feeling guilty about dd's weight

[mamasmissionimpossible]

We just got a letter from my dd school about her weight which claims she is in the 92nd centile and 'overweight'. She is 5. Does anyone have any tips to help her get out of the overweight category without her noticing too much.

She absolutely loves food and is always asking me for more to eat. I don't always give in to every request, or I think she would be eating too much. Unfortuntely, she really prefers sitting down activities to active ones. Although, I do make she walks to school and get at least 45 mins after school to run about.

I'm not sure where I am going wrong, and as she only slightly overweight I hope it is a problem that can be solved with a few dietary/exercise changes.

[JuliaScurr]

low fat dairy is m0re effective as a weight loser because calcium stops fat being absorbed
the same food made into soup is more filling for longer
fibre is hard to digest so ditto
hth

[ZZZenagain]

maybe reorganise the amounts on her plate. So if she has meat with potatoes and vegetables, give her fewer potatoes and more veg (well try anyway!). Try and get her to drink a glass of water before she begins to eat. I suppose in order to get her to do this, you may all just have to do it.

[ZZZenagain]

watch things like fruit juice and fruit. They need some but not too much.

[QTPie]

Do you think that she is overweight? Or starting to be overweight? Maybe go to the GP for s scone opinion and some advice?

Does she like anything physical? Swimming? Dancing? Ballet? Tap? Karate? Gymnastics? Tennis? Anything there interest her? Can she start a regular activity or two each week after school?

What is she eating? Think about both portion sizes and the things that she is eating and drinking (a surprising amount of empty calories can come from drinks). Does she snack much? Maybe keep a food diary for a week to see, on paper, what she is actually eating.

I think it is a great thing to take seriously now. I was a chubby kid and a chubby teen and it wasn't great at all (by 16 I was a size 14). Went to university, got interested in sport and everything got sorted out (am still a size 10 at 39). You are never too young to have good nutrition and lead an active lifestyle and it stands you in good sted as you get older.

QT

[tacal]

what centile is your dd on for height? I weighed ds today and it looks like he is on the 92nd centile for weight. He is 4. He is tall so I think his weight would be classed as in the normal range. Do you agree with the school that she is overweight? It sounds like you are doing all the right things.

[tazmo]

Frankly I would not worry too much about the eating part. Get her to,get out more if you can - encourage exercise but eating well! I wish my kids ate! I wouldn't want your kids to become paranoid! Kids vary a lot at different stages in their lif and I would celebrate they eat well!

[mamasmissionimpossible]

Thanks for your replies. Some helpful advice.

QTPie - In clothes I don't think she looks overweight. I only notice that she has a bit of tummy when she takes her clothes off. I don't think she is aware of it, I hope. I never talk about weight only about healthy eating and be healthy and strong, as I hope this will send home the right message.

I don't think it helps that the grandparents 'spoil' her with treats. My dm is overweight and my mil seems to equate food with love. So I have will have to keep an even closer eye on what they feed dd.

Thankfully she is not very fussy and will happily eat veg and fruit. I worry I may have overdone the fruit and she does get a carton of juice in her lunchbox, which will have to go. She only has water or milk at other times of the day.

I think her diet overall is pretty healthy but she just seems to want to eat ALL the time. As soon as I'm in the kitchen she asking for more food. I feel mean keep denying her, but I know she will not thank me if other kids pick on her if she gets more overweight :(

I am looking into classes for her. She likes dancing. I think I will try for a weekend class as she is so tired after school that I think it would be too much at the moment.

[poachedeggs]

We had this with DS six months ago. He's slimmed down a good bit but I'm waiting for him to be weighed again to see if his BMI has changed much.

We gave him good portions of protein, mostly eggs, chicken and fish, tons of veg, and eased right back on the carby snacks. He gets a carrot instead of toast, for example.

I also signed him up for some extra after school clubs which meant an extra couple of miles walk twice a week and a couple of hours running around. Plus he swims twice a week. I try to think that each hour in front of the TV is an hour that he's evolved to spend being active.

He looks really muscular now so I expect his BMI will be high still but I am much happier with his health than I was.

[stargirl1701]

With children, focus on being active. Try to avoid the 'going to groups' idea and make activity just part of the day. Walk to school, get the bus to town and get off a couple of stops early, take the stairs, walk to the park everyday, etc.

In terms of helping her feel full, protein will help. Reduce your plate size.

Have you asked for help from the school nurse? Have you looked at the ideas on the Change 4 Life website?

I think you will need to talk to your relatives regarding the food treats though.