How many calories should my daughter take in?
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skylimit719
Posts: 4 Member
So I want my kids to be healthy and I was just wondering. She is 5'4 and 112 pounds and 12 years of age. She swims (competitively) 4 days a week for an hour and a half. I guess her metabolism is relatively fast. So should she eat more calories on the days she does exercise and less on the days she doesn't? How many?
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Is there some medical concern? Her weight sounds normal for her height and age, so why would you count calories for her?0
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Is there some medical concern? Her weight sounds normal for her height and age, so why would you count calories for her?
completely agree. at her age don't concern her with how many calories she should be eating. just feed children relatively healthy meals and not too many treats and snacks. she is healthy at her current wieght so it shouldn't be a worry0 -
are you trying to set her up for a lifetime of eating disorders?
she sounds fine LEAVE HER ALONE!0 -
skylimit719 wrote: »So I want my kids to be healthy and I was just wondering. She is 5'4 and 112 pounds and 12 years of age. She swims (competitively) 4 days a week for an hour and a half. I guess her metabolism is relatively fast. So should she eat more calories on the days she does exercise and less on the days she doesn't? How many?
She shouldn't count calories. You shouldn't restrict her diet in any way, especially if she swims competitively.0 -
TavistockToad wrote: »skylimit719 wrote: »So I want my kids to be healthy and I was just wondering. She is 5'4 and 112 pounds and 12 years of age. She swims (competitively) 4 days a week for an hour and a half. I guess her metabolism is relatively fast. So should she eat more calories on the days she does exercise and less on the days she doesn't? How many?
She shouldn't count calories. You shouldn't restrict her diet in any way, especially if she swims competitively.
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hmmm if she swims competitively I don't see the problem watching her nutrition so she compete to the best of her abilities... that makes sense. Its how you put it across to her, making her obsessed with a "diet" is unwise.0
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If she swims competitively and does not yet have a plan from her coach regarding eating, let her eat. If there is a reason to follow a specific diet plan, her coach will let you know.0
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Make a Dr's appt and seek out their professional opinion...safest way to get informed medical info!0
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OP, SHE IS 12!
Calorie counting isn't for 12 year olds. Just make sure she eats enough by your standards, food with nutrients etc.
I'm wondering if OP is actually the 12 year old, or is that just me?0 -
IsaackGMOON wrote: »OP, SHE IS 12!
Calorie counting isn't for 12 year olds. Just make sure she eats enough by your standards, food with nutrients etc.
I'm wondering if OP is actually the 12 year old, or is that just me?
The OP doesn't read like it's written by a 12 year old IMO, but maybe the post was made because OP doesn't have a good concept of 'enough' or 'healthy' food?0 -
Just make sure she develops (or keeps) healthy eating habits. No need to count calories if she limits junk and eats lots of fruits, veggies, and protein.0
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IsaackGMOON wrote: »OP, SHE IS 12!
Calorie counting isn't for 12 year olds. Just make sure she eats enough by your standards, food with nutrients etc.
I'm wondering if OP is actually the 12 year old, or is that just me?
I don't think the OP is 12, but I do think the OP needs to back off her 12-year-old! Your daughter is well within a healthy range for her height. You don't need to bear down on her unless you want to create a weight problem down the road.
And for goodness sakes, don't let her know you're discussing her weight with randoms on the internet.0 -
SMH0
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I counted calories at that young of an age which led to a teenage eating disorder. You should not mention to her ANYTHING about her weight (although you might have already). It REALLY hurts to hear that stuff from your mother. -_-0
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When I started counting calories to help me lose weight, I told my daughters (ages 12, 11 and 8) that I was trying to lose weight because I wasn't at a healthy weight for my height, and I wanted to get healthier. I have told them that they are at a healthy weight, so they don't need to be as careful as I do about how much they eat. We do stress, though, that because they are so active (the older two play on competitive sports teams year round) they need to make healthy food choices most of the time so that their bodies have the right fuel. My sister and I both had body image issues for years, so I'm hoping to avoid passing that on to my girls.0
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My 16yo daughter competes in a sport where weight matters a lot (rock climbing). At 14 (after menarche for her), her coach talked with her about how to improve her condition with diet. The first time she asked me for help, I told her she was still growing so restricting wasn't appropriate, but if she wanted to improve her diet her first step would be counting protein to get enough. She occasionally asks me for help with her diet. Otherwise I stay out of it because she is healthy and motivated and asks for help if she needs it.0
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My DD is a similar age/height/weight and swims one day a week less than yours. I really encourage her to self-regulate - eat when you're hungry, stop when you're full, never finish anything you don't want (even though my mother's voice in my head goes crazy over throwing away perfectly good food!).
Some days, she's ravenous and eats an enormous quantity of food. Some days, she's less hungry and doesn't eat much. Swim days do not necessarily translate to hungrier. Her coaches suggest full-fat chocolate milk as a post-workout drink. There are days when the 16 ounce bottle is empty before we leave the parking lot, and days when she barely has a sip.
I do eyeball her school lunch calories strictly for the purpose of making sure she has enough - if her normal lunch is 800-1,000 calories (which it is, and many days she eats every scrap) and she says she just wants a baggie of dry cereal, I'll pack extra food just in case. Sometimes she eats it, sometimes she doesn't.
She has a couple of friends who already have signs of disordered eating. We talk a lot about listening to your body, both for hunger and for satiety, and giving your body the energy it needs to be healthy and strong. She's aware that I count calories because I ignored my body long enough that I don't recognize hungry and full all the time, and that counting calories is inappropriate for her because she needs to listen to her body.0 -
TavistockToad wrote: »skylimit719 wrote: »So I want my kids to be healthy and I was just wondering. She is 5'4 and 112 pounds and 12 years of age. She swims (competitively) 4 days a week for an hour and a half. I guess her metabolism is relatively fast. So should she eat more calories on the days she does exercise and less on the days she doesn't? How many?
She shouldn't count calories. You shouldn't restrict her diet in any way, especially if she swims competitively.
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ahhhm this sounds like OP has some control issue to me .... the daughter is freaking 12 AND in competitive sports for Pete's sake!0 -
She's 12, leave her alone. She doesn't need to count calories and you don't need to count them for her.0
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cwolfman13 wrote: »She's 12, leave her alone. She doesn't need to count calories and you don't need to count them for her.
+1x10000
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