Overweight Children

stevee290

If he is anything like the fat 12 year old version of me stop giving him money he's buying candy and chocolate milk when your not around.

cheripugh1

Since he has a health reason to be over weight and to not gain a lot of height and you've been at it for over 4 months now... I think it's time to go back to the Doctor and have them refer you to a nutritionist and/or dietician and create a healthy diet plan for him, that won't be hard to follow as a kid in Jr. High (for example they can teach him how to pick from the school menu or fast food joint if he's out with friends)

Times have changed and 1 out 3 children are obese today and not from a health issues but from poor diet and lack of exercise and it is seriously time for the parents to take action and stop saying they'll out grow it! I am very impressed with you because you are seeking answers to help your baby have a decent childhood and to get him healthy so he can live a long life... you're a good mom!

brenn24179

like the others have said just have healthy foods around. My son was chubby but got interested in girls, started eating apples all the time for his snack food, he grew up and got taller and then got thin. He still watches his weight as an adult but is thin.

PennyVonDread

Even fat shaming in the name of genuine health concern can have lasting effects on children that age. Puberty may have some effect on him, especially since testosterone can help boost muscle development. Keep him enrolled in sports and activities that he genuinely enjoys. I'd read through some of the stories on Catay's "I was a fat kid... and this is my story" under the family section, to get an understanding of how real people (during youth) reacted to their family's panic over their fat childhood and how they wished things would have been handled instead.

I'd try not to make a big deal about it. If other than the thyroid issues, which likely caused the weight gain and not vice versa, he's a healthy kid, then don't worry so much. Don't make him feel isolated or punished for a body he can't control while his physiology is already changing and confusing. It's pretty normal at his age and if natural food choices are readily available to him, he will eat them. Maybe you could try baking sweets at home using coconut flour and almond meal, honey/fruit/stevia+monk fruit sweeteners, etc. Homemade is good, and a quick google search will find some awesome and healthy sweets packed with protein and fiber as opposed to empty calories that won't fill you up.

OkamiLavande

My mom has thyroid problems and has her entire life. It's hard as a kid being overweight and I can understand your concern with wanting to help him get it under control now instead of later because as an adult it is just that much harder to control your weight with hypothyroidism. Maybe try taking a family walk every night after dinner if you have time, or do it 4-5 times a week that way it's regular exercise for all of you. Get him involved in cooking with you so he knows what's going in his body and the rest of the family's as well so he doesn't feel so singled out because of his weight. Try encouraging him to go shopping with you and pick up healthy snacks for himself. If he makes the decisions on his snacks and food he'll be more likely to eat them and enjoy them without feeling forced.

ROBINSTL67

We have a slightly different version of this problem, in that my 10 year old stepson is obese and very inactive, but lives primarily with his mom and step-dad who eat a lot of fried foods, no fresh fruits and veggies, etc. When he is with us he doesn't have access to soda, has veggies with every meal (though this is a huge struggle, as the only ones he's accustomed to eating are corn and peas), and we are active daily. But it feels like a losing battle and breaks my heart to see him heavier every time we get him. I hate the idea that if he continues on this track he is likely to start having chronic health problems by the time he reaches adulthood.

bkthandler

My only additional suggestion is sports or activities that are more "aerobic" like swimming, bicycling or cross country running. He can also participate in them forever.

Team sports can be great but you can also sit around a lot.

writergeek313

Rather than focusing on what he shouldn't eat, help empower him by involving him in meal planning, shopping, and preparation. 12 seems like a good age to start learning how to cook. Obviously you won't send him out to fire up the grill by himself, but he can start helping. Summer is a great time to do this because it's so easy to find fresh, delicious foods at this time of year. You can take him to farmers' markets, where he can learn more about where food comes from and maybe get to sample some fruits and vegetables he's not as familiar with.

Hopefully he'll have a health class sometime in middle school, but you could even start talking to him about what protein, carbs, fats, and the different vitamins and minerals help our bodies to do. He's at an age where he can start thinking of food as fuel to help him rather than just something that tastes good.

Starting to build healthy habits now will really help him when he goes to college and starts life on his own. I teach at a college, and I see a lot of students struggling to learn how to eat on their own because they've never had to worry about their own nutrition before. I've actually started making food the theme for one of my units in my composition course because it's something I think is important for them to think, talk, and write about. I want to help them make more informed decisions.

Francl27

Gaaaaah I just realized that it was a necro thread. Damn, people.

fificrazy

You do have to take in account the pre-puberty weight gain EVERY guy experiences. You already know this isn't the cause of all his weight, but perhaps it's the reason for the continual gain despite being on medication now?

MySlimGoals

You sound like you are doing the right things and his condition is hard to control, but I would not tell him you are putting him on a 'diet' as such (or he might get a complex), but don't let him help himself to your healthy food you have left him with no limits. Perhaps give him limits for number of pieces of fruit he is allowed per day, and limits for other things. You can control everything he eats at his age, including serving sizes of his main meals. You don't need to say anything and if he notices it's a bit smaller say that it's because he's not fully grown.

neandermagnon

You must take him to see a paediatrician - preferably a specialist in his condition. Get a second opinion if you have to. Putting him on a diet may be an option, but it needs to be under the supervision of a doctor who understands your son's condition. Additionally, the thyroid meds might not be quite right for him, so a consultation with a specialist IMO is necessary, he may need to be on different meds. A friend of mine's son was born with a thyroid problem (diagnosed at birth) and was on the wrong kind of thyroid meds for 6 months and basically didn't grow or develop right in that time... further visits to specialist doctors, they got to the bottom of the problem, changed his meds and he began growing and developing normally, although he took a while to catch up in his development, he was about 6 months behind in his development for quite a while. But this is definitely something you need to get a doctor's advice about - getting your son's condition treated properly, and also the issue of whether he needs to be on a diet.

mspoopoo

See a nutritionist and learn what proper portion sizes are.
Turn off the tv and video games.

I see people claim their kids are eating healthy because they had a couple carrot sticks and grapes one day but the rest of the time they are gobbling down adult size hot dogs, mac and cheese, a huge puddings enough for 2 grown men.

Get all the processed food, fast food, soda, juice, pop tarts, hot pockets, and sweets out of the house.
Eliminate snacking. People seem to think they need to be constantly eating something these days. They don't.

Have everyone eat at the dinner table; not in front of the tv and in the car.

If you and everyone in the family are truly eating healthy and correct portions,there wouldn't be any need for a diet.

MelodyandBarbells

Gaaaaah I just realized that it was a necro thread. Damn, people.

Haha maybe it would encourage the OP to post an update?