Weight Loss for Kids
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ACanadian22 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »ACanadian22 wrote: »hypothyroidism? At that age, if active and having the right foods, most don't gain that much. Do you know what the daycare is serving?
I think I would push the Doctor to run more tests.
I don't know what you're basing this on. Childhood obesity is a real issue, it doesn't require an underlying medical problem to trigger it . . . just a child eating more calories than they're using (just like with adults). This child is eating one additional meal a day, even with activity that's going to be difficult to off-set.
All I know is back when we all were kids, we ate anytime, anywhere and no weight issues. I am basing it on the fact that I do have two active boys who eat all the time and are in fact, underweight. Their calorie intake is crazy high and usually is at that age. I just want her to look into all areas.
Sorry if I offended you
Your heart was in the right place, when I was 10 I was diagnosed with a thyroid disease but I don't think that is very common (even less so in males? ) . Despite me having hashimotos hypothyroid i'd have to agree with the other posters.... I have never been obese even with the disease. I did gain weight while it went untreated but there were various other telling signs (major hair loss, cold feeling, depression) , and the weight gain was just from inactivity because I didn't feel well and over eating.
The boy is getting an extra dinner every day it sounds like, even with a growing active kid that is more likely the culprit. That is a tricky situation because if all the other kids are eating dinner and he isn't allowed........ vs. he comes home and the family eats dinner together and he isn't allowed. It almost sounds like a change in daycare may be in his best interests... one that doesn't serve dinner or at least would respect your concerns.6 -
Something similar just happened to my friend's son. For the record, his son looks completely normal. No excess stomach wiggle, no fat rolls, absolutely nothing but a very small stomach pudge that still looks like a bit of baby fat. His son is 6, plays sports, has no problem running/jumping/swimming.
He decided to just wait it out for a year and then reassess. He is still buying normal boys 6-8 clothes and sees no reason to restrict the calories of a healthy child. He started noticing that his son was growing more - a little more in the shoulders, a little wider (not rounder) waist, his feet grew a size too, and he is betting he'll sprout taller in the next year.
Consider the body composition of your child because if he is starting to thicken up without getting rolls and a lot of jiggle, he might just be preparing for a growth spurt. I'd track his height, not his weight, and see if that starts changing. And in the meantime, reduce his portion at dinner if needed. If be already ate 1 dinner, he might not actually be that hungry and is just eating because you're telling him to.3 -
My son is 8 years old and at his last annual checkup, the doctor told me that he's obese (95th percentile for weight) and needs to lose weight. At the time, I didn't really take it too seriously. He's always been a skinny kid (50th percentile for weight) and my husband and I just figured that he'll grow into his weight.
After much prodding, we find out he's eating a full meal after school (at daycare) and of course dinner at home. He's been told not to eat so much at daycare. The lady at the daycare feels bad that our fee technically includes a meal, so she feels obligated to feed him.
We want to set a good example for him and his 5 year old sister. We eat healthy, which for us, means a well-balanced meal that has plenty of veggies. I pack his lunch for him, but once a week he eats pizza at the school cafeteria. I know that he'll sometimes trade the fruits that I pack for him. The school does a pretty good job of teaching the kids about good nutrition.
He's active. He does judo three days a week and likes to play outside with the neighborhood kids. We limit screen time (tv, ipad, video games) but he's a bookworm and sometimes he'd rather read than play outside during recess.
He competes in judo and has won several medals, despite having to compete with taller/older kids. His coach/teacher wants to compete in the winter nationals in December and pointed out the weight divisions and hinted at my son needing to lose weight. He's been competing in the heavy weight division. He needs to lose 2 pounds to compete in the middle weight division but his BMI would still be overweight. If he lost 10 pounds, that would put him in the healthy weight category but is 10 pounds in 2 months too much?
Everything I've read so far says to get kids more active and to eat more nutritiously. I found a brief reference to how much calories an 8-year old boy should be eating. The consensus on MFP is CI<CO and that diet is more important for weight loss than exercise, but that's for adults.
Any advice on how my son should lose the weight and how quickly he should lose that weight?
Thanks in advance and sorry for the long post.
Temporarily eliminate all fruit juice and soda. Limit drinks to 2% milk, water, (and tea if you're British).
No candy, sweets or sugary items after 6pm. Tell him it will make it easier for him to go to sleep at night (it will).
Playground 1hour per day of unstructured play.
Reintroduce juice when he's slimmed down a bit.
It's the easiest way to go and so very effective for kids.
Since the dinner you cook is essentially his 4th meal, just make it lighter than usual. Your usual meat and veggies, but maybe a side of baked potato instead of mac n cheese, that sort of thing.
The key with kids is to keep it simple.
Don't even mention his weight. Just don't have juice and sweets in the house, and enjoy the time at the playground with him. If it's too cold/rainy, look for an open gym situation near you. The key is to keep the extra exercise unstructured, so it's play, not a chore.
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What about getting. Second opinion from another pediatrician?
Yes, childhood obesity is a problem. But if I understand everything correctly, the eight-year-old isn’t even overweight, let alone obese. I’m really concerned about the long-term mental health of an eight-year-old needing to restrict what they eat.
Definitely work with daycare lady on the intake, or maybe modify your dinner instead. It will likely be easier on your son if he’s not eating different food in front of his peers. And that way you get the value out of daycare.4 -
He sounds like an active kid and it sounds like you're doing a good job to let him run around and be a kid. There's no worries there. Judo is an excellent sport for burning calories (and is combined cardio and strength training) so keep at it. As a judo coach I can agree that if he's good, getting into a weight category that is more fitting for his size may be very beneficial for his competitive nature (heck, when I was competing lots, I performed much better at a lower weight category; people didn't tower over me so much). Seriously, it doesn't sound like activity is your problem. You've identified your problem and it's that extra meal that he's eating.
- Make it easy on yourself, reduce the portions for every meal, not just dinner, breakfast and lunch too. That way it won't be an obvious massive change of meal sizes for one meal.
- Ask your daycare lady to reduce the quantity that she's feeding him, if she still want to feed him, fine, annoying, but fine. But get her to reduce the amount.
- Reduce the amount of calories he could be getting from snacks or liquid calories (fruit juices & soda for example)
- Don't make a fuss of it, don't obviously change anything. Little changes here and there, and you don't need to give a reason.
- As he's growing, he'll need lots of calories, right now he's eating more calories than he needs, so all you need to do is just slightly reduce the amount of calories he's currently eating and then keep it at the same level for a while as he grows.
- It might be easier to take a longer view of this. Instead of thinking about getting him to lose weight, try and keep him the same weight. As he grows you'd expect him to put weight on, so if you feed him calories so that he stays the same weight, but grows up, then he'll slender out with growth. And, as far as he's concerned he's not lost weight, he's just grown into it.6 -
TavistockToad wrote: »If he gets a free evening meal at day care then just don't give him tea?
^^ this would be my answer too.0 -
Maybe look at how much hidden sugar he and the rest of the family are consuming and also looking at what kind of meal he is getting at daycare?
Maybe look to reduce foods high in saturated fats, simple carbs and sugar overall and that will help?17 -
Maybe look at how much hidden sugar he and the rest of the family are consuming and also looking at what kind of meal he is getting at daycare?
Maybe look to reduce foods high in saturated fats, simple carbs and sugar overall and that will help?
so you think he's eating too much 'hidden sugar' and its not that he is eating two meals in the evening? :huh:10 -
I would take your son to see a dietitian. They are much better than doctors when it comes to nutrition and how to lose weight. A dietitian will advise you about how to handle it all.3
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Tell the daycare lady you'd happy to pay a lower fee to not include the meal lol
Seriously though she needs to stop feeding him a meal and just give him a small snack. And stick to her guns, she's the adult not him.
I think that about solves the issue. As time goes on, judging by how things go, you can also slightly reduce portion sizes of other meals and snacks if he's not making any progress. I would set limits on how much soda/juice he can have. and no I don't think it's realistic to try to get him to lose 10 lbs in 2 months.4 -
IHaveMyActTogether wrote: »My son is 8 years old and at his last annual checkup, the doctor told me that he's obese (95th percentile for weight) and needs to lose weight. At the time, I didn't really take it too seriously. He's always been a skinny kid (50th percentile for weight) and my husband and I just figured that he'll grow into his weight.
After much prodding, we find out he's eating a full meal after school (at daycare) and of course dinner at home. He's been told not to eat so much at daycare. The lady at the daycare feels bad that our fee technically includes a meal, so she feels obligated to feed him.
We want to set a good example for him and his 5 year old sister. We eat healthy, which for us, means a well-balanced meal that has plenty of veggies. I pack his lunch for him, but once a week he eats pizza at the school cafeteria. I know that he'll sometimes trade the fruits that I pack for him. The school does a pretty good job of teaching the kids about good nutrition.
He's active. He does judo three days a week and likes to play outside with the neighborhood kids. We limit screen time (tv, ipad, video games) but he's a bookworm and sometimes he'd rather read than play outside during recess.
He competes in judo and has won several medals, despite having to compete with taller/older kids. His coach/teacher wants to compete in the winter nationals in December and pointed out the weight divisions and hinted at my son needing to lose weight. He's been competing in the heavy weight division. He needs to lose 2 pounds to compete in the middle weight division but his BMI would still be overweight. If he lost 10 pounds, that would put him in the healthy weight category but is 10 pounds in 2 months too much?
Everything I've read so far says to get kids more active and to eat more nutritiously. I found a brief reference to how much calories an 8-year old boy should be eating. The consensus on MFP is CI<CO and that diet is more important for weight loss than exercise, but that's for adults.
Any advice on how my son should lose the weight and how quickly he should lose that weight?
Thanks in advance and sorry for the long post.
Temporarily eliminate all fruit juice and soda. Limit drinks to 2% milk, water, (and tea if you're British).
No candy, sweets or sugary items after 6pm. Tell him it will make it easier for him to go to sleep at night (it will).
Playground 1hour per day of unstructured play.
Reintroduce juice when he's slimmed down a bit.
It's the easiest way to go and so very effective for kids.
Since the dinner you cook is essentially his 4th meal, just make it lighter than usual. Your usual meat and veggies, but maybe a side of baked potato instead of mac n cheese, that sort of thing.
The key with kids is to keep it simple.
Don't even mention his weight. Just don't have juice and sweets in the house, and enjoy the time at the playground with him. If it's too cold/rainy, look for an open gym situation near you. The key is to keep the extra exercise unstructured, so it's play, not a chore.
As someone who was a weight-sensitive kid, and saw friends of mine get put on diet pills and diets/enforced gym by their parents in childhood/teenage years, I second this.
Healthy behaviours that the whole family can do together, and looking at the 2lb loss for judo as the goal.
More sustainable habits > any micromanaging or saying “you can’t have” while having people eat that in front of him shows him that something is wrong with him. It creates upsetness, and kids don’t understand except that they are Wrong in some way.
“Oh we just don’t eat that anymore because we learned it’s not healthy, it’s sugary and sugar is an occasional treat - I’m learning too” “make sure to eat veggies first” simple & general are less likely to be as upsetting. If habits are changed it may be upsetting. You could also just try to reduce portion sizes at dinner by a small amount so that it isn’t terribly noticeable.5 -
IHaveMyActTogether wrote: »My son is 8 years old and at his last annual checkup, the doctor told me that he's obese (95th percentile for weight) and needs to lose weight. At the time, I didn't really take it too seriously. He's always been a skinny kid (50th percentile for weight) and my husband and I just figured that he'll grow into his weight.
After much prodding, we find out he's eating a full meal after school (at daycare) and of course dinner at home. He's been told not to eat so much at daycare. The lady at the daycare feels bad that our fee technically includes a meal, so she feels obligated to feed him.
We want to set a good example for him and his 5 year old sister. We eat healthy, which for us, means a well-balanced meal that has plenty of veggies. I pack his lunch for him, but once a week he eats pizza at the school cafeteria. I know that he'll sometimes trade the fruits that I pack for him. The school does a pretty good job of teaching the kids about good nutrition.
He's active. He does judo three days a week and likes to play outside with the neighborhood kids. We limit screen time (tv, ipad, video games) but he's a bookworm and sometimes he'd rather read than play outside during recess.
He competes in judo and has won several medals, despite having to compete with taller/older kids. His coach/teacher wants to compete in the winter nationals in December and pointed out the weight divisions and hinted at my son needing to lose weight. He's been competing in the heavy weight division. He needs to lose 2 pounds to compete in the middle weight division but his BMI would still be overweight. If he lost 10 pounds, that would put him in the healthy weight category but is 10 pounds in 2 months too much?
Everything I've read so far says to get kids more active and to eat more nutritiously. I found a brief reference to how much calories an 8-year old boy should be eating. The consensus on MFP is CI<CO and that diet is more important for weight loss than exercise, but that's for adults.
Any advice on how my son should lose the weight and how quickly he should lose that weight?
Thanks in advance and sorry for the long post.
Temporarily eliminate all fruit juice and soda. Limit drinks to 2% milk, water, (and tea if you're British).
No candy, sweets or sugary items after 6pm. Tell him it will make it easier for him to go to sleep at night (it will).
Playground 1hour per day of unstructured play.
Reintroduce juice when he's slimmed down a bit.
It's the easiest way to go and so very effective for kids.
Since the dinner you cook is essentially his 4th meal, just make it lighter than usual. Your usual meat and veggies, but maybe a side of baked potato instead of mac n cheese, that sort of thing.
The key with kids is to keep it simple.
Don't even mention his weight. Just don't have juice and sweets in the house, and enjoy the time at the playground with him. If it's too cold/rainy, look for an open gym situation near you. The key is to keep the extra exercise unstructured, so it's play, not a chore.
As someone who was a weight-sensitive kid, and saw friends of mine get put on diet pills and diets/enforced gym by their parents in childhood/teenage years, I second this.
Healthy behaviours that the whole family can do together, and looking at the 2lb loss for judo as the goal.
More sustainable habits > any micromanaging or saying “you can’t have” while having people eat that in front of him shows him that something is wrong with him. It creates upsetness, and kids don’t understand except that they are Wrong in some way.
“Oh we just don’t eat that anymore because we learned it’s not healthy, it’s sugary and sugar is an occasional treat - I’m learning too” “make sure to eat veggies first” simple & general are less likely to be as upsetting. If habits are changed it may be upsetting. You could also just try to reduce portion sizes at dinner by a small amount so that it isn’t terribly noticeable.
Exactly. If the daycare stops giving him his meal, he is going to be singled out and he will be hungry and resentful. That's just setting him up for obesity in the future, because of negative emotions getting tied to food deprivation. If you eliminate his 4th meal, you're taking away the family meal time, again, while everyone else eats. See above.
Similarly, if you increase his structured exercise, that's stress. He needs to perform XYZ exercise to someone elses satisfaction, and possibly compete with other children. He already gets enough structured exercise. Playground time for kids is like Zumba for women. You're getting your calorie burn in without conciously putting in effort - you're just having fun.
Fruit juices have so much sugar and calories in them, and kids can drink copious amounts of juice, glass after glass after glass, adding up to many hundreds of calories a day. Milk is a food - they will be satiated by it, and not drink too much of it. 2% milk is so close to whole milk in taste, he won't have the yuck factor of switching to skim.
Being a kid is supposed to be fun. Adding stressors in addition to his academic and athletic load is unnecessary, especially when you can accomplish the same weight loss without the kid even noticing the difference.
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Thanks everyone for the replies. It's been very helpful.octoberberry90 wrote: »I'd be very cautious about how you bring all of this up with him. The wrong impression (that the emphasis is on "don't be fat" as opposed to "be healthy") could form some very bad habits in the future.
This is my biggest concern. I don't want him (or my daughter) to have a warped view of "being fat" or to be chasing some number on a scale.IHaveMyActTogether wrote: »
Don't even mention his weight.
As someone who was a weight-sensitive kid, and saw friends of mine get put on diet pills and diets/enforced gym by their parents in childhood/teenage years, I second this.
That's another big concern. Dinner time is family time. I don't wan't to exclude him from that.The boy is getting an extra dinner every day it sounds like, even with a growing active kid that is more likely the culprit. That is a tricky situation because if all the other kids are eating dinner and he isn't allowed........ vs. he comes home and the family eats dinner together and he isn't allowed.
Last night, I cut down his dinner portion. Tonight I might cut it down some more but with an extra helping of vegetable.
He doesn't drink soda. All we have at home is diet Coke which he doesn't drink. He drinks mostly 2% milk and occasionally fruit juice. I make him breakfast every morning and I pack his lunch so I know there isn't too much sugar consumed there. He loves turkey bacon so fatty foods isn't a major concern.
He has a big belly with a big of a jiggle.Consider the body composition of your child because if he is starting to thicken up without getting rolls and a lot of jiggle,
Thanks for responding. I did a search for "judo" before and your name popped up a couple of times. I've taken up judo as well. I figured I might as well join in on all the fun instead of just sitting in sidelines waiting for my son at the dojo.Judo is an excellent sport for burning calories (and is combined cardio and strength training) so keep at it. As a judo coach I can agree that if he's good, getting into a weight category that is more fitting for his size may be very beneficial for his competitive nature (heck, when I was competing lots, I performed much better at a lower weight category; people didn't tower over me so much). Seriously, it doesn't sound like activity is your problem. You've identified your problem and it's that extra meal that he's eating.
Once again, thanks everyone.7 -
TavistockToad wrote: »Maybe look at how much hidden sugar he and the rest of the family are consuming and also looking at what kind of meal he is getting at daycare?
Maybe look to reduce foods high in saturated fats, simple carbs and sugar overall and that will help?
so you think he's eating too much 'hidden sugar' and its not that he is eating two meals in the evening? :huh:
When you hear hoof beats, definitely think of unicorns first, not horses...6 -
njitaliana wrote: »I would take your son to see a dietitian. They are much better than doctors when it comes to nutrition and how to lose weight. A dietitian will advise you about how to handle it all.
Yes. Because this wouldn't make your child full-on aware that his eating is a 'problem'.4 -
Do you have any idea what this "full meal" at child care consists of? I wouldn't want him singled out because he doesn't get to eat with everyone else, but he shouldn't be having two full dinners.
It is easier to change the behavior you can control than what happens when you aren't there. I would not do anything structured where he knows that you are trying to help him lose weight. I would increase his portions of fruit and veggies and decrease other things so that his plate looks full. Reduce his calories slightly over each of the meals you do control so that it doesn't seem drastic, and make sure the day care is serving a reasonable sized snack instead of a meal.
As far as additional activity, I wouldn't single him out for this either. As a family walk the dog, go on a bike ride to the park, rollerblade, etc. Fitbits type trackers are really popular at my kid's school and have been since your son's age. My kids challenge each other for steps and run around the house to beat each other. Not sure if that is something he has ever expressed interest in but my kids requested them because they are "cool".0 -
Also did he go from 50% to 95% percentile in one year? Did he start this day care during the time frame, or has anything else changed. Just trying to figure out if day care is the main culprit, which is my guess.2
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If the kids are eating at child care, then do not serve a second dinner, let him seat with you and grab some fruit and chat about his day. Or,to actually know what he has been eating, forbid child care from feeding him. It woudl be a problem emotionally if he was a 3 year old, but he is old enough to understand that you want him to eat with you at home and that it not healthy for anyone to eat two dinners. Would you eat two dinners per day everyday just to socialise, especially if your dr told you you are obese?0
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If the kids are eating at child care, then do not serve a second dinner, let him seat with you and grab some fruit and chat about his day. Or,to actually know what he has been eating, forbid child care from feeding him. It woudl be a problem emotionally if he was a 3 year old, but he is old enough to understand that you want him to eat with you at home and that it not healthy for anyone to eat two dinners. Would you eat two dinners per day everyday just to socialise, especially if your dr told you you are obese?
People all the world over have four meals and don't have weight problems. They call the fourth meal "tea."
Also, people in some parts of the world regularly nap every day, still no weight problems.
The standard American diet and general sedentary lifestyle is to blame and is easily solved, particularly in children, without any level of fuss, and without any awareness on the kid's part that you are lowering their caloric intake. It is much, much, much easier to have a kid lose weight than an adult.
This is a simple fix. All the talk about him skipping meals, going to pediatricians and dietitians and singling him out is just making things more complicated than neccessary, and probably would cause self-esteem issues.
I do wonder if the kid has money and is buying candy bars/chips/soda while he's out...
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