Putting a child on MFP

OllyReeves

These threads really annoy me actually.

Calorie counting is not a kid's job. Being a kid is a kid's job. It is the parents job to feed them, and to make sure their nutritional needs are met, along with ensuring they get exercise.

If kids are eating a reasonable amount of halfway decent food, and are reasonably active, then they probably won't be fat. Run club and dance club are great, but they are obviously not enough.

If you really seriously are considering completely abdicating your responsibility and forcing your children to be exposed to the world of eating disorders and distorted body image, then you shouldn't be allowed to have children. In my opinion, you shouldn't be allowed a dog.

Apologies if this comes across as harsh, but just do a forum search and see how many idiots have started threads about this. And think about it. Really hard.

lauren3101

Given this place is moderated with a massive hammer and anything remotely adult disappears within seconds .

You're joking, right? There's still a thread going from last night about some guy who never wants to poo again and wants his intestines to miraculously absorb all his waste.

LeslieB042812

My son could stand to lose some weight. He is almost 14 so I can't be in total charge of what he eats and he spends a lot if time at school. I would never put him on here to count calories. I am mentally counting some of his meals cause its coming second nature to count. I am starting to measure and weigh some of his portions to keep them the right size. He can out eat me but being I weigh 25 lbs more than him I am not sure he should. You can help your children make healthier food choices and be aware of calories without getting them counting. If your children are overweight then your most likely giving them too much food. The younger they are the easier it should be able to fix. Even though my son is bigger than what he should be I know we are doing right with our choices based on that he isn't out weighing me like I have seen some other children doing.

You mention that your son is out eating you, even though he weighs less, as a concern. I think it's really important to remember that he is still growing--in fact a boy that age typically does the majority of growing and muscle building. So, it's healthy for him to out eat you (since i'm pretty sure you don't want to be growing!). I think it's key to make sure that kids that age are eating healthy whole foods (not too much refined carbs and junk), but don't restrict how much healthy food they eat. Understanding that you can't always control his eating, you can at least make sure that he's eating healthy whole foods at home. Just my two cents! :-)

silver_arrow3

How old? If 14 plus, not prone to disorders and reasonably responsible, I see no problem with it. Given this place is moderated with a massive hammer and anything remotely adult disappears within seconds the whole "only suitable for 18+" idea is ludicrous.

I'd rather kids were here, learning about nutrition and getting advice from people who knew stuff than spending their nights on thinspo tumblrs.

Things do NOT get taken down all that quickly. There are some things that stick around for HOURS despite the number of people that report it. I cannot speak as a parent, but as someone who would like them someday, I would rather my children use a website that is geared toward their own needs versus that of an adult. This is NOT that website.

Also, it's against the terms of service. You must be 18+.

Jacwhite22

My two kids are fighting the same weight fight that I am. My wife and I are trying to teach them how to eat right but I fear they have the mental block about food I do. I have to keep a journal to really put a finger on my food intake and not cheat. I think my eldest is mature enough to see this and she wants to lose weight. She sees what I am doing and the changes that are happening. She is also VERY goal oriented. My youngest is not near as mature and a free spirit, but she sees her older sister as a role model.

They both dance two to three times a week, plus in are the "Run Club" at school (which equate to about a 1/2 mile a day for my youngest and a mile or so for my eldest). However, they are fat. Fat enough the doctor's give us the evil eye when we take them in for check ups (and they should).

What are your thoughts about starting children on MFP?

No....no no no no no. Don't start them with an unhealthy relationship with food already please. How about getting them involved in some other sports......active family activities (hikes etc).......Prepare good food at home if you are really worried about it but don't try to monitor everything they eat. What are your meals like at home? Do you have soda/juice/sugary drinks in the house?

Cadaverous_Bones

sparkteens.com would be a good website for the oldest one, I think the youngest one probably should have their internet limited and monitored by you. it would be better for you as a family to eat healthy together, exercise together, and learn what a healthy lifestyle is TOGETHER. its great they are being active in dance and the run club, keep encouraging them to be active and healthy.

neandermagnon

Please do not use anything like MFP to attempt to calculate your kids' calorie needs

the calculator on here, and ones on other sites, are for adults.... they don't take into account the additional calories needed for growth. Do you know how many extra calories they need for growing? I'm pretty sure no-one here does.... too few calories in childhood stunts a child's growth. this is the reason why under 18s are not allowed on this site.

don't put your child on a calorie counting diet unless it's under the supervision of a paediatrician or paediatric dietitian.

for kids the best approach is to encourage them to be more active and eat healthy. Even paediatricians don't advise having kids lose weight, they advise having kids grow into their current weight. There may be exceptions, but only a paediatrician can say in what circumstances those exceptions apply. It is very important to get your kids into good habits, but it's also vital that their physical and mental health is safeguarded in the process. And a lot of parents accidentally project their own food issues onto their kids. There are a LOT of potential pitfalls in this, really it's best to get advice from a paediatrician if you're going to do anything more than encourage your kids to be active and encourage them to eat health, nutritionally balanced meals.

roobe18

I think if they're younger than 13-14ish, you shouldn't have them monitoring their calories. Focus on things like eliminating sweets and soda, etc. You said your older daughter is goal oriented, so what about a reward system for eliminating sugar, increasing vegetables and exercising? I would imagine something like that could work with the younger daughter too. I think you have to be super careful with something like that to make sure that it doesn't backfire into a punishment system if they DONT comply though. I remember starting to be calorie conscious at about 13-14 and I do think it's a good idea to start making your children aware at that age. Heaven knows our society has a way of tricking you into eating more calories than you know, so it's good to teach them to be aware about it. It kind of goes hand in hand with managing money, so think of it that way. Most parents start teaching their kids about managing money in their early teens and I think managing calories at that age is appropriate as well.

If they're old enough, why not start the old fashioned way and have them use a note pad and a calorie booklet. I would probably not encourage them to stay under a set caloric goal, but rather just learn to keep track. Keeping track is a VERY good habit to start and will usualy result in self correction of overeating on it's own. Once they're old enough, if still needed, then you can start to work with them on what their caloric goals should be

threefancy

One of the OP's previous threads say the girls are 5 and 9. Way too young to be calorie counting. OP, their weights will likely come down naturally if both parents continue to model healthy eating and exercise behaviors.

Jacwhite22

Also....How long do they dance for and what forms? What do they do when they come home? i.e. what are they doing when they are not at school or dance?

ToBeThatGirlIDreamOf

I've been on this site since I was 15. I haven't had any issues being unhealthy (anorexic, etc.) and this site has taught me to go for healthy and not skinny. I think if they're 14 or older, it's appropriate. This site has helped me not become obese like most of my family.

jennicole4

Not sure if there is one in your area, but if they are already in a run club, there's a program called Girls on the Run for elementary girls and Girls on Track for middle schoolers. It's a curriculum about goal setting, positive body image, nutrition, and athletic improvement. Parents get a booklet along with the girls. The coaches and girls all talk before or after practice about a topic and the parents can ask follow up questions from their book when they get home. The girls also train to run a 5K over a course of 12-15 weeks I think. The spring season is starting now. Online registration in my area opened last night and they adjust the cost of the program based on your income. My oldest daughter does not have a weight problem, but is doing the program because I think it sets a really good example for girls and touches on topics like not comparing yourself to women in magazines and focusing on what you can accomplish with your body. You can find out if there's one in your area at www.girlsontherun.org. Or you could consider signing the family up for a Color Run in your area. They're great for beginners and lots of people take the whole family out. It's not timed and focuses on FUN!

I don't know if MFP is right for children and I tend to err on the side of caution with mine. You could show them the tools you use to give them examples of what they're eating. Like using the barcode scanner on a snack to let them see the nutritional values of some of the things they are putting into their bodies. Idk. It's a tough one, but at least you're looking for ways to improve the overall health of your family! Best of luck

concordancia

If your kids are still growing, they probably don't need to actually lose weight, as their current weight will look good on them as they grow. They just need to eat healthy and move around.

Kids are really the ideal audience for "lifestyle diets" like South Beach, Sonoma or Mediterranean. They can fill up on proteins and veggies, with occasional fruits and grains. You can work on teaching them what a serving size is, but don't get them into tracking and weighing everything. Be sure to include treats in that lifestyle, so that they aren't gorging themselves when they are out of the house to make up for feeling deprived at home. My nieces and nephews have never complained about the cookies I make with less sugar, whole wheat flour and when I use chocolate it is as dark as I can find.

DO NOT sign your kids up for MFP: they have different nutritional needs and are exposed to a lot of stupidity on the boards: even if they aren't active, they will likely receive personal messages, be friended by people with eating disorders, etc. Furthermore, if you need a journal to keep yourself honest, lying about your age is a horrible place to start!

55Megamus

first off, no doctor should ever give you or your children the "evil eye" as you put it. That culture of fat shaming and ignorance about how to deal with weight status, especially in children by physicians only makes matters worse. I will tell you this much, in general, doctors know very little about weight, weight loss, and obesity. They are taught almost nothing regarding nutrition in med school and nothing regarding physical activity.

Children grow at incredibly rapid and unpredictable rates. to classify them as obese (or fat) does nothing but cause harm.

I'm all for children increasing their food literacy, understanding how food works. My concern is that children are also impressionable and could take things too seriously. Especially young girls who are at far more risk for body image issues. I fear if they hear fat or carbs are bad, they might take that to the extreme and try to eliminate them all together and lead to eating disorders, or something along that line.

I would also be worried about them being influenced by the social side of this site, there is an awful lot of terrible and non science based information spouted in here and not to mention that much of the good info on here is not relevant to children.

If you want children to learn about food I believe your best bet would be to lead by example, talk to them about it, include them in meal prep (could have your children pick a new healthy meal a week and help them shop for it and make it) look into information regarding food and healthy lifestyles for children (contact me if you wish).

If you think they are ok to use the food tracking on this I would have a few key recommendations. 1. only let them track food, no forums etc. 2. MAKE SURE THAT NONE OF THEIR GOALS ARE DIRECTED TOWARDS WEIGHT. girls already face enough crap out there about how they should look or how much they should weigh and its all crap. Teach your children that they are beautiful, strong individuals. Make sure they know that their weight in reality means nothing, it does not define their health and it does not define them as individuals.

If you can begin to teach your children about living an active healthy lifestyle full of home cooking and whole foods without a hint of focus on their weight, you will be setting them up for a very successful future.

cwolfman13

I don't think kids need to be calorie counting. In general, calorie counting can lead to a lot of disordered thinking and OCD behavior...and this is with "mature" adults (I'm about 18 at heart). At least as adults we are responsible for the path we choose...I just think you're going to **** a kid's head having them do anythign like this at such a young age.

At this point I think it's better to just lead by example. My kids are young...18 months and 4 y.o....but my eldest remembers me fat and he has seen how I've changed my life around..and he's proud of me and I'm proud of the example I'm setting for him. We spend good quality family time now eating nutritious scratch meals that I prepare on a regular basis...we go out for walks and recreational bike rides and I otherwise just make sure I get outside to play with both of my boys.

My kiddos accompany my wife and I to the gym a couple of days per week and go to the drop in child care there...they know we're working out and doing it for our health...they actually understand stuff like that (at least my 4 y.o. does) and they get exposure...going to the gym a couple days per week is a routine activity for them...I'm hoping that will serve them well in the future.

My gym also has youth fitness classes that I enroll my eldest in. Both of my boys attend "Daddy and Me" gym time every other Sunday for an hour. You may ot find these types of things at your typical gym, but you might want to look into a Community Center...we have a family membership to the Jewish Community Center here in town and love it for all of these reasons. If not though, you can still establish these healthy habits without a gym...teach them proper nutrition and the importance of exercise and they will be fine.

rondaj05

some of the things i see on this site.. i would NEVER allow kids to come here.. i think sparks would be better.. good luck..

Agreed!! I have a 15 y/o who is pretty health conscious. I learned of spark teen through this forum last week, I'm going to show that one to my daughter to see if she's interested.

LishieFruit89

I've been on this site since I was 15. I haven't had any issues being unhealthy (anorexic, etc.) and this site has taught me to go for healthy and not skinny. I think if they're 14 or older, it's appropriate. This site has helped me not become obese like most of my family.

No, it's not appropriate.
The terms of this site are 18+.

There are a lot of weirdos on this site and putting a 5yo and 9yo here is such an idiotic idea.
Even at 14yo, it's not ok.
sparkteens.com exists for a reason.

Pipsg1rl

One of the OP's previous threads say the girls are 5 and 9. Way too young to be calorie counting. OP, their weights will likely come down naturally if both parents continue to model healthy eating and exercise behaviors.

Thank you for sharing that. This is WAY too young for the OP to start having children obsess over calories. This is where the parent has to step in and eliminate junk. YOU are the parent, YOU control the groceries, YOU control what goes into your children's mouths and bodies.

Now, I don't know how rebellious your kids are...if you take away chicken nuggets will they give you holy hell?? Find a better way to make fresh chicken nuggets at home.

However, from what it seems they are pretty active, so they may need more calories than kids who sit on their butts all day. Just find healthier calories.
Make sure alternative snacks are available. Also, make sure they are eating good breakfasts and lunches. My son would be ravenous (sp?) when he got home from school. Come to find out he was hating school lunches. he also doesn't really like to eat breakfast until later which is hard to do during the school year.

a_stronger_me13

I've been on this site since I was 15. I haven't had any issues being unhealthy (anorexic, etc.) and this site has taught me to go for healthy and not skinny. I think if they're 14 or older, it's appropriate. This site has helped me not become obese like most of my family.

You've been on here since you were 15 and judging by your other forum posts you haven't learned much from it. So maybe it wasn't the appropriate place for you to be. How on earth were you at your "goal weight" at age 16? You are still growing at that age.

It's also, once again, against the terms of service.

emilyisbonkers

Just keep only healthy food in the house, and cook healthy food for them