on my weight at a young age and it made me so self-conscious. Mind you I wasn't even chubby I just developed earlier than the other girls and once I hit highschool I thinned right out. It wasn't until I got pregnant with my daughter that I actually gained 100lbs and hit 230lbs. My daughter is now 5 and I've noticed that she is quite chubbier than the other little girls her age. I know for a fact I contributed to her chubbiness (I say chubbiness because, well, she's a kid lol) but ever since I started counting calories I've stopped bringing junk into the house and it's just made me aware of how much food I give her.

I never ever tell her she can't have a second helping if she's still hungry. I'll still buy her little treats even tho I don't eat them myself. I don't think you should restrict how much a child eats because that can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food in the future.

For me it's calories, but for my daughter it's more about healthy foods. Making sure she get's all she needs to grow and be healthy.

If she comes to you about her weight then talk to her about options but she's a kid. You are the mom and you decide what she eats right? Just start making better food.

candjmunoz

I have two kids that are overweight, ages 9 and 7. What has helped me the most is the ChooseMyPlate website.
https://www.choosemyplate.gov/

You can go here to find out the recommended calorie range for any age. https://www.choosemyplate.gov/MyPlate-Daily-Checklist-input

Here is a chart that gives you calorie breakdowns by age. https://www.choosemyplate.gov/MyPlate-Daily-Checklist

When you click on the links on that last page, they open pdf files that show how many servings of each food group are recommended for the calorie levels. I use this for myself and I was really impressed that my macros line up nearly perfectly when I follow their guidelines.

I use this a lot to teach my kids about balance. I show them what is recommended for their age and teach them that without proper balance, we don't get the nutrients we need. It's not good to get too much protein and not enough vegetables. It's not good to get too much dairy and not enough grain. It's not good to get too much fruit and not enough protein. I repeat these things often because I have realized that they ARE listening. I also stress that if we have a protein heavy day today, we should strive for balance in the next day or two. Every day doesn't have to be perfect. Balance over the course of a week is just as good.

I went to a pediatric dietician and realized that my biggest problems were:
1) serving sweet drinks (cokes, juice, and chocolate milk)
2) serving portions too big for the child (serving everyone 6 chicken nuggets ... enough for me, but too much for the 2yo)
3) not enough exercise.

I decided to tackle portions first and the kids have adjusted well. It helps that I take the credit/blame for it. "Mommy realized that I was eating more protein than I need and not enough vegetables." It's true, but it also shows them that they are not my pet project. I want them to be healthy, but it only works if they want to do it, too.

Even if I fail to help my child lose weight before adulthood, I want to position myself to be their ally in weight management and healthy habits.

Another thing I love from the website is here:
https://www.choosemyplate.gov/meals-and-snacks
It is a meal pattern that we use at home. The chart is broken down by calorie level, and then the links take you to pdf files for meal patterns for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. I have modified this a lot for my own use and would be happy to share this info with you if you like.

One thing that I have realized is that these changes can take a LONG time in children. As adults we have the ability to change our lives overnight if we choose to. But a child is at our mercy. We might decide to change their lives overnight, but it may not go smoothly. This has been a long road for us. But we have seen significant improvements in how willing our kids are to eat differently than before. Sometimes the changes we make don't click right away, but a year later we look back and realize just how differently we are eating. My 7yo and 9yo are much more willing to eat certain vegetables than they were a year ago, and that is a win, even if their weights haven't come down much.

Another website I like a lot (and follow on Pinterest) is Super Healthy Kids. https://www.superhealthykids.com/
It is a blog by a couple of moms. Their food concepts usually fall right in line with the ChooseMyPlate website.

I hope you are encouraged. Make ANY good change, and then make another. Good habits can be built piece by piece. You really don't have to change everything overnight.

misnomer1

When i was a kid i couldnt gain weight because of the amount of sports that i played even though I ate like crazy. I have a brother 4 yrs elder to me. Our parents put us both into a tennis academy. I would train very hard just be able to beat him someday. Siblings have a strong competitive rapport imo and sport is a healthy way to bring it out. This was true for us at least.
15-20 years later when i first slipped into overweight zone (by about 20 pounds), i sought to cut my weight because I was reminded of how athletic I was as a teen and i couldnt stand being fat and not being able to tie my shoelaces easily. It is just now that I learned about CICO, would have helped if I had known it when I was a teen. But no big deal.

All anecdotal info, but maybe it would help making both kids train for a sport. Would increase activity as well as mental discipline. And no kid would feel discriminated against.

ohhapidays

My son was overweight most of his life. His sister ate everything in sight and did not gain a pound. It was hard years. These are my views hun so use only if you want to. My son went to a place where more to love children went. They teached him how to read labels and good and bad foods so to speak. Its no good saying that is bad for you, you need to explain that certain food your daughter likes are not very good for her health. My son was mad on crisps, we did not take them away we gave a lot less. I bought less. We bought a mickey mouse from disney and in the UK took pictures of him at different places. Where is micky this week pictures. They saw micky we saw getting out and active. I bought healthy cook books and ask the children cook for me once a week. They cooked for them selfs too with my help, they always ate their own food haha maybe it was my cooking. I went shopping and played I will be the child you the parent and buy me healthy food. I acted like a child and put sweets etc in the trolly, they took them out. I also moaned and walked off just like they did haha, we did not play this game a lot as they did not like it. We talked a lot about how food was about being healthy not about how food made you fat. I worried that if I took away everything as young children they wood crave as adults and become obeses in later years. I think I got the balance right. They are good adults thou my son will always gain pounds just looking at a bun. He is six foot four now and solid more than fat. Me their mum well I need to practice what I preech as my lifestyle is out of control lol so here I am for help on this site.

90Ibs

First go to your pediatrician, at the very least to rule out problems like thyroid issues, hormone imbalances, etc.
If they check out as otherwise healthy, talk to the pediatrician about whether the weight is a problem, since children do need to have more weight on them to grow properly.
If the weight is a problem, cut back on sugary and high calorie foods, and introduce healthy foods and snacks. Do NOT tell the child that they're overweight, or that they need to go on a diet. The vast majority of people with eating disorders will tell you they experienced family or friends commenting on their weight at a young age, which lead to a fixation on the topic.

jo_nz

ohhapidays wrote: »

I went shopping and played I will be the child you the parent and buy me healthy food. I acted like a child and put sweets etc in the trolly, they took them out. I also moaned and walked off just like they did haha, we did not play this game a lot as they did not like it.

This is so good! I want to try this - I wonder if my kids would go for it!! I don't know if they'd put the sweets back...

nowine4me

Teach your kids (and learn yourself) about nutrition. Plan meals, shop and cook together.set them up for a lifetime of good habits.