To ask if anyone else on here has an overweight child?

[victoriannovelsandapples]

My daughter is 9 and overweight, I denied it for a long time but I'm aware now and it's something we're working on. I was overweight myself as a child but was then dieted to the point of developing anorexia as a teen, so have always been very frightened of going too far either way. Obviously, it's happened anyway.

The only thing is that everyone's children on here seem to be 'stick insects' or else 'skinny'. From reading general threads, it seems that no one even has a slightly chubby child!

My child is overweight - he’s huge! 99th percentile for BMI. He’s 10 and weighs 50kg. It’s a real struggle, he has ASD and is obsessed with food to the point where he has been physically violent towards me.

My DD is 4 and she’s very sturdy and heavy. Going on the WHO growth charts, she’s 98th percentile for both height and weight. She doesn’t look “fat” but does have a tummy and I am really trying to maintain her weight now, so that she can grow into it. My DP is very tall and slim and I’m tall and a bit overweight but not obese. She will be weighed in school in January and I think they are going to tell us she’s at risk of future weight issues. I worry it a lot.

My son is just 13, always been overweight but in September he started boxerfit (at his request) and he’s lost so much weight and now looks really good. I always talked to him about making healthy choices but he has dyspraxia and is a really fussy eater (sensory issues) so this was difficult - his eating habits haven’t changed at all but the exercise twice a week has made such a difference - I wish I’d got him into it sooner!

Me. Dc2 is 12 and just loves food - genuinely interested in cooking, as am I, and not into sport so doesn't work it off.

I feel like I've failed them.

Ah your poor DD I really feel for her. My kids are all skinny, as is DH, but I am overweight and have always battled with it. I do think some of it is down to body type. We all eat the same meals but they stay slim and I continue to gain, unless I eat a tiny amount of calories (800-1000). My side of the family are all the same. Is anyone else in your family a similar proportion to dd?

This place is OBSESSED with skinny children. I look around and lots of DD's friends are overweight. On MN you'd swear no one was.

No. All of the mumsnet children are tall and thin...as well as 'very bright'.

My DS7 is overweight. His brother is not. DS7 is non-verbal, ASD, learning disability. He loves food and struggles to understand no. We try to help moderate but it is very difficult. My DH is also overweight and was as a child so very aware of how hard it can be to change habits.

My Dc11 isn't skinny, they're 5ft3 so very tall, and has a pouch but isn't fat or obese, they have been on 99th centile since birth for height and weight. Remember children heading towards puberty can gain, my DH was fattest in his class at age 11 and then it dropped off as he had a huge growth spurt and he was actually quite underweight, still is at age 40. Just make sure your dd has plenty of exercise as and limits the sugar and she will be fine, don't make a huge issue out of it

Not now, but over the first year of lockdown DD (then 7) went from a healthy weight to distinctly chubby. Definite rounded tummy, thighs were much larger, ribs no longer visible or very easy to feel. It was a combination of being stuck inside/lack of running around with her friends at school, & comfort eating due to boredom, sadness at being stuck at home, etc.

I started insisting she have at least 2 proper servings of non starchy veg with every meal (e.g. carrot sticks & cucumber with a sandwich, various cooked veg if it was something hot). Lean-ish protein, less processed meats etc. No crisps, puddings, or other "treat" food unless she'd eaten all her proper food first. Sweets, crisps etc are not proper food. Snacks were fruit or sometimes a piece of cheese, but mostly we're a non snacking family so she rarely asks. Switched to mostly toast with protein, porridge etc rather than processed breakfast cereals several days a week. We don't really drink squash, fizzy drinks etc anyway so I didn't need to change that. I don't do low fat options e.g. margarine, mayonnaise, I just made sure the fats she had were as healthy as possible, less refined, etc.

We also started going for walks (because lockdown, boredom, etc). She also got interested in doing some of the more fun exercise games on the Switch (for rainy days etc). Between that & the dietary changes, she slowly started to slim out, & just didn't put any more weight on for about another year, but did get a hell of a lot taller - over 6 inches in a year. I was worried for a while about the massive growth spurt being an indicator of early puberty but that didn't happen. She's back to her usual centile for her height now, has been for a while.

Generally we let her eat more when she's hungry, & don't push her when she's not. But we do usually stick to the above now, except that we let her have cereals some mornings (still has porridge/toast whe she wants). And now she's older she occasionally gets a can of fizzy pop.