To be thinking of how to help my 6 year old son lose weight?

[mellowbird]

He's always been chubby/stocky but he's starting to look quite fat now....i don't want to make it an issue but when i try to cut back on what he consumes/make healthier food swaps etc...he moans and whines...i think he needs to be told that he is eating too much....but is this wrong?? don't want him to have low self esteem or poor body image.

[BornToFolk]

How much excercise does he get? I think I'd be trying to increase the amoun of excercise rather than restrict food...unless he's eating loads of junk food all the time.

[mellowbird]

We walk to and from school every day (about 1 mile)

Today we went to the park then walked the coastpath (about 2.5 miles),park again in afternoon.

He does multisports on Saturday morning,that's an hour of running around,swimming lesson once a week at school.

That's about it,more dog walking and park etc...during the week.

[orienteerer]

Could he not do some active after school clubs? How about tag rugby or football on a Sunday morning?

[bubblecoral]

You can't make a 6 yo lose weight, it's not healthy. You should be aiming for him to not put on weight as he gets older so that he grows into it.

I think you should talk to your GP who could let you talk to a nutritionist. You need to make sure that portion sizes are suitable for a 6 yo, you might be surprised at how little food they need.

Make excercise more fun for him, make the effort to find out what he likes doing and then give him the opportunity to do it.

If he moans and whines that he can't eat what he wants whan he wants, then you just have to put up with it. As a parent, it's your job to make sure he is healthy, whether he moans or not.

[mellowbird]

Yes....you are right....will put up with the moaning.

My other children are very skinny,i have to encourage them to eat!!

[FabbyChic]

dont allow him to snack on crisps or sweets, if you give him packed lunch put in healthy options rather than crisps/biscuits.

[Selks]

I'd present it as a 'whole family' approach to him...don't make a big deal out of it but just say that all the family is going to eat less of the stuff that is bad for us and more of the stuff that is good for us. Don't make him go hungry but swap an unhealthy snack - say, crisps, for a healthy one such as an apple for example. You could introduce the idea of 'traffic light' food - red food is food that you all only have as an occasional treat, orange is ok in moderation and green for good foods etc.
The general approach as I understand it is not to aim for children to diet / lose weight as such but to eat healthier plus a bit less calories so that as they grow their weight becomes more appropriate to height.
You're right to want to avoid personalising it as an issue to him, as it is so easy for overweight children to end up with self esteem issues as a result of how people respond to their overweight.

[CMOTdibbler]

I think you need to look seriously at his portion sizes, and implement seconds of veggies only, plus veggies to snack on - he'll still get plenty of food. Plus, what does he drink ? You can get an awful lot of calories through milk and juice

[mellowbird]

I am encouraging him to eat more slowly,he bolts his food,sometimes using his hands aswel as knife and fork,shovelling it in at an alarming rate,he's putting the next forkfull in before he's finished chewing/swallowing the one he's on...he will eat huge amounts (if he's allowed to) and will try to finish his brother's meals too.

[pointydog]

Look at what the whole family eats and cut out any rubbishy extras.

[mellowbird]

To drink he has squash,the no added sugar ones (i am aware that there is still sugar in these though) so maybe water?

[myBOYSareBONKERS]

So basically he is greedy then. My DS age 7 yrs is exactly the same and I have had to rein him in as we do have a tendency to be over weight.

[MumblingRagDoll]

Yes...water to drink. No added sugar usually means Aspartame and other nasty additives.

Three meals a day....penty of apples and a banana if he's starving.

Cut out youghurts and cheese snacks....he should get his dairy from hole milk and a little butter...not spread.

[mellowbird]

well,i was a bit worried to suggest this but it seems that may be the case.

He just can't get enough and if allowed he would eat and eat,of course i don't allow this but i'm sure he'd eat til he was sick if i let him

[MumblingRagDoll]

I don't think 6 year old's can e greedy actually....Ithink they can have an imbalance of sugars which makes them feel starving....too many sugary foods cause a crash in energy which makes them want more crap food.

[MumblingRagDoll]

What does he have for brekkie on a typical day Mellowbird?

[mellowbird]

He doesn't have cheese snacks etc...too expensive...he does have fruit,there is literally nothing he doesn't like!!!

[chocolatchaud]

Is he your youngest? I find my youngest eats similar portions to the older ones and eats things that they would never have been allowed at the same age. Not sure how to tackle that really, other than not having those unhealthy foods available to him, as others have said.

Also, it's often said that thirst is mistaken for hunger, so perhaps a few more glasses of water? Good luck - tough one.

[manicinsomniac]

I don't think you are being unreasonable. My friend put her 6 year old on a diet a couple of years ago without telling the little girl she was doing it. SO the child ate more healthily/ate less without a) really knowing she was doing it or b) connecting it to her weight and weight loss at all. She is now a slim 8 year old.

[niceguy2]

You are going to have to be strict and this is one of those situations where you are going to have to be cruel to be kind. It goes against every parental instinct to watch your child go hungry.

But I agree with others that it's probably not just how much he's eating but what he's eating too.

I'd make sure more meals are homecooked to avoid the crap they put into packaged foods, cut out the sweet drinks, up the veg & fruit and over time I bet he'll get leaner.

But this isn't something you can just do for a few months. For this to be effective, this is going to have to be a lifestyle change for your entire family forever.

[MumblingRagDoll]

Does he have mainly fresh foods? Or are lots processed?

[bibbitybobbityhat]

THIS IS NOT AN AIBU QUESTION

[mellowbird]

We have a mix of home cooked and ready prepared foods.

George is my 4th child but not the youngest.

For breakfast he either has toast or cereal.

I really appreciate all the ideas and suggestions thankyou.

[CharlotteBronteSaurus]

YANBU
dd1 (4) has a tendency to put on weight if left to nature. she loves her food, and sadly has always preferred sedentary pursuits like reading and crafts.
we do the following:
limit portion size (dd1 doesn't know this, she just eats what she's given)
sweet treats/crisps only at the weekend - this is a whole family rule
sticker chart for exercise every day, mostly as this helps me to ensure she has a good run out/swim/dance every day.

we never speak of weight, or size, or fatness, but dd1 knows that being healthy involves doing lots of exercise, and eating treats in moderation