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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Overweight 9yr old

137 replies

Jmjonesuk · 03/06/2021 09:09

Hi. I'm a single dad who has just ended a nearly 4year custody battle with my ex. Now we finally have much longer overnight stays I have noticed my daughter constantly asks for snacks even just 20 minutes after breakfast/lunch. Ive also noticed all her clothes are too small for her and are tight fitting. I measured her height and weight and she is over 2 stone overweight for a 9yr old. I am at a loss as to how I deal with this with her very bitter and angry ex without her stopping all contact and me being forced to bring it back to court. I have bought her all new clothes that fit and am refusing to give into her demands for snacks and I also make sure she gets lots of exercise during each contact. I can not speak directly to my ex and only communicate via the family wizard app. I desperately do not want my daughter to have weight issues which my ex and her family all have had but I also do not want to lose any contact

OP posts:
Readeatcake · 03/06/2021 09:20

Don't remove all snacks, give her healthy options. Veg and hummus, fruit, etc and only when it's not in the window of a meal time.
Also don't make this about her loosing weight, make it a family thing, you should all go out for walks because it's fun. Not because you want her to do more exercise.
Meals should be the same as yours but healthy. And obviously smaller portions.

She's at an age where she will be noticing changes in her body and you don't want to make any insecurities worse.

Milkywayqueen · 03/06/2021 09:22

Firstly I'd recommend a book by Steve Biddulph called 'Raising Daughters' its a great read.

Secondly you can't do anything about her diet at her other home. Is there sports clubs you could get her in to? Id always have a bowl of fruit that she can freely help herself too if she wants snacks and plenty of water. My kids will drink endless water if I fill it with ice and stick a straw in it (some times an umbrella )

For me getting the kids to drink water rather than sugary drinks was really important as ex can't stand water and just buys in fizz pop/vimto

Milkywayqueen · 03/06/2021 09:23

And never ever mention her weight.

Redwinestillfine · 03/06/2021 09:25

How tall is she. My 9 year old is in size 11-12 clothes so in the 90th odd percentile weight wise but also height wise. She isn't overweight on the NHS BMI calculator and gas always been in the 90th percentile since birth so we are not worried. She is as she should be. With regards to snacking our DD does this, as do mist other 9 year olds I know. They are growing children and hungry and most girls will have started on the puberty journey by now so her body may need extra. Just make sure snacks are healthy, don't buy in chocolate crisps etc and maybe have a rule that says I snacks an hour before food?

MouseInCatsClaws · 03/06/2021 09:27

My son is 10 and I struggle with him not getting overweight, he has a build which just has a tendency to pile it on.
The only advice I can offer is to reduce portion sizes and have tons of fruit and veg as snacks. Don't have junk food in the house and try to eat healthily yourself in front of her.
Your ex sounds like speaking to her will not be beneficial so I wouldn't. Don't mention weight to your daughter either, just promote a healthy lifestyle as much as possible.
It's awful I do sympathise

Ozanj · 03/06/2021 09:28

If she’s 9 she might be going through puberty and so a child’s bmi may not be appropriate; and removing fat from her diet could be the worst thing you can do (girls need fat during this period to build hormones). What does she look like? Does she actually look overweight or are you basing this purely on BMI?

Redwinestillfine · 03/06/2021 09:30

*no snacks an hour before food that should say. The 'american girl' series of books are good for kids to read, they cover a range of topics including looking after yourself, exercise etc and are written for this age. Engaging her in the conversation as part of 'growing up' without mentioning weight will help her in the long run.

Charles11 · 03/06/2021 09:33

Make sure she’s having a filling and nourishing breakfast and meals and then offer healthy snacks and maybe one treat snack or something small after dinner.
You could talk about how 80% of what everyone eat should be healthy but treats are ok too.

Is she bored? That often leads to snacking.

Jmjonesuk · 03/06/2021 09:38

For me fruit equals sugar which she has way to much of. I am not just looking at her BMI but she is visibly overweight with a large overhanging belly. I hear what you are saying about not mentioning her weight as this might give her a weight issue as she gets older but she already has a weight issue and it needs to be addressed by not only me but also my ex and my ex's family who I know over feed her and spoil her giving into all her demands. I feel like writing to the ex and just coming directly to the point about her and her family letting my daughters weight get out of control and risk the consequences of her stopping contact for the sake of my daughters health and mental health as she gets older.

OP posts:
justanotherneighinparadise · 03/06/2021 09:40

It’s so hard and I feel your pain. How to tackle this without shaming the child. I have the same issues with my eight year old on the 99th centile for height and weight and completely resistant to exercise. The only positive is he doesn’t have a strong appetite. So tends not to beg for food.

If it came to it I would make the house a junk free zone. Fruit and greek yogurt wis a great snack. Avoid high carb foods for a snack. Meals should be high in protein and don’t be scared of fat.

jellyfrizz · 03/06/2021 09:40

@Jmjonesuk

For me fruit equals sugar which she has way to much of. I am not just looking at her BMI but she is visibly overweight with a large overhanging belly. I hear what you are saying about not mentioning her weight as this might give her a weight issue as she gets older but she already has a weight issue and it needs to be addressed by not only me but also my ex and my ex's family who I know over feed her and spoil her giving into all her demands. I feel like writing to the ex and just coming directly to the point about her and her family letting my daughters weight get out of control and risk the consequences of her stopping contact for the sake of my daughters health and mental health as she gets older.
Is your motivation to have a go at your ex or help your daughter?
justanotherneighinparadise · 03/06/2021 09:41

@Jmjonesuk

For me fruit equals sugar which she has way to much of. I am not just looking at her BMI but she is visibly overweight with a large overhanging belly. I hear what you are saying about not mentioning her weight as this might give her a weight issue as she gets older but she already has a weight issue and it needs to be addressed by not only me but also my ex and my ex's family who I know over feed her and spoil her giving into all her demands. I feel like writing to the ex and just coming directly to the point about her and her family letting my daughters weight get out of control and risk the consequences of her stopping contact for the sake of my daughters health and mental health as she gets older.
Don’t equate all fruit with high sugar. That’s a mistake. You can make some great choices when it comes to fruit.
Flowerlane · 03/06/2021 09:44

What exercise does she do with you and with her mum? Does she belong to any clubs.

What are you feeding her when she is with you?

Tooshytoshine · 03/06/2021 09:51

Some of this may be "puppy fat" and a hangover from lockdowns when lots of kids gained extra weight. The weather has only just got better and as you said it has been a protracted and stressful custody battle for all of you so I would see how she looks at the end of Summer after a period of calm, stability and more of your influence.

I wouldn't poke the bear at this stage but see what can be achieved by making her feel safe, secure and encourage better choices regarding food and exercise.

Readeatcake · 03/06/2021 09:52

Yes she has a weight issue, but you don't want her to go the other end of the spectrum and end up anorexic and hating 'bad' food as you refused to give her fruit and constantly brought up her weight.

You can't do anything about what she eats without you when she's with her mother but you can teach her about food and how to be healthy and balanced.

You seem like you are using a weight issue to possibly get full custody of your daughter? In which case I don't think you really want help you just wanted everyone to side with you and tell you to go back to the court.

NotFrozen · 03/06/2021 09:53

Hi OP

This is a tough one. I would focus on teaching her to rely on natural snacks (fruit, carrot sticks, etc) and cutting out processed food to the extent that you can. And water rather than sugary drinks. But it is a difficult one because building confidence at this age is also important.

Draineddraineddrained · 03/06/2021 09:56

@Jmjonesuk

For me fruit equals sugar which she has way to much of. I am not just looking at her BMI but she is visibly overweight with a large overhanging belly. I hear what you are saying about not mentioning her weight as this might give her a weight issue as she gets older but she already has a weight issue and it needs to be addressed by not only me but also my ex and my ex's family who I know over feed her and spoil her giving into all her demands. I feel like writing to the ex and just coming directly to the point about her and her family letting my daughters weight get out of control and risk the consequences of her stopping contact for the sake of my daughters health and mental health as she gets older.
Do you really want to give your ex the ammunition of "daddy says you're fat and horrible darling, but don't worry I love you"? Because if you write any such letter that's exactly how it will be presented to your little daughter. That will do wonders for her mental health Hmm

The fact you see all fruit as "just sugar" makes me think you are being far too rigid about this and about her diet in general. There are a lot of good things in fruit - water for one thing which most kids could do with a lot more of, vitamins and minerals, and dietary fibre which is very important for health. If you are fixating on her weight to the exclusion of her overall health, refusing her something as normal and necessary as fruit and frog-marching her everywhere so as to try and "undo the damage" of her lifestyle with your ex in your contact time, is be very surprised if she wasn't already aware you find her inadequate and are trying to change her - not to be healthier but to be thinner. So very damaging for a young girl.

Of course the best thing would be if you and ex could behave like adults and have a sensible conversation about how to have a loving, careful, united approach to getting your DD into a healthier lifestyle. As that's clearly not going to happen, then I would simply model the behaviour you want to see in your contact time ("in this house we don't eat sugary cereal, we have eggs/porridge/yoghurt and berries for breakfast"; in this house we take a morning walk to blow the cobwebs out"; "in this house we plan our meals and cook together, we don't get takeaways") and mind your own business about what happens outside of your control. Your ex won't listen to you, if you make a big fuss about your Dad's weight you will harm her emotional well-being (and a lot of weight problems stem from unmet emotional needs or damaged mental health taking refuge in comfort eating -speaking of what I know here!).

If what you want is a happy, healthy, well-adjusted girl then take the high road as suggested and learn to compromise. If what you want is a show pony daughter, then... Well...maybe reconsider that contact increase.

PattyPan · 03/06/2021 09:59

Fruit equalling sugar is nonsense. Eating fruit is not going to make her fat or stop her losing weight, and if she’s used to having sweet snacks at her other home/has a sweet tooth then I would definitely be encouraging fruit as a healthy alternative. Not sure whether you have her in the week or at the weekend but can you do fun (active) activities with her like trampolining, swimming etc?

Milkywayqueen · 03/06/2021 10:03

@Jmjonesuk

For me fruit equals sugar which she has way to much of. I am not just looking at her BMI but she is visibly overweight with a large overhanging belly. I hear what you are saying about not mentioning her weight as this might give her a weight issue as she gets older but she already has a weight issue and it needs to be addressed by not only me but also my ex and my ex's family who I know over feed her and spoil her giving into all her demands. I feel like writing to the ex and just coming directly to the point about her and her family letting my daughters weight get out of control and risk the consequences of her stopping contact for the sake of my daughters health and mental health as she gets older.
No child ever got fat by eating fruit.

What your wanting to do is put a child on a restrictive diet when she already been one.

Dad gets custody then puts child on a restrictive diet. Can you see how that will play out. And also sending an email accusing them of making your child fat is always going to cause agro. You know what the consequences maybe but your willing to do that?

This should be a new start. you've just got custody, why are you still looking for a battle with your ex?

LockedFarAway · 03/06/2021 10:03

OP, could be that she's turning to food for self soothing, a type of self-medication to cope with life. If you can help her talk through her worries and find more healthy ways to de-stress and help her self soothe, then she won't need to turn to food quite the same way. Meanwhile, don't buy in the kinds of food that aren't going to be helpful to her. Lots of healthy snacks and distractions but more than that a close attachment to other humans will help support and strengthen her.

BarbarianMum · 03/06/2021 10:04

Fruit gives you more than just sugar, and for a child with a sweet tooth it's a good snack option - better than sweets or cakes.

Give good protein w meals to help fill her up and encourage plenty of drinking water.

There is nothing you can do about what your ex and her family feed your dd nothing.

Instead encourage lots of fun exercise (not just walking but cycling, swimming, high ropes, fun stuff) and good eating habits (not calorie counting or dieting) and wait for her to get old enough to make her own choices.

Just remember she is and will be under huge pressure about her body size and image as she grows up, giving her the message that there is something wrong with her is the very worst thing you can do.

Draineddraineddrained · 03/06/2021 10:05

I have a vivid and horrible memory of my dad seeing me around age 12 coming out the shower and noting the rolls of fat on my underarms with disgust, then immediately forcing me to go out with him on a run, shouting at me to go faster while I cried with humiliation. It has stayed with me forever and did nothing to stop the secret bingeing I was doing because I was so full of sadness and self hatred (for s lot of reasons, a lot stemming from my parents' ugly, acrimonious divorce). I have s lot of sympathy for your little girl, caught between two bickering parents who don't seem able to keep both her physical and emotional well-being in mind at the same time.

Jmjonesuk · 03/06/2021 10:08

Great comments and much appreciated advice. Of course the very last thing I want is my DD to develop any long term weight issues but the issue is there now already. She is being overfed simple as that without hardly any exercise and it needs to be addressed now and not pussy footed around. The damage is already being done. She is surrounded by over weight woman who have had weight issue all their lives so is very much being exposed to the whole issue daily.

OP posts:
LadyOfLittleLeisure · 03/06/2021 10:10

2 stone overweight for a 9 year old is a lot! Could you take her to a doctor during your time? I'm sure a doctor would handle it sensitively but come up with an action plan that might spur your ex to also get on board. Tricky situation - good luck!

Heronwatcher · 03/06/2021 10:12

Sounds like you will get absolutely nowhere with your ex. Do not even raise it with her. Buying new clothes, great. Setting a good example yourself absolutely. Keeping junk food out of the house yes. Letting this become another area of dispute with your ex is absolutely not fine. You need to concentrate on giving your daughter a happy and stable home life, including building bridges with her mum. To me this sounds much more important at this point. Some excellent advice on this thread.