does MFP work for kids?

zhanaolivia

It's very wrong to encourage a child to succumb to the fat-phobic societal stigma by counting calories. The best thing you can do is teach him how to eat clean and encourage playing and exercise. That is the basic principle that MFP plays on to help adults lose weight - it's an aid to support older people who have hard habits to break. A child can still make new habits easily, he just needs your help.

Also, I used to be a very fat child, but when I grew taller (between 11-16) I grew into my mass and I was quite thin (see profile pic). My dad always said he was so worried that I was going to keep growing, but my growth spurts just outran my fat loss (I gained current weight when I started taking the contraceptive pill). This is very likely to happen to your son if you just get him eating clean and healthy.
If you're *really* concerned about his weight, see a doctor, don't "put him on a diet".

monicalosesweight

As a child, he still has a chance to develop normal, healthy eating and exercise habits that will allow him to regulate his weight without having to count calories.

I definitely believe that there is flexibility in this - kids love to learn and learning about nutrition and fitness can be a part of the big picture of growing up. As a kid, I didn't understand nutrition because my mom did all the cooking and portion control. That didn't teach me what was good to eat or help me learn about cooking for myself. I never understood about the dangers of sodium or whether I was even eating too much out of a cereal box. I never even looked at the nutrition label. No one told me why they were important. A website can be a great tool that goes beyond calorie counting.

But, honestly, it took me about 40+ years of yoyoing up and down to figure it out. My sisters are skinny, I'm not. I inherited the genetics from my dads side where the women are bigger. As a mom, you can show him that it's not just calories - it's what you put into your diary. He can learn what items are truly nutritional by seeing the numbers - fat - sodium - fiber and more. You can teach him portion control by showing him what a portion really is (for him) and what's healthier versus what isn't. This may be a good time to show him the new government pyramid (they have an online tool to set it up to show you what you should eat). Kids sometimes need visual tools. By watching his fiber (and teaching him about it), he'll learn why it's important. He won't have to use a diary for life - he'd be using it as an educational tool. In the end, I think it may stick better once he understands why it's so important to watch processed foods so closely. Heck, learning this sort of stuff may encourage him to become a medical doctor like a pediatrician.

almost anything is okay in moderation.

I wish this were the case but it's not necessarily true. I followed that path and now I'm pretty heavy and trying to change my life. Heck, later in life, most college plans provide the food and they don't tell you correct portions which is why you gain the infamous 15 pounds. Frankly, in today's society, there are so many hidden calories that it's hard to develop any sort of moderation. If anything, if you go the all natural food way, kids leave home and go crazy buying stuff they couldn't have and gain tons of weight. The key is understanding nutrition and I wish moderation were the key. It never worked for me. Even eating out was a surprise, most kids would never question it because they don't even know this is happening. In the past, restaurants did not create these huge portions and veggies were not a decoration - they appeared on our plates in larger numbers.

Getting him involved in preparing healthy, tasty dishes is another great way to develop an appreciation for this kind of food.

I believe you're absolutely right here. Kids need to learn to cook for themselves and it wouldn't be a bad idea to take them grocery shopping and point out details on labels and show them which foods are best and even how to buy foods at a better price. Heck, teach him how to make his own waffles, cook and marinate steaks wisely, and even bake a chicken. It won't hurt your son to learn to cook. Some of the best chefs in the world are also males. Who knows, he may get interested enough that you could spawn a career. You could really get into it by setting up a mini-garden and have him grow his own tomatoes for the family - maybe strawberries?

As for physical activity, he really shouldn't be conscious of what muscles he's working, or how many calories he is burning. Exercise for kids should be about having fun.

As for exercise, well the very things we talk about here - HRM's/Fitbits - nutrition - food choices - all of that appears now in 9th grade in high school. In Florida, the kids take a class and it's intense and they weigh themselves, keep food diaries, pretty much even track their exercise (heart rates) so it's not something a child can't do. I was actually surprised when I talked to my friend (whose a teacher) and found out what the states expectations were and it wasn't just go out and have fun. I know that a lot of the coaches have their football players in weight classes and train their kids on muscle structure and building them correctly to avoid injuries. Also, being aware of these sorts of things helps when kids stop being as active on leaving high school. I went to college, stopped exercising and studied like a madwoman, and promptly gained weight. I had no idea how my former way of eating (due to my exercise level) would affect me. Knowledge is power.

You're right that fitness can be fun but it's not all just going into the field and playing. I think it's not a bad thing to help them develop habits of exercise and eating right and even learning to cook. Unfortunately, sometimes a budget/ability to get your child into a sport may hamper free play. Also, some team sports have limits on players. That's why they have tryouts. Some activities are not free so it may be up to mom and dad to take them to a local park for a walk. Also, if mom and dad are working weird hours, it may be difficult to squeeze in little leagues. Also, depending on where you live, sometimes there is no safe place to play outside so finding that alternative can be tough. If a child wants and asks to run on your treadmill, is it that bad to allow it? If they want to use light hand weights, is it that bad? I don't think it's bad. I don't think it should be forced on a child - it's up to them but you can show them and see if they want to give it a try (under a physicians care of course).

Of course, I would still recommend seeing your family doctor about this

Yes - absolutely. I would say including your doctor in on the plan would be fantastic. You can ask for bloodwork to verify there are no nutritional deficiencies and set up a game plan on how often they'll come in to verify they are healthy. I would say you can even have your son print out reports on what he's eating to talk to the doctor about it. It certainly will be a surprise for the doctor. I don't recall any of my doctors as a youth asking me about what I'm eating and such but he could probably help to some degree with the physical aspect by verifying that all is well. But, doctors do know that young bodies have limits as they are growing so they would be great advisers in the path to learning about nutrition. Heck, I could see your son printing off diaries and talking to the doctor about what he's eating and maybe asking about suggestions. It may make visiting the doctor less stressful.

pixtotts

id of thought if you were to find out the correct nutritional info what calories they should be eating for their age height etc... then the logging part would only work out as useful...
but then theres a fine line... you dont want to end up with an eating disorder on your hands..... a child has to live!

SideSteel

almost anything is okay in moderation.

I wish this were the case but it's not necessarily true. I followed that path and now I'm pretty heavy and trying to change my life.

Possibly an argument on semantics here but the "anything is okay in moderation" simply means that individual food items outside the context of the entire diet are not inherently lipogenic.

If you mentally or physically are not CAPABLE of exercising moderation (can't eat a handful of chips without eating the bag) then this means you aren't able to moderate.

monicalosesweight

id of thought if you were to find out the correct nutritional info what calories they should be eating for their age height etc... then the logging part would only work out as useful...
but then theres a fine line... you dont want to end up with an eating disorder on your hands..... a child has to live!

I totally agree with you. That's why I mentioned the food pyramid and also a doctor. Knowing what you have to eat is critical and depending on age, height and a variety of factors - it can be different for each person. I think it would be great for a kid to become aware of it so they don't accidentally under eat on their calories and at the same time, they learn about eating healthy and how much energy it gives the body.

Unfortunately, I think there's a lot of information out there that wrongly tells people you need to starve yourself and kids learn that fact from their parents or their peers and then you have an awful cycle of unhealthy eating.

SideSteel

I would really encourage you to pay more attention to your kid's eating habits and do what you can to influence better dietary choices WITHOUT the kid having any involvement in food tracking. I absolutely think that's a dangerous path to put a kid on.

I also think you need to go your best to keep him active, get him outside running around and expending energy rather than on the couch playing video games/etc.

NocturnalGirl

It's not a good idea to get your child to engage in calorie counting at such a young age. This can turn into an obsession and is not safe. As recommended by everyone else, just keep watch of his eating habits and keep him active. Good luck!

nataliexxxx

Ask a doctor how many calories he needs rather than working it out on here and then get him to log meals on here to make sure he doesnt go over?

monicalosesweight

Possibly an argument on semantics here but the "anything is okay in moderation" simply means that individual food items outside the context of the entire diet are not inherently lipogenic.

If you mentally or physically are not CAPABLE of exercising moderation (can't eat a handful of chips without eating the bag) then this means you aren't able to moderate.

Ironically, eating a small handful of chips, even in moderation, can be extremely high in calories depending on the product you picked. If you're a woman, those 10 chips are the difference between gaining or losing weight if they easily run at 250 calories depending on what you've picked to eat. Sometimes, you have to choose between one item or another.

It's a matter of nutrition - what's lower in calories and healthier - yet occasionally mixed in with higher calorie laden foods. Yes, I could increase my exercise BUT I also have a slight foot injury that limits the amount of exercise I can do right now so I have to watch I don't overdue my food. I've had to pick between breading my pork chop or adding a potato. It happens.

For example, I got to thinking about what I've seen kids eating at our school.

Regular Doritos run about 140 calories for 12 chips. However, baked Doritos (what they serve) - same size - run about 90 calories. It's moderated by the school which allows them to eat one bag only. This doesn't teach them how much they should eat - they see it as the school isn't letting them eat enough.

But, when a kid gets home, do they read the label on the big bag and pull out 12 chips? It's not the matter of being capable, it's a matter of not even being aware of what they are eating, how much is acceptable, and why it might not be healthy. It's easy. It's on the shelf. It must be healthy. You have to teach HOW to moderate which is why I said it's not a bad idea to teach this aspect of nutrition. If you knew the numbers of kids who've asked me questions like "What's wheat? Can you eat cookies? Pizza" you'd understand what I mean by they have no idea what they are eating. I know this because they always try to be nice and offer me a cookie or something from a snack they brought from home and become confused when I mention my allergy. Some kids don't even know what real food actually is because they live out of boxed meals. We've changed their world and eating healthy has not become the norm. Kids really have it hard when it comes to being moderate and parents are the only ones who can make a big difference for them. Basically, I'm saying you teach "moderation", it's not something you're born with.

cslwho

www.choosemyplate.gov is a website that kids can use that is similar to this. It does not have an app though.

monicalosesweight

Also, note - I did not say they should be counting calories to lose weight. Isn't the point of many of these sites (I listed ones specifically for kids like the sparks one) to improve your fitness as well as eat right? I suspect most kids would be surprised to learn they aren't eating enough and are actually eating too little. To be honest, if I were a parent here, I would not even think to allow my kids to eat school lunches. If you want shock, go ask to be in the cafeteria and see what your kids eat. I know at our school, they consider school lunches a way to make a profit - that tells you a whole lot.

Here's a typical meal: ground weird patty of chicken (byproduct of chicken - not true chicken) on two pieces of plain white bread - no veggie toppings; veggies that are nasty and overcooked like canned broccoli (probably only 10% of the kids actually eat them - only seen one decent variety recently), and maybe a box of milk OR a box of fruit juice. They offer a selection of one fruit (only part that's health) - Apple, Orange (not cut so most don't pick it), Jello cup with about three chopped grapes in it (not all is healthy here), Banana, or maybe a plum. Kids are so disgusted by food choices they go to the outside line and buy one slice of pizza, a huge quantity of french fries and purchase a Gatorade as their main meal of the day. The kids who can't afford it get the nasty lunch.

I don't know about you guys, but, when I grew up the meals were home cooked and not industrially prepared and they didn't give you a choice. They put veggies, meats, fruits - the entire food pyramid was served and they stuff tasted good.

Ironically, they started to serve oven cooked chicken legs which are actually good, but when I considered the quantity of protein and what I was allowed....it was WAY lower than what I should be eating based on what Myfitnesspal told me. That means, most kids, who should eat more, are actually eating lower than what they should eat. Ironic that we may be serving kids less than what their bodies need to function. In some states, they now offer buffets of fresh veggies and fruits but in ours...too expensive.

claw0416

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