How can I help my 10 year old lose weight?

[Kitsandkids]

My 10 year old is gradually piling on the weight. Until he was 7 he was very slim but now he is noticeably big. He doesn't seem bothered though he has said a few times 'I've got a big belly.' I have never mentioned his weight to him.

The thing is, I don't really know what more I can do. We walk 25 minutes to and from school each day. He does Cubs one night a week, a youth club where they play football etc another night, ice skating another night. Swimming at least once a week. On Sundays he does a fairly active hobby for 3 hours.

We eat fairly healthily though do often get a takeaway on a Saturday night. I've put him onto packed lunches (which he wanted) because I suspect he was getting seconds at school dinners.

His brother, a year younger, is absolutely stick thin, so I can't really make the portions smaller as he obviously needs the food! I have noticed when we're out at play parks etc that the younger one will race about while the 10 year old spends more time sitting.

Any suggestions? He has slight SEN and no friends at school and I don't really want it to become something that he could be picked on about. Many thanks.

Quick meal ideas that go down well here (totally understand the newly mobile 1 year-old plus bigger brothers issue!)

Omelette (I'd add as much veg as possible and then just a little cheese or ham for taste) - serve with a salad or more veg like broccoli etc.

Microwave baked potato/sweet potato - 10 minutes for a large potato, serve them half each, top with whatever they like e.g. tuna mayo, baked beans, anything leftover-ish that could be made into something else! Again more veg on the side.

Microwave rice - often use this as a base for something. Add in frozen veg & make a quick egg-fried rice, or serve with a piece of fish or cold meat, or add to soup like your tomato soup to make it feel more substantial and avoid the bread.

Pasta, pesto, frozen peas and frozen spinach. Chuck the spinach in with the pasta, put the peas in as well towards the end. Stir through pesto. Very easy, and you can use wholewheat pasta.

But probably best of all is to be able to chuck something in the oven or slowcooker so prep earlier in the day so you don't need to 'cook' much e.g. traybaked chicken or sausages with chunky veg/roast chicken/fish parcels or slowcooker stews/bolognese etc.

You've had lots of advice regarding food and I echo what a pp said that it's not really about losing weight, but more about them not gaining as they grow. Regarding exercise, it's recommended that children have 60 mins of vigorous exercise every day, so there are definitely health benefits to be gained there.

What do you about a dc who has zero interest in any form of exercise whatsoever but is still eating too much compared to the amount of energy they are using up because they say they're hungry all the bloody time?

Yesterday he had a bowl of own brand Cheerio type cereal for breakfast, a ham and cheese sandwich on white bread, a portion of cut up pepper, a portion of water melon, a yoghurt pouch for lunch, tomato soup, half a shop bought garlic bread with cheese and some plain popcorn for tea. I don't think that's too bad for a growing 10 year old?

Sorry OP but that's a dreadful diet IMO.

If he's overweight he is eating too much. Exercise is great but its a way to be fit and not an easy way to lose weight. He needs to eat more decent food and not cereal, sandwich and soup with garlic bread.

You might however find that he's due a growth spurt. A few of the boys in DS2s class in year 6 got a but chubby for a bit before growing.

I'd batch cook at weekends so that you know you are giving him a decent main meal in the evenings and a decent breakfast.

My son has been very overweight for a few years (he has SN) but we have slowed the gain down a lot. We do talk to him about healthy eating, better choices etc and he is getting better and better at it. I give him lots of veg and salad options to try all the time so he can find new things he likes. Yesterday I tried making courgetti for him and he liked it so much that he said that we should have it instead of spaghetti. He knows he is overweight (there are plenty of people who will comment on this - school friends, grandparents etc so you can't shield them entirely) but luckily he doesn't get upset by comments. Here is the sort of thing he eats each day:-

B - Eggs and salmon usually
L - School lunch (he tends to have tomato pasta or a baguette) plus water
S - Fruit (sometimes a bag of crisps but he used to have chocolate on several days after school and he no longer does that - his own choice)
D - Steak and salad, roast dinner, stew with mash and veg
He has a magnum for pudding maybe half the days and nothing or fruit on the others

I'd say rather than cutting down portions try to move from very carby meals to more veg or salad on the plate (half the plate if you can). Try cooking with him and experimenting with veg - it doesn't have to be just boiled greens after all!

For comparison DS2 is 11 and yesterday had:

breakfast - beans and cheese on toast with poached egg, glass of fruit juice

snack - apple

lunch (at school) - chicken wrap, sweet potato wedges, small blueberry muffin, water to drink

dinner - pork tenderloin in chilli ginger and garlic with cous cous and a very large corn on the cob (very easy meal, prep time about ten minutes and all bunged in the oven) Rhubarb and strawberry crumble, water to drink.

Sorry OP but that's a dreadful diet IMO

I don't think it's dreadful, she is attempting to get some fruit into him. The packed lunch isn't bad at all. With a few swaps- a better breakfast and a more substantial evening meal, it could be a lot better.

My daughters don't necessarily eat a lot better than that some days and they are both very slim. Increasing activity levels can make a difference with children, it's different from trying to lose weight as an adult. They are growing and need quite a lot of calories. Half of their calories should come from whole grains, fresh fruits and dairy sources of carbohydrates.

With "a few swaps a better breakfast and a more substantial evening meal" its a different diet though

My 10 year old son has ASD and is food obsessed, his weight crept up quite a bit over the last couple of years and he was quite noticeably overweight. He has managed to lose nearly 1 and a half stone over the last few months. Main things- cutting down portion sizes. Not buying multipacks of anything so it isn't there, he can chose one little 'treat' at the shop a couple of times a week and when it is gone it is gone. Increase of fruit and veg (lots of salads etc in the summer), cutting down processed stuff. Also for my DS seeing the scales and the weight coming off, and seeing his clothes that had become too tight fitting him well again has been great motivation.

Sorry just to add- when he wants a 'treat', things such as sugar free ice pop or sugar free jelly pot, he loves them as they are 'treat like' and his obsession has been satisfied!

TheKitchenWitch how old is the dc? Can you do family walks or swimming?
Then as others have said, reduce carbs. A high carb diet just makes some people really hungry.

He's just not a naturally active child, so even though he does a certain amount of walking every day (he got a fitbit before summer and has really enjoyed tracking his steps and "competing" with me) and 1 sport a week, he's not actually burning off much energy iyswim.

We eat a fairly healthy diet, I cook every day, and I don't think he's eating more than he used to, but somehow the weight is piling on. He's 11, maybe due for a growth spurt? I shall limit the carbs and up the veg (which he likes, so at least there won't be protests).