To those with Children

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Replies

  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    I'll also try to get him on the active consoles, like Wii and xbox kinect, since they have that.

    Is there anything to say to him or show him to maybe..scare him into eating healthier? haha Or motivate, at least.

    You can talk about health, I suppose. But he's 11, so that's only going to go so far. The best thing to do is make it fun for him.
  • Nparker320
    Nparker320 Posts: 16
    I currently have the same issue but with my 12 year old step-daughter. My husband and I are in the process of obtaining primary custody so until then we only have her part time and it make it very difficult to encourage her. I really do not know her actual weight since she will not go anywhere near the scale, but she has to be atleast my weight or a little under. She wears a size 16 in womens and in jr's I think it is a 22. We eat fairly clean at home and we are an extremely active family, but when she goes home to her mother it is the total opposite. The encouragement stops when she leaves our home. I too would love suggestions on how to encourage her to make better choices and to encourage her to want to lose weight. You can see her in my profile picture to have an idea of her weight.
  • ScarredVampiress
    ScarredVampiress Posts: 76
    Yeah, I try not to do anything where he KNOWS it's exercise, but sometimes it's even hard to get him to join in when we're doing something that isn't blatantly exercise. So, I've read all the posts and I appreciate the comments and suggestions! I will try not to push it too much, but I will try to clean out most of the junk in the house so he doesn't feel like he can snack on it all day long.

    And, yes, he may be fine and grow into his weight through puberty, since that is normal, but I don't think eating junkfood whenever he is able to is oke, as I'm sure anyone would agree. Not that kids don't eat more junkfood than adults, since they tend to eat a lot more and doesn't affect them the same way. ha But I think a small reduction is nice. :)

    I also hope that if I get him on better track, he may be better at his father's place this summer.

    Thanks to all!
  • ScarredVampiress
    ScarredVampiress Posts: 76
    I currently have the same issue but with my 12 year old step-daughter. My husband and I are in the process of obtaining primary custody so until then we only have her part time and it make it very difficult to encourage her. I really do not know her actual weight since she will not go anywhere near the scale, but she has to be atleast my weight or a little under. She wears a size 16 in womens and in jr's I think it is a 22. We eat fairly clean at home and we are an extremely active family, but when she goes home to her mother it is the total opposite. The encouragement stops when she leaves our home. I too would love suggestions on how to encourage her to make better choices and to encourage her to want to lose weight. You can see her in my profile picture to have an idea of her weight.

    I'm not sure what to do in that case. I always fuss at his father to not feed him junk and at least walk with him or do SOMETHING, but it goes in one ear and out the other. I don't think there is much YOU can do in that situation, other than talking to her mother.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,961 Member
    What's not being addressed here is his eating habits. He's not obviously buying his food so who's making dinner, where does he get his lunch from and so on?


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • marynmarty
    marynmarty Posts: 89 Member
    What my kids do is we are outside ALL the time.The only time we are in the house is if it's raining....If they are in the house playing video games OR watching cartoons then they want to snack. I have noticed by being outside all the time (now that the weather is nicer) they don't want to eat and just want to play. Kids always want to be active and run/play. Is there something at school your brother can do like a playground? Take him there or just take a walk. I have a 4 and a 2 year old. They LOVE to go on our nightly walks. We make it fun so it's not just a boring walk with mom. My oldest will bring her baby stroller with her baby so she's walking the same as me!!! Also that helps with bed time hehe. I would start with a walk and just make it fun in some way. Play games during it. We will play a color game or count how many times we see something. Good Luck!!
  • ScarredVampiress
    ScarredVampiress Posts: 76
    What's not being addressed here is his eating habits. He's not obviously buying his food so who's making dinner, where does he get his lunch from and so on?


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    Yeah, he eats healthy enough from me mum, but because she has a seriously sweet tooth, she keeps chocolates all around the house, so he snacks on those.

    I'm also peeved at my older brother, since he is very active, very muscular and even ran the 25km Paris marathon and wont help with him! Is frustrating when you're the only one concerned enough. I used to(basically) raise him since no one else was home and I always make healthy dinners and he eats them just fine, but I don't think the food he gets now is as healthy at all.
  • ScarredVampiress
    ScarredVampiress Posts: 76
    What my kids do is we are outside ALL the time.The only time we are in the house is if it's raining....If they are in the house playing video games OR watching cartoons then they want to snack. I have noticed by being outside all the time (now that the weather is nicer) they don't want to eat and just want to play. Kids always want to be active and run/play. Is there something at school your brother can do like a playground? Take him there or just take a walk. I have a 4 and a 2 year old. They LOVE to go on our nightly walks. We make it fun so it's not just a boring walk with mom. My oldest will bring her baby stroller with her baby so she's walking the same as me!!! Also that helps with bed time hehe. I would start with a walk and just make it fun in some way. Play games during it. We will play a color game or count how many times we see something. Good Luck!!

    Ha, yeah..We live in Belgium. >.> Meaning, rain. Me mum and brother USED to go on nightly walks, but she's gotten so busy, so doesn't do the walks anymore or he doesn't want to. But it is a nice way to get them outside. :)
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,961 Member
    What's not being addressed here is his eating habits. He's not obviously buying his food so who's making dinner, where does he get his lunch from and so on?


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    Yeah, he eats healthy enough from me mum, but because she has a seriously sweet tooth, she keeps chocolates all around the house, so he snacks on those.

    I'm also peeved at my older brother, since he is very active, very muscular and even ran the 25km Paris marathon and wont help with him! Is frustrating when you're the only one concerned enough. I used to(basically) raise him since no one else was home and I always make healthy dinners and he eats them just fine, but I don't think the food he gets now is as healthy at all.
    It starts there with kids. Habits don't change unless there's a change.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Bailey543
    Bailey543 Posts: 375
    So my first post was before I read everyone else's comments. Don't let anyone tell you he is overweight! He is a growing boy and boys grow much different. You made a comment about how he looks a lot like the boy from Two and a Half Men. Google that boy now and see what he looks like at an older age. He's tall and thinned out. I'm not saying some healthier foods and physical activity wouldn't benefit your brother, but I honestly think you may be more worried about this than you should. A lot of the other posters were definitely right when suggesting you try and take him out and have some fun w/ him. If it isn't called exercise and doesn't feel forced, your brother will enjoy it. Good luck!
  • Elizadolots
    Elizadolots Posts: 178
    I told my son we are now going for a short walk every evening. 'Oh no', he says 'that is going to be sooo boring.' So I walked with him to a nearby construction site. An hour later he says 'Mum, this was awesome, can we go walk every day for hours?'

    I suppose my point is to incorporate something he is really interested in, in a way that is not too blatant 'exercise'. Also, teach him about how the body works, let him be proud about making good choices. Make it fun!
  • ahealthy4u
    ahealthy4u Posts: 442 Member
    I would say sports if he wants to dont force him or he will hate it and he should choose what he wants to play. If you have a WII or PS they work great with the exercise work outs because you are playing a game not really thinking that you are actually working out. Good Luck to you. You could always schedule some time with him to go walking or something if you wanted to hang out and help him out.
  • sandrajune72
    sandrajune72 Posts: 492 Member
    also try geocaching.
    you can make it into a whole secret thing.

    Basically you go on a website, and get GPS coordinates then have to go find some little treasure thing.
    Get a GPS or a smart phone and go for a hike. You even get to call other people that don't know about it muggles.

    ^this^ without a doubt, the best way to get kids walking! My 2 love it!! :smile:
  • pixlamarque
    pixlamarque Posts: 312 Member
    also try geocaching.
    you can make it into a whole secret thing.

    Basically you go on a website, and get GPS coordinates then have to go find some little treasure thing.
    Get a GPS or a smart phone and go for a hike. You even get to call other people that don't know about it muggles.

    This is a fabulous idea! I would bet that any boy that age would find it fun. Heck, I'm an almost 40 year old woman, and I think it would be great. I also second all the votes for Kinect. The game that it usually comes with (Adventures) will get him moving and having fun. I also agree that you shouldn't tell him you are trying to get him to lose weight. If you just spend more time with him doing fun, active things then hopefully he will a) get more exercise and b) develop an interest in doing those things on his own. The geocaching thing also might help him make friends if there were other kids his age into it.
  • shannong311
    shannong311 Posts: 59 Member
    My daughter gained alot of weight due to a condition she has (she's 5'1 and was 160+). Going outside and running around isn't an option for her either because she has Severe asthma and is allergic to pretty much everything. So she has been wanting to do something so we got her Zumba on the Kinect. I'm not saying your brother will like zumba it's self but the Kinect for the 360 really gets your movin with the games it has and it makes it fun. (I didn't read all the posts but if someone already suggested this sorry for duplication).
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    What's not being addressed here is his eating habits. He's not obviously buying his food so who's making dinner, where does he get his lunch from and so on?


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    Actually, that was addressed on page 1.
  • ElizabethObviously
    ElizabethObviously Posts: 380 Member
    Kinect Games you could try are Fruit Ninja and the Star Wars ones as well as the sports ones.

    . Since he is a boy he might not like the dancing games as much.

    And yeah do not say let's try to lose weight because he will dig his feet in and fight you the entire way. You have a lot of suggestions here. Walk to the store. Walk around the block. Use as an excuse to talk to your little brother before he grows up too fast!
  • sandrajune72
    sandrajune72 Posts: 492 Member
    also try geocaching.
    you can make it into a whole secret thing.

    Basically you go on a website, and get GPS coordinates then have to go find some little treasure thing.
    Get a GPS or a smart phone and go for a hike. You even get to call other people that don't know about it muggles.

    This is a fabulous idea! I would bet that any boy that age would find it fun. Heck, I'm an almost 40 year old woman, and I think it would be great. I also second all the votes for Kinect. The game that it usually comes with (Adventures) will get him moving and having fun. I also agree that you shouldn't tell him you are trying to get him to lose weight. If you just spend more time with him doing fun, active things then hopefully he will a) get more exercise and b) develop an interest in doing those things on his own. The geocaching thing also might help him make friends if there were other kids his age into it.

    It's great fun! We even do it while abroad on holiday! Once you get bitten by the Geocaching bug, there's no going back!! :bigsmile:

    http://www.geocaching.com/default.aspx
  • trijoe
    trijoe Posts: 729 Member
    also try geocaching.
    you can make it into a whole secret thing.

    Basically you go on a website, and get GPS coordinates then have to go find some little treasure thing.
    Get a GPS or a smart phone and go for a hike. You even get to call other people that don't know about it muggles.

    Wow! This sounds like a lot of fun! Do you HAVE to have kids involved?

    We sign our 3 elementary aged kids up for early morning swim lessons all summer long. It keeps them active and burns off their day's allotment of energy, it keeps them involved in a healthy activity, and it builds up their appetites so I can stuff them with all sorts of healthy fresh fruits n veggies. (This makes the small portion of garbage I grudgingly give them seem even smaller. There's a plus in there somewhere...)

    We also visit the library often, and load up on books. A "reward" for doing well in swim lessons is 30 minutes of reading. Not exactly exercise I suppose, but it gives the kids a little focused down time so they're not acting so "exhausted" by the end of the day. And, how can you go wrong reading during summer break?

    So that's what works for us. Good luck figuring out a routine for your little brother. For what it's worth, I think half the battle is already won when he has a big sister so willing to do so well for him. You're an inspiration.

    I hope this helps.
    TriJoe.

    OH! Our oldest - now 10, got into kids 5k runs and kids' triathlons. Now, one of our 7yo twins wants to follow in big sister's footsteps and race. She and I do our first 1mile fun run this Sunday. You may have luck finding some sort of race that your little brother might enjoy. Boys do tend to enjoy anything with a little competition thrown in.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,961 Member
    What's not being addressed here is his eating habits. He's not obviously buying his food so who's making dinner, where does he get his lunch from and so on?


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    Actually, that was addressed on page 1.
    It was touched on by just saying there was junk in the house. I doubt he's just eating chocolate for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so there must be other meals he's eating. Is it cooked or just nuked? Do they let him eat as much as he want's or is it limited? Is it balanced?
    Weight is directly related to food intake and for a child his age should be addressed more than just the exercise. Kids his age already will have a higher metabolic rate and you'll see even chubby kids run and play. They're chubby because their diets suck.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    What's not being addressed here is his eating habits. He's not obviously buying his food so who's making dinner, where does he get his lunch from and so on?


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    Actually, that was addressed on page 1.
    It was touched on by just saying there was junk in the house. I doubt he's just eating chocolate for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so there must be other meals he's eating. Is it cooked or just nuked? Do they let him eat as much as he want's or is it limited? Is it balanced?
    Weight is directly related to food intake and for a child his age should be addressed more than just the exercise. Kids his age already will have a higher metabolic rate and you'll see even chubby kids run and play. They're chubby because their diets suck.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    *sigh*
  • aimeercole
    aimeercole Posts: 33
    I have a similar problem with my 11 year old. He is 5'3 and 146 pounds. His problem is he thinks this is okay! He looks at the football players and WWE wrestlers being big and thinks that is what he wants to look like. I don't think he understands the difference between muscle bulk and fat yet, after all he is only 11. HOWEVER, what I have done is asked him to "train me" to get in shape. I had him google and excercise program and put together a cardio and weight liftying routine. He is my "trainer". Now, everyday, we do the program HE PICKED OUT. We get to spend quality time together and work out every day. We both get in shape and he gets to feel like he is in charge of something I am doing (not me forcing him to do something). I think it makes him feel very grown up. Its been a blast so far.
  • ScarredVampiress
    ScarredVampiress Posts: 76
    Ha, that's cute he thinks he's oke from wrestlers. haha But not oke, but cute. I have tried the same thing with him before actually and he kind of liked it, really, but he got so tired after the first 10 minutes. haha

    Also don't have a GPS(yes, get lost a LOT) or a smart phone, so cant do geocoaching but i wish we did! O.o It sounds very nifty.

    Also, his meals are FINE. Me mum gives him healthy things for snacks and breakfast, and dinner is normally very nice, although they do order pizza once in a month or so. But it's the junk that is messing him up.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,961 Member
    What's not being addressed here is his eating habits. He's not obviously buying his food so who's making dinner, where does he get his lunch from and so on?


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    Actually, that was addressed on page 1.
    It was touched on by just saying there was junk in the house. I doubt he's just eating chocolate for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so there must be other meals he's eating. Is it cooked or just nuked? Do they let him eat as much as he want's or is it limited? Is it balanced?
    Weight is directly related to food intake and for a child his age should be addressed more than just the exercise. Kids his age already will have a higher metabolic rate and you'll see even chubby kids run and play. They're chubby because their diets suck.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    *sigh*
    Really what are you sighing about? Show any posts on page 1 that are actually addressing actual information on what the kid is eating on a daily basis?


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • 76tech
    76tech Posts: 1,455 Member
    I'm having trouble with my little brother. I'm not around him all the time like I used to be, especially since I used to be the babysitter, really, and he's gained a lot of weight. I'd say he's about 5'2" and weighs almost as much as I do(132lbs).

    How do you motivate children (he's 11) to exercise or eat healthy?

    Keep in mind, there isn't access to a personal garden to play in.

    When I was that age, I like riding my bike and skateboarding more than anything else. Skateboarding pretty much took me from being overweight to being more fit.

    It's all a matter of finding something that they enjoy.
    Owns more shoes than any man should.
    Leaps miniature buildings in a single bound.
    Knows the difference between loose and lose.
    Can mix a filthy martini with his eyes closed.

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