advice for overweight children

What about filling her up on veggies such as stirfrys or grilled veggies and proteins. Cut out the heavy starchy foods like pastas, rices and potatoes. She may hem and haw about it for a while, but if she doesnt have those options, she will eventually have to get used to this way of eating. Tell her that mommy is working on getting extra healthy and strong and that everyone should be healthy and strong. DOnt make it about dieting at all. Just make it about being healthy and strong. There is NOTHING wrong with teaching her something like that. Then start taking her on walks with you, or to go swimming. Even enroll her in a gymnastics program. My daughter was getting chunky so I told her that I wanted to take Zumba but I didnt have any friends in the class and I was nervous and wanted her to be my Zumba Partner, now we go 5 days a week together. Also, a helpful tip I have for you is invest ina george foreman grill, those things are AWESOME for grilling tasty veggies and meats.

Don't ever use the word "DIET". Tell her all of you are going to start eating healthier. Watch PORTIONS and look for healthy recipes for kids online. Cut all Fast Foods and watch processed too. Bake instead of fry. Chicken fingers are great if you use egg whites instead of whole eggs and just DUST them with breadcrumbs and bake. Watch the dipping sauce! Give them a serving and make them stick to it. If they are not vegetable eaters. Grind them up and add them to ground chicken or turkey and make meatballs. Instead of a plate of speghetti make everyone an oz as a side not the whole meal. Add a salad or vegetable. Watch red meats especially ground beef. If you make mac and cheese ( homemade) use whole wheat pasta or gluten free and cut the cheese in half and use butternut squash (frozen) they can't tell. Watch the salt! Cut out sugary drinks. If you give them 100% juice, cut it with 1/2 water. You could make popsicles with it too. Low fat Popcorn and grapes or cut veggies and little ( 1 tbls )ranch dressing for dipping, Cut berries topped with 2 oz. of low fat yogurt. The key is to give them the food they like but in a healthier way and cut portion size. Light Bread is great for sandwiches. But watch the processed cheese and high fat, sodium meats. Scrambled egg with 1 whole and 1/ 4 cup of egg whites, sprinkled with a little low fat bacon bits instead of whole bacon on the side. Cut sugary cereals with 1/2 of what they like and half low sugar. Do a family walk.
My grandson is going through the same thing. My daughter had him at the doctors yesterday and they are doing blood work to make sure there is not any health issues first and then they are seeing a nutritionist.

The mypyramid.gov had a site like this for kids. They can track just like us but it's fun. Here is the site. Cut and paste. http://www.choosemyplate.gov/kids/kids_game.html

Congratulations on starting a new healthier lifestyle for you and your daughter! Take it one day at a time gradually adding small changes. Add more fruit and vegetables. Try a new one every week that you haven't tried before. Make a game out of it. Limit sodas and sweets to be a once in awhile treat, not a daily thing. Use the palm of your hand as a guide for healthy portions. Drink lots of water and skim milk. Go for walks together. It is a great time to talk about your day. Gradually walk farther each time. Before you know it, you will both be healthier with good eating and exercise habits!

I don't have any children but i do watch a lot of TV. And a couple of my fiends on here have kids and they join in with their parents exercise - making it fun. You could go to the park and say we are having a pic nic and some fun and play tag or throw a ball around?

During pic nics you could take things like cut up carrots/ celery/ boiled potatoes, salads (fortunate considering it's summer now) and with evening meals why don't you just dish out smaller portions and if she is still hungry after 20-30 minutes she can then have a dessert (low fat jelly, or a scoop of vanilla ice ice cream) get her into activities to get her mind of food and the things that in the media.

I really hope this helps, and good luck with improving your health xx

If it were me I'd do these things:

- Make a list of the foods (mostly fruits and veggies) that she can eat as much as she wants!
- Make a list of foods that should be eaten in moderation, but don't call them "bad" foods... just call them "sweets, etc."
- Do a fun experiment with serving size (a guessing game, maybe)
- Let her portion out the food herself, telling her what a portion size is. It might be fun to count out Goldfish crackers or something like that.
- Make her a little food pyramid chart (I hear it looks like a plate now) and have her fill each section with the appropriate types of foods.
- Involve her in cooking healthier things.... kids are more likely to eat something they've helped cook.
- Let her help choose the menu.
- Keep foods you don't want her to have out of the shopping cart/pantry. If she asks why it's not there, just say you're trying something new this week.
- Exercise! Do some exercise as a family/pair. Make an evening walk or bike ride part of your routine. Don't force her to do exercise she doesn't enjoy because she won't get anything out of it if she's bored or if it's too hard.

Just some ideas!

I think just changing the whole way your family eats and when she asks why you explain its because your getting healthier as a family. She doesnt need to know the ins and outs of nutrition at 8 but be educated to making good choices for herself as she gets older. I wouldnt mention diets or fat/calorie content of food, nothing for her to get hung up on. Just enjoy time as a family at meal times.
Also find some exercise you both enjoy or she enjoys to get her active. Again this could be an ideal opportunity for family time - like going to the park together or swimming. Some gyms offer family classes in things like zumba or karate - might be fun to both learn something completely new and different. Or just go for hikes, getting active doesnt have to cost a fortune.

Good luck and well done, your an inspiration to many by making this journey with your family. x

Don't put her on a "diet." Instead, give her better food choices. Fish, chicken, veggies in unlimited amounts. Whole grains instead of white bread and potatoes. Fruits instead of candy. No soda. Limit juice. Encourage her to be more physically active--go for walks together. As a kid, my best memories of bonding with my mother were when we used to walk together, just the two of us. For those few minutes a day, I was the center of attention, and I loved that. We talked about everything, and it meant the world to me. With two younger sisters, I didn't get her undivided attention often, and I cherished it. Other ways to encourage exercise: bicycle. Wii games. Anything that needs movement. Do a home kareoke night, but dance with each song. Try to find ways to have fun together that involve movement. Get her involved in the cooking, too, if she has any interest. If she's involved in making healthy food, she's far more likely to enjoy eating it, and take pride in feeding it to her loved ones.

This post was filled with good ideas. I just wanted to say that I applaud you for wanting to do the right thing for your daughter. She is lucky to have a mom that cares about her well being so much.

Another rule that we have in our house is when your belly is full, you stop. This is something that I never really learned as a child. I do not make my kids finish everything on their plate, nor do I use dessert as an incentive to finish their food. I dish out smaller portions and when they are full, they are allowed to be done. I am sure there have been times when they have conveniently been too full to finish their veggies, but I try to keep the big picture in mind.

I think one of the best things you can do is to model good behavior for your daughter, if she sees you eating healthy and enjoying exercise she will be more likely to follow suit. Remind her she is beautiful and healthy, strong and perfect the way she is.

I have a son that is pretty chunky . I agree with everyone's suggestions of adding more fruits and vegetables and exercise. I have spoke to my pediatrician and his number one rule was NO second plates.

I would call her doctor, my daughter's doctor found a program in our area that helped A LOT. This program talked about healthy food choices, eating breakfast every day, exercising, portion control, what is a "treat", and some of the feelings associated with being overweight. Or try the YMCA/YWCA they might have something.

Another rule that we have in our house is when your belly is full, you stop. This is something that I never really learned as a child. I do not make my kids finish everything on their plate, nor do I use dessert as an incentive to finish their food. I dish out smaller portions and when they are full, they are allowed to be done. I am sure there have been times when they have conveniently been too full to finish their veggies, but I try to keep the big picture in mind.

I think one of the best things you can do is to model good behavior for your daughter, if she sees you eating healthy and enjoying exercise she will be more likely to follow suit. Remind her she is beautiful and healthy, strong and perfect the way she is.

I agree with this. I read in my parents magazine that you should never make your kids eat everything on their plate, just tell them eat as much as you want of dinner (of course it should be healthy) and there is dessert after. You should never say "eat this and you get dessert" becasue it teaches them the meal is the part to "get through" and the dessert is the good stuff. I thought that was very smart. Also, nothing will benefit her more that a good role model, and it looks like you are on the right track there. Good luck!

You got some great advice Chantal...See,people do care