to think my dd eats a lot and worry about her weight?

[PinkHardHat]

My exH is morbidly obese. I had weight issues in my teens but have been a size 8-10 for the past nine years or so. Dd is 6, around 105cm tall and almost 4 stone. She looks fine from behind but has always had a big tummy that protrudes out of clothes. She does loads of exercise but her tummy seems to be growing bigger. We eat healthily but have McDonalds once per month, which we had at the weekend. She was sharing various things with her cousins and declared afterwards that she'd eaten ten chicken nuggets as well as a box of fries. That's more than I could eat! She's told me before that her dad has given her Pringles and she ate the entire tube

Today she had:

Two slices of brown toast with choc spread and banana and a yoghurt
Milk and Apple at snack time
Lunch consisting of three crackers, cheese, ham, peppers, cucumber, carrots, strawberries, melon, grapes, small cake
After school snacks of pineapple, cherries, popcorn and a bowl of cereal
Dinner of two Yorkshire puddings, broccoli, peas, cauliflower, five roast potatoes and four chipolata sausages
Pudding of jam sponge
An hour later was asking for yoghurt and fruit

If I reduce portion sizes she asks for more. She isn't eating due to boredom as she is always busy but she eats loads more than me and weighs almost half what I do. Aibu to worry about her eating and weight at this stage?

[OrangeMochaFrappucino]

It's really difficult reducing kids' carbs. My 3yo ds doesn't like much protein - he won't eat cheese, ham, eggs, much meat except chicken, sausages and bacon. He loves smoked fish and fishfingers but not a nice piece of fresh fish. He loves fruit but won't touch veg. So although I know the ideal would be plenty of fresh unprocessed protein and veg, I can't actually get that diet into him and do the best I can with the restrictions we have. I focus on the positives - a treat that he absolutely loves is ff plain Greek yoghurt with berries. I give him that when I can. He is happy to eat wholemeal carbs so that's what we buy.

don't believe in making meaIs a battlefield, I believe in giving the best diet possible whilst gently encouraging children to gradually expand the range of food they eat. You can't suddenly switch to a perfect diet for your daughter, it's not as easy as some people imply. Making small sustainable swaps is, imo, a better approach.

And I was restricted from snacking as a child by my mother who disapproved of eating between meals even if a meal was delayed by a couple of hours eg when eating out for dinner. I learned to sneak food in secret and it wasn't healthy choices! Kids have small stomachs and tend to be very active, three meals a day is an arbitrary constraint and there is nothing wrong with healthy snacks for small children.

[CrohnicallyTingling]

If she can't eat more lunch, why not switch some of the items?

Ham sandwich, add a dip like hummus or sour cream for the vegetable sticks, yoghurt (plain full fat greek if possible- it's creamy and sweet tasting without adding sugar) instead of fruit and biscuit. She wouldn't need the snack a jacks with that lot! Maybe add a few cheese cubes, or maybe she could have cheese with her after school snack.

[Purplepoodle]

My 5 year old has been going through a growth spurt and eating loads. I got to the point that he gets a snack (cereal/toast ect) then if he wants anymore its veg sticks, carrots, peppers, celery. I let him munch away, but that's all he gets until it's a mealtime. Pudding would be fruit and yogurt.

If your worried I would ditch any cakes/chocolate spread and stick to veg snacks.

[brettgirl2]

Jelly how does a young child get hold of unhealthy snacks? Snacking is the route of many children's eating problems. The number of people who panic and start shovelling cereal bars and bananas down the second kids say the 'hungry' word and then wonder why they won't eat dinner half an hour later.

Mine have 2 light snacks a day and that it is between meals, but there is a level of common sense with meal delays/ after school swimming lessons etc. If you give less carbs then ds will surely gradually eat more protein. They need to learn if they don't eat then they will be hungry.

The OP's child is overweight. My attitude would be if she didn't want protein then she isn't really hungry.

[OrangeMochaFrappucino]

We had them in the house when I was little ie chocolate bars for lunches that I would find and eat - obviously that's avoidable! But I do remember being genuinely hungry between meals and I don't think a regulated snack for a child is a problem. (Later when I got pocket money I would spend it on chocolate at an older age.) I agree that they need to learn and mild hunger is fine, but it's not as easy as some people are suggesting to just make anyone's diet perfect immediately, especially a fussy child.

[OrangeMochaFrappucino]

What I mean is - self control and weight management is hard for a lot of people and I think the OP can improve her daughter's diet in stages rather than all at once. So, reducing snacks and swapping food choices rather than suddenly cutting everything out all at once.

[Sneepy]

Are the hot dinners any good at your school? If they are, they might be more filling than what you're giving her for lunch. If not, I'd leave out the crisps & biscuit and put in cheese cubes, yogurt, nuts(if allowed), cold sausages, instead of some of the fruit. My 5.5yo has a ham & salad wrap, cheese cubes, grapes or apple, and crisps or a cereal bar. It doesn't take that long to eat and fills her up till home time. My 7yo has hot dinners and they seem to agree with her.

Also, 6-6:30 seems really late for dinner, mine go to bed at 7!! If you can't make her lunch more filling or move dinner earlier (5pm for most kids I know) why not give her dinner right after school? She's clearly hungry at that time and could then have cereal or toast and a banana before bed.

[2rebecca]

I'd cut out the crisps totally, stop buying them and reduce her portion sizes. If she complains she's hungry she has a drink of water and an apple or an orange which she has to peel etc. Her stomach size needs to shrink, she's got used to eating too much. If you always let her eat as much as she likes she'll continue to overeat.
In the short term it will be difficult but in the long term much better for her health. If my husband was overweight I'd be cooking less food all round and stopping buying sweet and snack stuff.
I only do puddings occasionally as well. She can have an apple or orange (not banana the calories are too accessible) if she wants something else. Steam puddings daily are OTT.
She has to get used to her stomach not being constantly full though.

[ilikemysleep]

My DS is also 6, big for his age, he is 128cm and weighs exactly 4 stone. He isn't fat at all but neither is he skinny. He gets 3 chipolatas, 2 small new potatoes and some peas if we are eating that sort of dinner. I think if he were 10cm smaller and the same weight I would be watching things. One thing that I find is avoiding high GI foods at breakfast, something like toast and choc spread will send blood sugar soaring and crashing, making you 'hungry' again very soon. Brown toast and peanut butter (the wholenut stuff) or porridge would be better at avoiding that peak and crash that makes you feel hungry again very quickly.

[frogwatcher42]

Op - you are now saying she isn't overweight and just has a bloated tum. Then what are you worrying about? Lots of 6 year olds have bloated tums - partly because they stand with back arched and tummy sticking out!!! If your dd was overweight she would show it in other areas too - legs, arms, back etc.

I agree you need to up the protein and good fats - they will fill her up way better than the huge amount of fruit and veg she is eating (not saying fruit and veg are not good - of course they are but they don't fill up somebody who is very active and growing as your dd is). Give her tuna in her sandwich, or chicken (large chunks of it), or other proteins.

I think my dds would be hungry on your second list of food that she has had. Soup and two rolls, after quite a light lunch, isn't a lot and isn't very filling.

[Ubik1]

the thing about the round tummy...my middle DD is 7 and still has a round tummy. It doesn't have much fat on it but it just sticks out, like a hangover from toddlerhood. Her friend who is all arms and legs, tall and slim, but also has a tummy that sticks out. Other girls do not have this.

Are you sure that this is not just a normal little girl tummy? Or is she preparing for a growth spurt - the other thing my DC do is gain weight before they grow.

Are hr trousers tight around the tops of her legs? Tops tight around the tops of her sleeves?

[2rebecca]

For the height and weight given your daughter is on the 99th centile for her BMI and is very overweight. www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/Healthyweightcalculator.aspx is the link to the BMI centile calculator. You can do it more accurately as you know her date of birth. It sounds like more than having a bit of a tummy though.

[frogwatcher42]

Rather than relying on a notoriously difficult way of truly assessing overweightedness (is that a word?)(meaning charts, paper based methods), just take her to the nurse/doc and ask them to assess her weight. If they say she is fine then relax.

If they say she is overweight then you know you have to do something.

[PinkHardHat]

Frog I didn't say she isn't overweight. I said she doesn't look overweight, besides her solid poking out tummy. The charts say she is overweight.

It's all very well saying give her cheese/hummus etc but she just doesn't like it. It's cruel to give her food she hates so she'll eat less imo. Eggs and hummus make her physically gag. She likes mince, but it isn't her favourite - at least giving that I know it isn't impossible for her to eat it but she'll stop when full.

She doesn't want to have school dinners as her friends have packed lunch. Plus they have substantial puddings everyday so it's not an improvement. Her activities are from 4-6 usually so not enough time for a meal beforehand.

[capsium]

Have you started with any of the smaller changes Pink?

How is it going?

[brettgirl2]

she is 105cm and 4 stone at 6. There is no way that isn't overweight, unless the measurements are wrong in fact surely its obese? It is not cruel to give her different food options, and limit the other stuff. It is this anxiety about kids being hungry which leads to most eating and weight problems.

[brettgirl2]

ok shes 111. That is a lot better but it's still a lot dd is 109 and is 2 stone 8/9 ish I think.

[bicuriousgeorge]

Gosh that is a lot to weigh for a 6 year old who is on the shorter side too.

It's all very well saying she doesn't like cheese meat etc but you really need to reduce something because if she's overweight, clearly her current diet contains too many calories.

[PinkHardHat]

She had porridge and grapefruit this morning. Asked for. A yoghurt and banana too and I said no. She had a wholemeal chicken pitta and salad in her lunchbox plusgrapes and two cold sausages.

[Pooka]

My dd has never quite been in the overweight category, but relatively close at stages.

She's 10 now and her shape has started to change, but until about a year ago she had a noticeably round stomach - looked like she was sticking it out. But there's actually very little fat on it, it was kind of her 'shape' rather than fat. In the last 3 months she has grown about 8cm and looks more proportionate but definitely has a thicker middle than others in her year group still. It distresses me when I'm buying her clothes intended for significantly older children because of it, and guiding her away from certain clothes because they do make her look fat despite the fact that she is withing the healthy range weight/height.

Wht I keep going back to though are the photos of me at the same age. I had the same abdomen. All three of my dcs had broader abdomens right from the first scans in utero! If anything she is skinnier than me on her arms and legs. It's just the middle! But I am and have always since age of about 15/16 been an average 10/12 with broad shoulds and large wrists. Once was an 8 but chest went all sunken with bones visible from the front.

Dd eats healthily and exercises a decent amount. I think over the next couple of years as her body changes more, her stomach will shrink.

[bicuriousgeorge]

Pink, is there any reason why you gave her a chicken pitta AND 2 sausages?
Would a chicken pitta have been enough?

[capsium]

Sounds like an OK start. I take it she didn't kick up too much of a fuss with no yoghurt or banana. Well done.

When I posted earlier I meant to say, re. the yoghurt, cottage cheese, berry smoothie, that the cottage cheese does not affect the flavour badly. The extra protein from the cottage cheese really does make it more filling and it tastes just like regular flavoured yoghurt.

Adding ground almonds (if she can eat nuts) could make the porridge more filling if need be. I would make it with full fat milk as well (less sugars and the the fat will help satisfy her appetite).

[capsium]

Under line fail. I meant not !

[capsium]

I can see the reasoning behind cold sausages in addition. More fat and protein. Fuller for longer.

[Pooka]

Ds1 is 7. He has in his packed lunch today:

2 mini subs (brown) with cheese.
Sme grapes.
Greek yoghurt with honey.
Carrot sticks.