Page 8 | To think my ds isnt overweight due to diet

Hannahgirl · 2021-05-20T15:32:05+00:00

2nd post within a day !! Hi my son 5 has severe asd and hes literally on the go all the time he never sits still for a sec. He never eats breakfast lunch or dinner. His snacks tend to be fruit or a sandwich etc. Hes overweight by 2 stone. He is a very tall boy. Aibu

BewareTheBeardedDragon · 20/05/2021 20:56

I've nothing to add except to say please ignore the posters saying him eating whole fruits is equivalent to just eating the sugar content. Whole fruits are very healthy and of no concern at all because their fibre content mitigates the sugar that the body can actually access from them (something like that - NHS website is v clear that sugar is whole fruits is not a worry at all)

motherofadog · 20/05/2021 21:06

I expect someone has already done this but I've just used the NHS calculator to work out his BMI. At 4'4, weighing 4 stone 9, his BMI is 16.9 and he's actually underweight. Does the doctor seriously expect him to weigh 2 stone 9 at that height?

GreyhoundG1rl · 20/05/2021 21:08

@motherofadog

I expect someone has already done this but I've just used the NHS calculator to work out his BMI. At 4'4, weighing 4 stone 9, his BMI is 16.9 and he's actually underweight. Does the doctor seriously expect him to weigh 2 stone 9 at that height?

There's a calculation uptrend showing he's at a healthy weight. Have you put in the numbers correctly?

WiddlinDiddlin · 20/05/2021 21:12

Sugar in fruit is not a concern as part of a balanced diet...

But the OP's child is certainly not eating a balanced diet, which may not be an issue right now, but is probably causing blood sugar to swing around a lot which may be compounding the 'wont eat meals/grazes all the time' issue.

JaceLancs · 20/05/2021 21:32

DS not ASD diagnosed was tall for his age at 4/5 and also started developing eg pubic hair - GP referred for tests as could be hormone imbalance etc
They concluded he was just within normal limits but predicted his adult height would be 6’7” to 6’8”
As it happened growth slowed down in teens and stopped at 6’4.5”
He is still extremely hairy all over though

Terminallysleepdeprived · 20/05/2021 22:04

@JinglingHellsBells

It's a bit laughable so many posters are asking if he IS overweight and asking for his height etc.

Medical professionals have already done this and the OP is being told he is overweight.

No HCP is going to say a child is overweight if they have not done the maths and worked out his BMI/ percentile.

Err actually they do.

My HV told me my 4 week old needed to go on a diet because she made an error. She also had a massive chip on her shoulder about me formula feeding.

My GP said dd was overweight but the hospital day she us underweight. Unfortunately as many have said the kids bmi calculator is utter rubbish.

For ref, dd is 129 cm, 7 years old and weighed 24.7kg when the hospital weighed her in January. She is not overweight.

@Hannahgirl I would take his height and weight and calculate his bmi manually as best you can. Look at average heights and see where his height logs him for age and calculate from that.

If he is on the go then he is either eating more than you realise or there is a medical issue that is only now showing it's head. Either way the food diary is excellent advice and worth doing.

Good luck

KarmaViolet · 20/05/2021 22:35

What Medusa says rings true for me. DD (ASD / SPD) is slightly underweight and is constantly moving. She has poor interoception which means she doesn't know when she's hungry. However she is also a sensory seeker and really likes sugar and salt, ideally in their plain forms, she will eat both off a spoon given a chance (I don't let her!). And the same poor interoception that means she doesn't know when she's hungry means she also doesn't know when she is full, so she will eat snack after snack after snack, and when you are worried that your child hasn't eaten a full meal it's very tempting to let them have the snack they will eat. I can totally see how that turns into a child who "won't eat a meal" but is still overweight.

TheyWentToSeaInASieve · 20/05/2021 22:36

You should trust your instincts and knowledge, OP. Medical practitioners make mistakes ALL the time. I have lost count of the times I have had to take matters into my own hands to resolve thing when it comes to my family's health. I believe a reporter got called in for a COVID jab recently because he was considered severely overweight, but they had his height as just a few inches and nobody twigged.

Fishandhips · 21/05/2021 04:53

@TheyWentToSeaInASieve

You should trust your instincts and knowledge, OP. Medical practitioners make mistakes ALL the time. I have lost count of the times I have had to take matters into my own hands to resolve thing when it comes to my family's health. I believe a reporter got called in for a COVID jab recently because he was considered severely overweight, but they had his height as just a few inches and nobody twigged.

But they're trying to help, OP hasn't been accused of anything, keeping a food diary isn't going to cause distress to her child.

Gymsmile21 · 21/05/2021 04:57

Snacks make you put on weight. I’m a grazer too and as you don’t eat meals you tend to nibble all throughout the day. It all adds up without you noticing.

Why is he not eating meals instead?

Namenic · 21/05/2021 05:28

OP - you’re doing the right things of seeking help. Follow their recommendations of a food diary. Different people need different amounts of food for their bodies and activity levels.

this will be positive overall, because by tweaking things a little, it will probably improve his health and well-being.

Musication · 21/05/2021 05:44

You can't be overweight for you age, only for your height. If he is 4'4 and 4 stone 9 then they are clearly wrong about him being overweight. My DD is 4'6 and 4 stone 10 and she is pretty slim so I can't imagine he looks wildly different. Don't worry, some kind of calculation error has occured.

Musication · 21/05/2021 05:48

Also is he absoultely definitely 4'4? It's super tall for a 5 year old and I say that as a parent of tall kids. My 8.5 year old is 4'6/4'7 and she's very tall for her age.

Popandhop · 21/05/2021 06:27

At 4'4 and 4st 9 your son is in the 84th percentile and is classed as a healthy weight.

kowari · 21/05/2021 06:39

@Musication

You can't be overweight for you age, only for your height. If he is 4'4 and 4 stone 9 then they are clearly wrong about him being overweight. My DD is 4'6 and 4 stone 10 and she is pretty slim so I can't imagine he looks wildly different. Don't worry, some kind of calculation error has occured.

Age comes into it because a healthy bmi changes with a child's age. For example a BMI of 15 is very normal for a 5 year old, they should not be the same weight as a 9 year old the same height. This is why it's important to put the right age in the NHS child bmi calculator.

NewMatress · 21/05/2021 06:46

A 5yo 2 stone over weight? Are you sure? Or is he just heavy for his age because of his height? Surely an extra 2 stone on a 5yo is huge?

Where have you got the information regarding his weight from? 2 stone over what target weight I.e.who told you what he "should" weigh?

WilyKitWilyKat · 21/05/2021 06:52

I used to think I ate very little, then I wrote down what I actually ate and realised I was eating much, much more than I thought.

Torvean · 21/05/2021 07:13

Like others say he is not getting much protein? Does he eat any meat or fish?

He really needs 3 structured meals. Plus appropriate snacks.

It's great that he enjoys fruit. The only one that's a bit high in sugar is bananas.

What about something like weetabix in the morning with berries added and milk.

2 glasses of fluid isn't enough. Drinking water/ no added sugar diluting juice are also OK.

Keeping a food diary is good there's some apps that you can get free trials. You can even scan bar codes. It might give you ideas on what you're doing well and things you might need to change.

I hope you get things sorted.

daisypond · 21/05/2021 07:31

@Torvean
Have you read the OP’s posts? Her son is clearly never going to eat Weetabix with berries and milk!

4PawsGood · 21/05/2021 07:40

I think the dr just looked at weight for age. Or mistyped.

Is he nearly six or just five? He’s extremely tall if he’s nearer five.

www.rcpch.ac.uk/sites/default/files/Boys_2-18_years_growth_chart.pdf

4PawsGood · 21/05/2021 08:00

And didn’t take height into account, I mean.

NobodyKnowsTiddlyPom · 21/05/2021 09:55

@Hannahgirl - with a height of 4ft 4in and a weight of 4st 9lbs (65lbs), your son is only a pound into the 'overweight' category. A weight of 64lbs would put him in the healthy weight category. Children tend to put on weight before a growth spurt too, then stretch. I don't think you need to have any concerns about his weight at all and your GP needs to give his head a wobble! Taking 2 stone off your son's weight would have him weighing 37lbs, which would put him in the dangerously underweight category (0%).

NobodyKnowsTiddlyPom · 21/05/2021 10:06

[quote 4PawsGood]I think the dr just looked at weight for age. Or mistyped.

Is he nearly six or just five? He’s extremely tall if he’s nearer five.

www.rcpch.ac.uk/sites/default/files/Boys_2-18_years_growth_chart.pdf[/quote]
He's still extremely tall even if he's nearer 6! My DS is very tall (98th centile) and when he was 6 he was only 125cm (4ft 1in).

GreyhoundG1rl · 21/05/2021 10:11

He is a very tall lad indeed!

Original poster

Hannahgirl · 21/05/2021 11:36

I called his gp practice and a different doctor callled me back. He's got an appointment for Tuesday to redo his weight etc as the doctor agrees that an error has taken place.
Saying that im still going to keep a food diary as i think it will be helpful. Ive asked his psa to keep one to. His eating habits are far from ideal and i do everything i can to help him eat better foods. Literally everything i get told to do i do but sadly its not helping. He had been prescribed iron and a multi vitamin that despite 6 months he still has lowish iron levels. Last night i made mac and cheese. Which he didn't eat a bite. So his diet yesterday was
Watermelon x3 slices
Packet of chesse and onion pom bears
2 x milk
Water
School told me he licked the tomato sauce off the burger and thats it.

OP posts: