How can I help DD lose a little weight

[shieldmaidenofrohan]

DD9 is a little portly around the tummy area. This is starting to bother her as she is a bit bigger than the other girls in her class (there are only 5 of them so it’s quite obvious as the others are all quite skinny). I’m very conscious not to make an issue out of it and am very careful with my language and how I respond when she talks about it; my mum has a real issue with weight which has not helped me...

So I want to use the holidays to try and reset her diet to healthier options. Any suggestions ? She loves very traditional “British food” like sausages, cottage pie, roast dinners etc. She used to like fish but keeps refusing to eat it. She also loves pasta and Indian. She has a Nutella fetish 😆

So far I’ve switched from normal mince to 5%, ive tried out some chicken Italian sausages this morning which went down well. I’m replacing ice cream with sorbet and trying to gradually introduce healthier options.

She is already very active - when at school she swims daily as she is the swim squad, games lessons every day, horse riding once a week and then 2 hours gymnastics on Saturdays. So activity levels aren’t the issue haha

Good for you OP you have your head screwed on the right way! Sounds like you're doing exactly the right thing for your DD

You say you are doing slimming world op, it is actually a fairly ‘unprocessed’ way of eating- try and get dd to follow it too (unbeknownst to her) eg third of a plate speed food, couple of portions dairy, couple of portions wholmeal carbs, crisps OR popcorn OR a couple of sweets etc, but make real food fun- try different fruits/ veg together, maybe different nuts or breads, if you overhaul your household diet then there’s No temptation with more unhealthier foods

Not sure if this will help, but my ds7 has a cupboard of his own, where I just fill it up with healthy snacks. I also cut up cucumbers, carrots, fruit etc and put in fridge for him to snack on.

He is extremely lean, he has a bloody six pack, no idea where he got that from 😂

Breakfast he will have cereal, yogurt and fruit

Lunch usually wraps with veggies cut up, crisps.

Dinner whatever we are having! Pita, jacket potatoes etc.

I think your diet for her is fine, I'd cut back on processed sugar and foods though! Sugar is one of the main culprits for a portly tum! My son does have sugar don't get me wrong, but it's limited! He also goes nuts on it haha, so little is best for us all!!

yes shield dont worry we all let things go sometimes.sounds to me like your doing all the right things and it wont take long to get her eating a bit more on track.that might not change her body shape too much right now due to the age she is but it will help her feel good and get a better idea of what healthy etc etc.she will get there dont worry.fe more healthy balances and shell be just fine.

Grill and steam food instead of frying.
Use low fat instead of full fat.
Cut down on carbs (bread/pasta/rice/chips/crisps).
Watch for hidden sugars within foods.
Give her child size portions instead of adult size potions. Use smaller plates so she doesn't overload.
Limit takeaway to once per week.
Negotiate nutella as a 'treat' food instead of a 'snack' food.
Old El Paso do various types of meal packs where you put food in bowls to fill wraps/tortillas/shells instead of big plates. It is a healthy way to self regulate so she doesn't over eat.
Give her a glass of milk or water with her meals.
Limit sweet drinks and use foods with natural sugars instead of added sugars.
Lead by example: Take up a family exercise hobby. It is as important to have the whole family focusing on healthy living as it is for your DD to lose weight.

I often get ice lollys for our after tea treat - the rowntrees watermelon ones are lovely and 60 cals

Little peagg, could I ask what sort of treats you have ? This is an area I struggle with ideas

there is nothing wrong with having treats in the house.
there is nothing wrnig with the foods this family i eating
DO NOT put a child girl anyone on slimming world!
people can eat pizza,chocolate,nutella,yummy foods without being fat.
they can also have carbs
they can have veggies
and pasta.
and salad
and fruit
they can fucking eat
its balance
not depriving

does she like to cook op.id say thata a great way to get her into the nurture and intuitive eating and making good from scratch cooking.

Yes Kate she does love cooking and with her being on hols now that’s much easier to facilitate

She’s definitely used to seeing “from scratch” cooking as this is pretty much all we do, I don’t buy ready meals unless pizza

veggie sticks
rice cake
mini crackers
wheat crackers
dried fruit.
nuts
mini pots of rice pudding
breakfast bars.

Don’t replace full fat with low fat. Low fat is generally stuffed with other things to keep flavour and is nowhere near as filling.

Her diet sounds very unhealthy. As she likes pasta, why don't you buy chickpea pasta? Just don't tell her, she probably won't notice. Sausages give you cancer so ditch those. Milk is also bad for you and fattening, so ditch that as well. Fruit isn't a good idea, lots of sugar which you don't need. Puddings are a bad habit to get into. And don't get me started on the Nutella!

sounds like you have such a great family meal and set up.i think if you keep going the way you are with that,and those little changes she should have such a fab food and cooking and health relatiosnhip.
if i were to make any changes id perhaps say "right every week i want to try one more fruit,or veg or recipe."or i want us all to ha e a bit more fruit please guys."etc dont make it about needing to change hers too much

Breakfast and treats sounds like much if the issue.
Try weetabix and a banana with milk no sugar.
Porridge with a small amount of fruit puree and or honey.
Poached or scrambled eggs on wholemeal toast.

Crudites and homemade hummous.
Ice cream as a once a week treat.
Plenty of protein and fruit, hard boiled eggs, oat cakes and cheese, peanut butter on oat cakes.
The key is good fat and protein are fine for us, natural and wholegrain carbs are ok but limit processed sugar.
I think it's brilliant you haven't stuck your head in the sand and decided she is "fine" xx

Milk is not bad. It actually helps with weight loss. Full fat milk is better than low fat.

I make smoothies for breakfast sometimes. 1/2 cup of plain yogurt, strawberries and then another fresh fruit-mango, banana, blueberries. It can be anything. I blend that with a few ice cubes and it can keep me going all morning. I make them for my son as well, but add a bit of honey to his.

To lose a tummy, carbs need to be cut, from things like potatoes, pasta, even breads should be restricted. Carbs from fruits are much better. But really, aerobic exercise is key.

We ve had success with DS by just really paying attention to what he eats over a day. Slightly reducing portion sizes (but not so he notices) and reducing snacks slowly but surely. Its hard as hes active and always asking for more food and his younger brother actually needs to eat more which is tricky to juggle!

Yes another one that says keep an eye out on portion control. They say you meal should be no bigger than what you would put in your cupped hands and even then not pilled high. Obviously that means her hands and not yours.
She does a lot of exercise during the school week which is good, but how will you match that during the school holidays ?
How snorkelling a big bowl in the fridge with ready prepared salafd, small toms, carrot batons etc ready for her to just grab and go when she wants a snack, you could also make up some low fat dips. Perhaps that some days and fruit salad others .
You could make up your own I've lollies by using slightly watered down fruit juice so they will be less sugary than shop bought.
Ask her to help you get fit by thinking of ways to do it, you can do them together.

All the ideas you have sound good, I'd also suggest buying smaller dinner plates (if your current ones are quite big) so that you can still fill them and the food looks like a lot but it is actually less than she might have eaten before. Even if she wants seconds, it is likely to be a smaller portion than she would have had before

Well we had another win with my first “new snack” introduction of frozen blueberries. She came home from gymnastics wanting a snack, I gave her a ramekin of those, she came back wanting more which was a great result.
I’m thinking that going for a jog in the morning together before breakfast would be a great idea, I’m very unfit and it would be good for me plus she does love doing things with me.

I think it's important to not make more than you will eat, so she can't go back for seconds all them time , if she does. My son used to eat as many potatoes as I cooked, for example. It's better than saying no. Now he has to pile on extra veg to complete the meal.

Also, I certainly do cook pasta etc, but I wouldn't buy waffles or Nutella or processed type stuff. Pasta with broccoli, easy home made tomato sauce and grated cheese is great, for example.

The Nhs site is good for portion sizes.

Portion sizes
https://www.southernhealth.nhs.uk/_resources/assets/attachment/full/0/33450.pdf

General tips for feeding children

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/healthy-weight-children-advice-for-parents/

Tricky, I make the waffles myself, they’re a special Swedish type, very thin

These are the waffles I make, but dd likes them with Nutella
www.recepten.se/recept/vaafflor.html

She usually would have the light whipped squirty cream and fruit with them, I might try exchanging the cream for some vanilla yoghurt