Food tracking app for kids

lisaepell
lisaepell Posts: 103 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
My daughter is 10 and little frustrated with the weight that she's gained this winter. I know most of it is on me (not being as focused on what she's been eating) and now that she's starting soccer again, I'm hoping that some of the winter weight will come off easily. I'm going to sit down and go through some of the science behind CICO with her. She likes math and science a lot and I think it might be helpful for her to track her food intake and exercise for a little while to see how it all works and hopefully she can get a better understanding of how her food intake can impact her weight. Are there any apps out there that you all recommend for kids? I know I've seen some mentioned on the boards but I can't remember when or where. Thanks in advance!!!
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Replies

  • lisaepell
    lisaepell Posts: 103 Member
    NovusDies wrote: »
    Does her pediatrician think she needs to lose weight?

    We haven't gone for check up recently, but I know that she's gained about 10 pounds since last summer. I'm not looking for her to be on a diet, I really just want her to understand how people gain and lose weight and give her the knowledge as she grows, so she doesn't wind up spending her adulthood trying to lose it. I'm not super concerned, but hoping to head this off at the pass and give her some tools.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    Anecdotally, my first 10lbs came off with just adopting the habit of "eat a damn vegetable" and being a bit more active. That's a great, simple lesson that is health rather than weight oriented. Every meal a veg or fruit in a decent proportion might be a harmless way to swing things.
  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
    +1 for letting your pediatrician in on this discussion, and +1 for being mindful about insuring as much as possible that your daughter is not neurotic about weight - I say "as much as possible," because as much progress has been made in the last decade about body-positive self awareness, not enough has been.
  • lisaepell
    lisaepell Posts: 103 Member
    Thanks for the responses. For the record, I have not expressed any concerns to her, she noticed this morning at urgent care (ear infection) that her weight was a lot higher than she thought it was, and I am trying to find the right mechanism to give her the knowledge and help her feel healthier and more confident. I am not looking to put her on a diet or start her on calorie counting, rather have her understand what she's putting into her body and how it work (food as fuel, less junk). I love the book suggestion and we'll check out choosemyplate.org together tonight. Thanks again!!
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    edited March 2019
    apullum wrote: »
    It concerns me that at age 10, she’s thinking about her weight and whether or not it seems high. That’s the most worrisome thing to me in this entire thread. It’s one thing to talk with your child about how the human body works; it’s another thing entirely to encourage tracking calories at such a young age unless her pediatrician has recommended that. Talk to her pediatrician. If her pediatrician is concerned, then ask them to have a conversation with your child about nutrition.


    It stood out at me too. It occurs to me that anything other than reassurance and just working on good habits which should probably be done mostly by setting a good example could be throwing gas on that fire. But, again, I am not her parent and these threads can get a little too judge-y sometimes. Parents make lots of mistakes and whether this is one or not is really unknowable from a few posts.

    Edited to change "is" to "could be"
  • runnermom419
    runnermom419 Posts: 366 Member
    lisaepell wrote: »
    My daughter is 10 and little frustrated with the weight that she's gained this winter. I know most of it is on me (not being as focused on what she's been eating) and now that she's starting soccer again, I'm hoping that some of the winter weight will come off easily. I'm going to sit down and go through some of the science behind CICO with her. She likes math and science a lot and I think it might be helpful for her to track her food intake and exercise for a little while to see how it all works and hopefully she can get a better understanding of how her food intake can impact her weight. Are there any apps out there that you all recommend for kids? I know I've seen some mentioned on the boards but I can't remember when or where. Thanks in advance!!!

    The bolded is where it lies. With the parent. It starts with you. Honestly, the best thing you can do is to model the good behavior. Encourage her to cook healthy meals with you, play together as a family, and do fun activities together.

  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    lisaepell wrote: »
    I've read some pretty judgmental things on these boards so I guess I shouldn't be surprised by the responses I received and the fact that people jump on one thing without reading more.

    I was an overweight kid and became an overweight adult without anyone telling me that I should be eating healthier or exercising more. I want to make sure that I do right by my daughter and was hoping that there were people out there who would respond with some guidance rather than judgment.

    I love my daughter more than life itself and the only thing I have ever told her is that she is strong, smart and that I love her. My post was simply looking for some advice so as to avoid making a mistake. As I said I don't want her to count calories, and that is not my goal. I am pretty loose with CICO myself and there are no off-limits foods in my house and I try to teach all of my kids moderation, so my "junk" comment probably should have been more mindless eating, sorry.

    Is it worrisome that she's 10 and is concerned about her weight? Of course, but she's her own person with her own opinions and no matter how much I tell her she's growing and I'm not concerned and she shouldn't be either, that's not going to change what she sees when she looks at her friends and what's on TV. She's my oldest and I'm in unchartered waters here and could have used a little less judgment.

    I'm not seeing a whole lot of judgmental things in this thread. Everyone here (I hope) realizes that you love your daughter and that you have no intention on purposefully putting her at risk of anything. That said, I suspect a large chunk of people who have developed eating disorders that have been influenced, in part, by what their parents have communicated to them have had parents who think similarly to you. Parents who are just trying to help their child.

    Honestly, I would seek the advice of her pediatrician as well as potentially her soccer coach. Recognizing, of course, that her coach might not be the best source of information. If her coach is anything like the rock climbing coach I had as a kid then they will potentially be able to provide appropriate guidance, but there are plenty of people who aren't able to do so.
  • zeejane03
    zeejane03 Posts: 993 Member
    edited March 2019
    I have a 10 year old son who's very aware of his weight/not happy with it, but he's underweight due to his ADHD/meds, and he's very self-conscious about how he looks vs his friends (he won't take off his shirt to go swimming etc). We work closely with his pediatrician and it's been really helpful for both of us-I'd definitely start there, (and maybe discuss your concerns with the doctor while your child is in the waiting room). For us-we go in for weight checks every couple of months and it's been a good experience to do these, my son is a numbers kids and he likes to see where his weight is on the chart, and he'll talk to the pediatrician and tells him what he's eating, how he's feeling etc.

    eta: my son knows what calories are, what foods are higher/lower calorie options etc. This all came from the pediatrician though. We don't do any kind of tracking at home, though I do ask him what he's eaten from time to time, (he tends to forget because he gets so distracted). Some times I have him eat something to get his calories up, but the pediatrician doesn't want us to do anything beyond that right now.
  • JBanx256
    JBanx256 Posts: 1,479 Member
    I have an 8-year old daughter & I can't imagine trying to get her to track her calories. Girls don't need more pressure or influence in regards to issues with self-esteem, weight loss, body image, etc. I'd take her to the pediatrician and then have a 1-on-1 with the doc to see if he/she is concerned about her weight gain. If so, I still wouldn't tackle it by having her track her foods. I'd probably go about it like, OK so for this meal we're going to have one serving of protein, a serving a vegetables, etc...and would make a point of making meals I KNOW are healthy/nutritious in a kid-friendly format (baked chicken fingers with the "oven fry" crispy stuff on the outside of the baked chicken), homemade pizza nights, etc. You've got to model the behaviors you want to see in her though, so make sure it starts with you (and any other adult(s) in the household). When the weather is decent can you go on nature walks or bike rides etc together, maybe hit up a trampoline park when it's rainy or cold, etc etc...
  • JBanx256
    JBanx256 Posts: 1,479 Member
    another thought -

    instead of actually trying to TRACK foods/calories/etc, how about a simple chart on the fridge? The same idea as a chore chart or whatever, eg a star/point/whatever for each day X food goals (and by that I mean, for example - 3 servings of fruit, 3 servings of vegetables, etc), and then once a certain number of points/stars is met, some sort of treat together? And by treat I don't necessarily mean food, but getting to pick a friend to go get mani/pedi's or going to a movie or tickets to a theme park she's been dying to go to, etc? But it could also involve food as long as food isn't the focus, like a slumber party (with PIZZA!) with her friends, or stopping for ice cream or milkshakes or something on the way to a museum?
  • angmarie28
    angmarie28 Posts: 2,885 Member
    edited March 2019
    this is such a touchy subject for girls that age. I work in a k-8 school, and it becomes an obsession early on. I was also friends with the anorexic girls and bulimic girls growing up, ans my mom used to obsess with weight loss, but also never taught healthy eating habits, So i grew up constantly thinking I needed to lose weight, and looking back at me at that age, I was not big at all. my mom taught me how to diet, but at the same time, shes the cause of my binging on potato chips. every time my kids mention that I want to lose weight, I correct them that I I exercise and watch what I eat to be healthy. I want to keep my body healthy so when Im older I can still move around easy, and keep my heart and insides healthy so I can live to see my grandkids ect. Also because of what I learned mainly through my mom (who had good intentions) is why I teach my kids healthy eating habits, I still have almost no controle over my snacking urges, so my kids get 3 meals and 1-2 snacks a day, but only 1 that isnt exactly healthy. they can snack on fruit, veggies, cheese, ect, but limit chips and cookie type foods. They also only get water between meals. I would not teach her about counting calories at this age.
  • ruqayyahsmum
    ruqayyahsmum Posts: 1,513 Member
    My daughter is the top end of the normal scale
    She's aware of her weight as she has multiple disabilities and health conditions

    On a holiday to grandparents she gained a stone in a week (appointments before and after) which upset her due to the nurse announcing it with a tone to her voice
    ( I'm aware a fair amount of gain was water retention from traveling and more food in gut, she wasn't as I've never discussed it with her)

    We had a conversation about always foods (fruits, veggies, the carbs and vegetarian proteins we have at meals) and sometimes foods (cakes, biscuits, sweets, crisps, ice creams..... All the stuff the grandparents gave her telling her at thier house she would have as much as she wants)

    She also does litter picking after school so she's walking more than if she was just at home

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