If I had it to do over I would have raised my son on real food. Nothing processed, ever. As it is (he is 19) his favorite food is frozen lasagna! I have many regrets over past food choices. I don't think a potato is that bad for you. I think what they turn them into (chips...) are toxic to the human body. I don't think you would need to be as low carb, and just cutting out anything from a box, or bag, would help him. Over time he wouldn't want it anymore, hopefully. Best of luck!

I focus on slow carb rather than low carb for my boys (ages 8, 11, 13). For example if they want regular bread, they just get one slice per day (we need to eat gluten free and the store bought bread is expensive junk). If they want to eat Soul Bread (with lots of protein and fat and just ~1g carb per slice) they can have more. I usually have lots of veggies cut up and in the fridge. I try to keep cheese and meats available for snacks. We always have a bowl of nuts, coconut and cacao nibs on the table for snacking with some fruits. When I bake I use coconut flour and add hemp, chia and flax meal and only use stevia drops for sweetener.

For my oldest and youngest, this works fine. My middle son is incredibly picky though and tends to just eat beige foods. I have to work to get him to not live on potatoes and rice.

I don't keep store bought treats in the house at most times. The biggest treat is rice crackers. I I keep the foods as whole foods or homemade (and sugar and grain free) I find that it is tough for them to overeat.

It may be working. They are all quite slim to skinny. It could also be genetics too as their dad was on the skinny side as a child, and I was at a normal weight. My 11 year old is about 5'2" and about 80lbs - he's my skinniest. The 13 year old is on the short side and about 5' or 5'1" and 85-90 lbs.

lithezebra wrote: »

Maybe lower carb, and low sugar, but not anything extreme. What does his doctor say? Depending on his build, he could be chunky, or just stocky. Plus, kids sometimes get a little pudgy, then grow 4 inches overnight without gaining any weight.

So true. It's like they save up weight before the first puberty growth spurt, and then they just stretch.

Keep him active (kick him out of the house for a few hours on weekends ), continue to limit the usual suspects (chips, candy, sugar-laden cereals, soda pop, fruit juice, etc), and give him free reign on whole foods. Don't forget to watch the sneaky sugar!

A lot of schools now have contracts with candy and soda companies at school with machines or lunch room sales of Gatorade and Little Debbie. Is he being honest regarding his consumption of these snacks?

Kids tend to grow either up then out or out then up during puberty. Unless his doctor suggests it, I would be hesitant to place a child on a "diet."

wishfullthinking79 wrote: »

wabmester wrote: »

Just curious about how "junk" is defined. Does he eat a bowl of cereal with skim milk? Toast and OJ? If so, no different than a candy bar IMO.

Kids don't need to be low carb, but something like "paleo" would be good IMO. Real food.

He does eat cereal but not one that is packed with a lot of sugar or sugar reduced oatmeal. I provide him with healthy snacks 95% of the time.

Cereal is still refined grains most of the time, which are essentially just glorified sugar, based on how the body responds to them.

Try swapping it out for omelets or sweet potato hash or something similar that's based on whole foods. If you still want to do oatmeal, switch it to steel cut oats. They take longer to make, but they're the whole food form, instead of the refined form.

DorkothyParker wrote: »

How about weight training?

I second this. The hormonal effects of weight training will also drop any excess fat if needed.

I do agree with the previous mention of the fact that it's also part of puberty. A lot of kids will grow out before up.

Eat real food. Drop at least the refined grains and focus on meats, vegetables, nuts, and fruits. That should drop his weight without "going on a diet."

Okay, I don't have kids, so feel free to shoot me. But he is only 10 years old. It's likely he could be about to have a growth spurt, or any number of random things. A focus on whole foods is great. Healthy habits, like being active, teaching him not to emotional eat are great. I think you are doing well. How does he eat when he isn't around you?

Also - it cracks me up. I'm 4'11" (woman) and I'm told that i need to be between the weight of 100-110 pounds. (Not my goal!) so it's hard for me to imagine someone who is still growing, is taller than me, and weighs a lot less than me is "overweight"!! SMH...silly standards!

True. Baggy is a good friend to those who are self conscious and then he'll still be able to wear it when he shoots up... He's pretty tall already!

wishfullthinking79 wrote: »

I definitely think genetics play an important role in this. His father was a bit chunky when he was a kid. You know up until he was around 8 he was a skinny thing. Even as a baby.

He takes his lunch to school because I want to know that he is eating healthy. He either gets a turkey sandwhich or a turkey wrap with spinach and kale, some carrots, a fruit, and either chex mix or his favorite chips takis. I alternate between them. He gets water and flavoring to drink. I do not allow him to eat a lot of junk. He definitely does not get much fast food. That happens on very rare occassion because I do not eat it at all.

He hasnt had a yearly check up yet. The last time he went to the doctor he did say Elijah was borderline overweight.

I really just want him to be comfortable with the way he looks. We spend the summer in florida so we are at the beach or a pool a lot. He would prefer to keep his shirt on.

If it is a concern for him, you could always give his lunch a makeover. Leftovers are always good, but the turkeywrap sounds good too. Root veggies are high in stach/carbs so carrots are higher in glucose than cucumbers, avocado or celery would be. Fruit could be swapped for veggies if you wanted, but probably isn't a concern. I would drop the chips and chex if you do want to change anything. That's a treat in our house. I buy Chex on holidays. You could you pack him bag of nuts, seeds, or homemade trail mix (minus dried fruit and candy) instead, or give him a few pepperoni sticks and cheese.

It sounds like you are doing well by him. I bet by age 14 he is 5'6" and only 10 pounds heavier than he is now. Especially since you are working to make good choices for him.

I don't have s link to the article mentioned anymore, but cutting out grains is a big winfor anyone no matter their weight if you ask me.
I have definitely heard about the estrogen connection to overweight men. Before that develops, testosterone tends to get low if I recall... The genetic factor of men tending to look similar in build in families could be a tendency for low testosterone in the presence of abdominal fat, which then leads to fat deposits in the chest area. I have listened to podcasts on this subject for sure.
Anyway, we are talking about a 10 year old here.. My son is 13, he's been working with kettle bells, Dumbbells, and resistance bands for at least 3 years for baseball. He has "homework" all off season and in season as well to do push ups, squats and work with his weights. It's only a few minutes, 2 or 3 times a week off season and less often in addition to baseball practice during in season. I haven't aggressively limited his carbs, but I have made big changes. My son is rail thin though, so it would be different if he weren't.
My husband, who's not low carbing, rarely buys hamburger or hotdog buns anymore when we have foods like that. He's even started going bunless quite often, so my son does too. Instead of pasta, the whole family eats zucchini or squash noodles. I almost never cook starches or pasta sides for them anymore. When I do, it's sweet potato, so not quite as bad. Nobody drinks soda unless it's diet, but mostly water with infused fruit or maybe some Mio or Sweet Leaf flavoring.
My son definitely eats too much snack foods like Cheetos and cookies still, but it's a work in progress and, though I think that stuff is bad no matter your weight, he is more likely under weight, so I am currently rationalizing it... I just don't think it's a good idea to yank everything away that used to be perfectly acceptable before "mom went nutrition crazy". He already gives me grief about the supplements I started giving him. Lol
Anyway, see if you can get your son interested in working out with you in some way. Next time he says something negative about his body, maybe say something reassuring and then add that the only thing he needs to be concerned about is being strong and healthy. And see if he would commit to some simple workout for about 10 minutes twice a week. Get him to count for you and you can count for him. Don't make it about weight. Make it about being strong. Make note of when he can do just one more push up or when he shows signs that the whole workout was easier than a previous time. Point out to him that's how you know he's stronger. Explain the advantage it will give him with wrestling and football. And it seriously will! It will likely help to ensure he's less likely to get hurt if he's stronger..

I would be nervous not to make him self conscious of his size and affect his self esteem.

Focus on health and good food. Nutrient dense vs calorie rich. I wouldn't "cut out" anything but teach moderation. 5 colors on a plate. Variety. All things in moderation.

Get him to move more. Trampoline. Bike. Walks and jogs. Team sports. Have friends over and leave them in the garden to play. Limited tv and computer time.

Disordered eating can start young. Please keep that in mind.

wishfullthinking79 wrote: »

I definitely think genetics play an important role in this. His father was a bit chunky when he was a kid. You know up until he was around 8 he was a skinny thing. Even as a baby.

He takes his lunch to school because I want to know that he is eating healthy. He either gets a turkey sandwhich or a turkey wrap with spinach and kale, some carrots, a fruit, and either chex mix or his favorite chips takis. I alternate between them. He gets water and flavoring to drink. I do not allow him to eat a lot of junk. He definitely does not get much fast food. That happens on very rare occassion because I do not eat it at all.

He hasnt had a yearly check up yet. The last time he went to the doctor he did say Elijah was borderline overweight.

I really just want him to be comfortable with the way he looks. We spend the summer in florida so we are at the beach or a pool a lot. He would prefer to keep his shirt on.

We have the same issues in our house so this thread has been very interesting to me. Twin 12 year old boys, completely different body types, same diet. It's really hard. One grew a couple of inches this winter, yet packed on probably 15 pounds. All his jeans are too small, he's quite pudgy, "fleshy" been very self-conscience. I'm convinced he's hitting puberty and about ready to skyrocket in height. I got them gym memberships, and we all go together and we do differently weight training activities and cardio. They both play ice hockey but it's still just not enough exercise. Thankfully it has turned to spring here in Pennsylvania so every day after school they have been on the trampoline, playing football and sidewalk hockey so that helps a lot. But trying to change their diet has been the biggest thing and I am concerned about the amount of weight gain. I have cut out *mostly all processed snack foods, they have an all natural granola bar and pirates booty and fruit for lunch with pepperoni and cheese. But honestly I know they still buy snacks at school. At some point they are also going to have to be self-aware, make better choices while I'm not around, and that's what we are working on.

My 11-year-old son is doing strength training with me. He'd rather not do it. But he's leaning out, and getting stronger. He's got more energy as well.

Sodas and sweets are limited to the weekends. I try to limit the processed crap, but DH fights me. Dinner is always LCHF with a reasonable sized serving of starch, not enormous. I have a daughter who is 7 that is a carbasaurus and appears to have mommy's DNA. I'm leaving her be for now. We'll see how things pan out.

I'd love to LCHF the whole family. But it's just not going to happen. But I keep the carb count down as best as I can manage, and I throw them outside for hours in the afternoon. And I model good behaviors and teach them about nutrition. I hope it will stick when they are grown and leave me.

We've been weaning my son off of carbs and sugar- without really meaning to. He's actually taking interest in how DH and I eat and is starting to model his own eating after us. He's seen the drastic changes in his parents' health and energy. I anticipate that in a few months, all 3 of us will soon be keto. His breakfasts and dinners are keto- school is the only place he gets carbs. Aaand we've let him get weekend treats here and there. But more and more, DH and I are asking ourselves each meal, if we're not going to eat it, why should we give it to him?

My son is only 9 and I'll be interested to see how this pans out when he gets closer to puberty. He's extremely lean (martial arts and swimming). He's 50% for weight and 75% for height. He hated meats of any sort up until just recently. Maybe because I'm paying more attention to how I cook the meat? :P I still won't expect him to give up his favorite fruits and vegs.