No sugar - My son is 12 and 234 pounds!

lamos1 · February 2015

My son is 7 and I just got a report back from his school that says he's severely overweight for his age and height. So what I am going to start doing is feeding him 3 times a day with 2 healthy snacks and nothing but water to drink. You should try doing that and also have him do some type of activity daily if its nothing but doing jumping jacks and running in place for 10 minutes. I am going to have my son start working out with me when doing the Julian Michaels 30 Day shred!

DeWoSa · February 2015

OP, if you ever come back, did your doctor say to cut out sugar or did your doctor say to get the child on a diet of high-nutrient foods that fill him up and reduce his excess calories?

If you ever come back and would like to learn more about how to help your son achieve long-term success, you might want to find out the answer to these questions:

what his caloric intake currently is
what his caloric intake should be (TDEE)
how many grams of carbs, protein, and fat he should be eating
how to achieve a diet high in nutrient rich foods that also allows for snacks and desserts

There are a lot of people here who can help you answer these questions and find a good food plan for your son.

And if you yourself are overweight, OP, you can do it together.

Best of luck to you.

goldthistime · February 2015

My youngest daughter was overweight around that age and she agreed to go on a low carb diet. That was about 10 years ago. We did the diet together but she got really into it. She was far stricter than I was. She lost lots of weight, looked phenomenal, and kept it off for a while, but eventually regained when I got busy with work and regained weight myself. She harbors some resentment toward me about the whole experience. Not the regaining surprisingly, but the low carb diet. She now feels it was a zany idea, and I should never have roped her in. Based on my own experiences, here are my three pieces of advice:

1) Give him as much control as you can. And make sure he SEES that he has control.
2) Watch for "extreme" behaviour. Encourage him to make small slow changes rather than throw himself into the diet. I can see a two week "no sugar" reset period, but after that some sugar and some treats should be incorporated.
3) Vow to set the right example yourself, forever. Don't allow yourself to engage in any behaviour that might end up with you (or him) yo-yoing. Best way in my opinion, is to keep the deficits very low and the menu healthy but "normal".

One last piece of advice is to find a physical activity that he enjoys. My daughter was too intimidated to join in on a team activity. If your son is the same, perhaps golf or tennis might interest him.

dougpconnell219 · February 2015

herrspoons wrote: »

I have to ask... Is this for real?

A pre prepubescent kid who weighs 234?

I hit 200lbs around 11 or 12.

Of course, I'm 6'4 now, and was over six feet then, but yeah, I was a fattie back then.

To the op... Based on my own experience as a fat kid, nothing is really going to change until he decides to change. My parents tried the following...

Shame (I still cringe when I remember being told that if I didn't lose weight, they'd have to buy me a bra.)

Forcing me to exercise.

Paying me to exercise.

Enforced dieting.

None of it worked. In my case, I had a terrible shyness, particularly where girls were concerned, and was a bookish kid that had no athletic ability or interest at all.

The only way it will change is if he decides to do it.

Two suggestions...

First, try to find an athletic activity he likes. If he discovered slice of something, that might motivate him to change to be better at it.

Secondly, it would be great if he had a "workout buddy" maybe an older brother or cousin or something that could show him the ropes, explain to him that girls are great, but they don't like the fat kid, etc. Someone who he thinks is cool, not a parent.

And lastly... In my case, and, I suspect, most obese children, there is a root self esteem issue at play. In my case, in some areas, such as intelligence, I was quite arrogant. In others, such as athletics, and girls, I was quite the opposite.

Probably something a therapist needs to tackle.

Hope you can get it resolved. As a 35 year old man, I feel like I squandered a great deal of my youth by refusing to believe that it could be better. I finally woke up to some degree in my 20s. I never had a girlfriend until I was 19. I always hated situations, like the beach, or pool parties, that required my shirt to be removed. I missed out on high school athletics, because I was too chicken.

In short, it is one of the worst types of situations you can face as a parent... Something vitally important to your child's future happiness, but that you have almost no control over. Talk to a paediatric nutritionist. Talk to a therapist. If dad won't play ball, talk to a lawyer. But bottom line, change has to come from him.

Best of luck.

azulvioleta6 · February 2015

I think that "no sugar" is code for "this is a super serious situation and you need to take drastic measures."

LavenderLeaves · February 2015

Unless he's showing signs of diabetes, he has no reason to go as strict as no sugar or no carbs. Most doctors are woefully oblivious about nutrition and really have no clue what they're talking about. That's why dieticians are required to go to school for 4 years and learn all about nutrition and are able to get that title.

The father is definitely an enabler, but it sounds like he's definitely overeating at home, or at school - it really doesn't matter. He uses food as some kind of outlet, because to get to that weight at that age means it's become a comfort for him. Especially at that age, cutting out ANYTHING(unless medically necessary) is a huge no-no, and believe me when I say it will only, definitely, 100% cause food issues and disordered eating in the future. You cannot control what he eats at school, for instance, so he needs to learn how to eat balanced on his own and understand why.

I'd really suggest finding a registered dietician who preferably has some kind of specialty with children. He needs to learn how to start seeing food normally. The fact that dad gives him burgers and fries definitely sounds to me like he's associating food with comfort - ie I see dad and we share food, yay! Clearly this is a health risk at his age at this point. Consult a dietician. The root of why he's turning to food as some kind of coping mechanism might also need to be addressed, as well.

kreatingkarroll · February 2015

In AZ there is this place called "Jump Street" it's a big indoor (awesome and necessary in Arizona) play place for all age, including teenage kids. It's basically wall to wall trampolines and bounce houses and it's like $10 admission for the day. It's a fun way to be active. My brother has issues with his weight as well, and this has been a great way to get him moving. He goes a couple times a week. Comes back tuckered out and happy because he just played around for the last few hours. I'm sure there is some place like that wherever you are, (possibly names something else) that could even be a fun thing for his dad to take him to do?

I would just try to make eating healthy fun for him. He's a kid. Make easy to grab, ready to eat healthy snacks in the fridge and pantry. Don't have bad food at home. I'm a huge believer in "if it's not here I won't eat it", because when it is here, I do.

Suggestions
Ziplock baggies with nuts.
Make sure that all that all fruits and veggies in the house are already washed and ready to eat, so that it's convenient.
Smoothies are delicious at any age, and fun.
Make healthy desserts so he doesn't feel like he's missing out. (Frozen bananas blended taste like ice cream)
There are these wraps called "flatouts" that you can make delicious low calorie pizzas on! I love them and they are so easy.

Hope any of this helps!

No sugar - My son is 12 and 234 pounds!

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