Child's gained weight with daily exercising

[Artie30]

Hello all. It seems a child's weight post can get pretty nasty but want some advice... I'll take the bit.

Ds is 10, he has asd. He's about 145cm tall. A few weeks ago he was 6.5 Stone which put him in the overweight category.

He doesn't really care about his weight so it goes over his head, which is good. I don't want him obsessing over his weight.

I've been trying to watch what he eats. Also we've bought him a new bike since his old one got too small. For the last 3-4 weeks he's been out on it daily. For an hour outside after school each day and often going on 2 mile bike rides with Dp... he's obsessed with his new bike.

I felt like he was looking like he'd slimmed down a bit, in the face too I think!

But I've weighed him today and he is 6 Stone 12.5! Nearly 7 Stone. Wtf?? Surely he can't gain half a stone in a few weeks whilst we are making an effort with his diet and exercise.

He is 10 nearly 11! He is in 11-12 clothes that fit him fine so not in clothes big for his age!

What the hell do I do now?

His diet isn't the best but not the worst either. He only drinks water, hates anything sweet, he's partial to chocolate and crisps but in moderation. He doesn't like sweets.

For breakfast it's usually 2 slices of marmite on toast, school lunches on week days and usually fish fingers for dinner (he will only eat fish fingers atm, don't hate me). He maybe had a packet of crisps in the evening but that's it. Weekends he may eat a little more but not extreme!

Op you are wrong.
At age 15yo, 7stone 12 and 5'11 is very underweight 1%
At age 13yo, 7 stone 12 and 5'11 is underweight
At 11 it's just in lower end of normal bmi but 11yos dont tend to be 5'11.

@Vieve1325

Just coming here to correct one thing - muscle does not weigh more than fat. Muscle is DENSER than fat.

1lb of muscle and 1lb of fat weigh the same.

1cm2 of muscle will be heavier than 1cm2 of fat. That's how it works.

oh ffs

1cc of muscle will be heavier than 1cc of fat. That's how it works. Yes! Muscle is heavier than fat. That's what people mean.

Would you go round telling us that lead does not weigh more than feathers?

You're confusing the OP with me, I think.

My son is 14 and a half. Sorry; should've said that. He is emphatically underweight, and looks it. He's got virtually no interest in food, which doesn't help. I'm taking him to the GP when I get can an appointment in about 2024.

Muscle is barely heavier than fat & the amount of muscle the child could have converted from fat to muscle in 3.5 weeks just from a little cycling is miniscule, won't account for 5 lbs.

Also, ppl over-estimate how far & how much work kids do on a bike. if OP puts an activity tracker on the lad, the activity won't be that huge. 2 miles is 10 minute ride on most bikes, maybe 15-25 minutes off road &/or terrible bike.

I'm voting dodgy scales -- sorry.
It's great that the lad enjoys cycling, being outdoors & something to do with his dad. WinWin.

He'll shoot up and balance out. Boys especially seem to eat and eat and then grow like a weed.

My son, at 5, was going on 12 mile bike rides. 2 miles is not enough to burn calories

@chesterelly what did you check? Nhs says that's 93rd centile, above 90th is overweight.

@XelaM

Muscles weigh more than fat. Maybe he's building muscles?

They don't.

@sueelleker

Muscle weighs more than fat, so he may be slimmer and still weigh more.

Not true. A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat.

Kids often ‘go out’ before they ‘go up’. You are doing all the right things for his health and wellbeing: creating fun opportunities for activity, eating food that’s as nutritious as possible given restrictions and keeping a gentle parental eye on it without making it a big deal for him. Gold standard!

If you want him to eat more fruit and veg it can be helpful to have it easily accessible and let kids (especially those with sensory issues) just play with it and get used to it first.

Modelling a healthy relationship to food is also key and despite your own issues you are doing your best with that. There might be more scope to change there but only you will know that for sure.

I think the chances are he will shoot up soon.

@merryhouse @Vieve1325 is right.
A ton of feathers weighs the same as a ton of lead.

Ffs @Dolly That is extreme.
@shouldistop To whom do you refer?

No point arguing with pp who can't understand basic science. KS1 science at that!
Lead = heavy, like muscle
Feathers = light, like fat.
1 pound of anything weighs the same as 1 pound of anything else. But we still compare the weight mass of materials. I do wonder why?

Ok, let's not complicate life.
Of course a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat.
But it does not take the same space.
Two people with same height. One really fit and muscly and the other one not, and do not be surprised if the fit one weighs more even looking rather thinner.
That is what people means when they say muscle weighs more than fat. It saves words, time, and we have all already been to primary here.

@Artie30

Thank you. To be honest I don't make a point of weighing mine all that often! It's not a regular thing really! He hasn't grown much in height for a while so hoping he'll shoot up soon. Not sure what the average height is for his age but most of the boys un his class lot taller than him - not sure if he's short or they are really tall though!

No worries OP! I think I should have also pointed out that when they were going through this phase, I worried like hell that they were going to end up obese, so I completely get where you're coming from

Also, the height thing, honestly, please don't worry. All of my sons' friends have had their growth spurts at different times and the difference in heights has been quite funny at times. Remember, some of them are almost a year apart in age, you'll really notice this in a few years time too

@MushMonster

Ok, let's not complicate life. Of course a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat. But it does not take the same space. Two people with same height. One really fit and muscly and the other one not, and do not be surprised if the fit one weighs more even looking rather thinner. That is what people means when they say muscle weighs more than fat. It saves words, time, and we have all already been to primary here.

Yessss- and that’s what’s meant by muscle is DENSER.

It is not HEAVIER. That’s just misinformation.

Muscle is denser and therefore, the same volume of it weighs more. FFS. That is obviously what is meant by "muscle weighs more than fat".

I love that PPs are saying a specified weight of X weighs the same as exact same specified weight of Y. No kidding.

@Crystal90567 I tagged the person I was talking to? They said the chart they checked said ops son was in the middle of healthy weight. The nhs calculator said it's 93rd centile.

For those who are struggling with mass, weight and volume. Equal weights (scientifically incorrect term but it’s what we use to weigh meat and fat) of fat and muscle occupy ver different volumes. So 1 kg of fat will add several more inches to your waste than 1kg of muscle. It’s a visual thing.

@Angrymum22

It baffles me that people need that explaining.

@sueelleker

Muscle weighs more than fat, so he may be slimmer and still weigh more.

It doesn’t, muscle takes up less space than fat so more muscle will make you heavier. But 5lbs of fat and 5lbs of muscle weigh exactly the same.

"It doesn’t, muscle takes up less space than fat so more muscle will make you heavier. But 5lbs of fat and 5lbs of muscle weigh exactly the same."

Comedy gold.

Morgan you are very hard of thinking!

5lbs of one thing does indeed weigh the same as 5lbs of something else.

Love it.

@DollyDinkle

My son, at 5, was going on 12 mile bike rides. 2 miles is not enough to burn calories

That's great for your son but you can't compare. My son is autistic, and hyper mobile he couldn't ride or balance on a bike until 2-3 years ago! It is an achievement for him! 2 miles is better than 0 miles. We also live rurally so it includes steep hills, lanes, uneven terrain etc!

I'm sure you don't have time to do 12 miles a day though? With school and work etc? Ds is doing 2 miles most days at the minute so it adds up plus he walks to and from school each day, going for walks and garden play!