To think it’s possible for child to be overweight BMI but not unhealthy?

[NameChangedOct24]

My DS is age 8 and falls into 95th centile overweight BMI on child growth charts. To me he doesn’t look overweight, is it possible that he is still healthy despite the chart and I’m not deluded….ill try to upload a pic.

Mumsnet is really not the right forum to get advice for this here OP as you'll get loads of random anecdotal opinions - I suggest the book "Kids Thrive at Every Size" and making sure as a family your diet is varied and healthy and you are active (walking, hiking, swimming, running around...).

No you weren’t overweight according to BMI. Not ridiculously skinny, but well within the healthy weight range.

There is a difference between protruding ribs and visible ribs.

Pre pubescent children should have visible ribs. My 6 yo is 75th centile for weight and height and his ribs are visible. This is stated by doctors as pps have posted upthread - it’s not just some made up measure.

I haven’t seen the photo but it doesn’t help anyone to pretend that overweight children are fine. It is much easier to maintain weight and slim down with growth spurts than to lose weight later, and carrying excess weight as a child can affect all kinds of things from future height to metabolic profile. If my child had a BMI in the overweight range I would be taking steps to address it asap.

I'm the same height and just less than 7 stone (I don't diet). I'm not skeletal and I'm healthy. If I was 9 stone then I'd be very overweight. I wasn't even that heavy when I was 9 months pregnant!

The difficulty is we shouldn’t visually judge a child with adult ideals as to a healthy weight. Pre puberty and child should be straight up and down. It’s puberty that gives the shape. So bell overhang on a child is overweight

Oh, well done. Tell me, did they give you your award at the hospital, or when you got home?

I think we are all genetically programmed to some extent to be a certain size and that everyone's 'ideal' weight for their height will be different. Obviously you can override this by over or under feeding your child or not doing enough exercise but I do think people can be built very differently a different stages of their lives.

I wasn't stick thin as a child and always had some shape. I think my BMI would have been normal but probably top end of it. Puberty came relatively early and since then I have been low end of BMI without having to try much. None of my siblings are overweight as adults but we all weren't skinny as kids either. My parents never focused too much on weight or diet and none of us have any issues with food and naturally eat quite balanced diets. This is what I want for my kids so I always cringe when people on MN bleat on about needing to see children's ribs etc. Focus instead on them eating a balanced diet, getting plenty of exercise and setting your children up for adulthood with a healthy approach to nutrition and looking after their bodies.

Good god these comments are horrible.

OP is your son happy? Does he come home from school with a smile on his face? Does he know he's loved? Does he enjoy movement, enjoy playing and enjoy life?

If yes then that's all that matters.

definitely 8 years, wears 9-10 clothes. 35kg and 135cm tall.

My ds is almost 8 and is the same height.

He weighs 26-27kg and looks healthy and slim. I'm sorry but your DS must be so overweight. Children this age are supposed to be slim. Overweight kids tend to actually hit puberty early and stop growing, it can reduce adult height.

You're weird. I was just replying to someone who said they were skeletal at 5'2" and 9 stone. That's overweight when you're short.

@Babababyy no, it's not. For a white woman it's bang in the middle of a healthy weight.

Weight is a very upsetting topic for a lot of people but ultimately a previous poster is right that there is nothing inherently wrong with being overweight in and of itself. The issue is that carrying excess weight over a period of time isn’t good for you and increases your risk of developing various conditions in later life. Regardless of his weight & whether or not it’s more than it ideally should be if certainly won’t hurt your son to focus on healthy options food/activity wise (which it sounds like you already do). I think just keep doing that and keep an eye on how many treats you offer that are food based. I was an overweight child then a more overweight teenager and I’ve struggled with weight my whole life. I’m trying really hard to ensure my kids don’t have the same start I did (not sure I’m succeeding though so probably not the best person to offer advice).

I think it’s important to consider the child’s mental health as well as his physical health. He will know he is fatter than other children and other children will know he is fatter than them. This affects self-esteem, particularly in the tweens and early teenage years.

Most overweight children don’t grow out of it: they carry the burden of low self-esteem and risk of physical poor health into adulthood. So while I can’t see the picture, if the BMI is putting your child towards the top of the range then it’s likely he is either unhealthy or heading towards poor health. But the earlier you intervene to make improvements to his diet and exercise habits the better his chances will be. I expect you already know that, though. It’s a difficult thing to deal with.

Exactly 9 stone is just within healthy BMI range. 9 1/2 stone is very almost overweight. No way would a short person be skeletal at this weight. Although if you were tall then you'd look skinny. Bang in the middle of healthy weight for 5'2" is 8 stone.

Are you/his dad overweight?

@Babababyy so it's already gone from "overweight" to "just within a healthy weight", but it's not. The hatred women have for their own bodies is horrendous

That would give you a BMI of 23 which in the healthy range.

It is important that he's happy, but it's also important to acknowledge the future issues that he may face if he is already overweight at the age of 8yrs. Plenty of research has shown that overweight children are likely to be overweight/obese in adulthood, they find it harder to loose it than those that were a healthy weight.

Yes, he may be 'healthy' now at 8yrs, but we all know that being overweight causes a lot of health problems in the future. The entire population is getting bigger and bigger and we are loosing sight of what a healthy weight looks like.

I don't think anyone has been horrible about the boy, I have not seen the picture, but if he does have a big belly, then stating that he does is being truthful. The OP has asked if others thought her son is overweight and whether he can still be healthy. Its just being hopeful that he's 'about to go through a growth spurt', what happens if he still has excess fat?

This is a generic BMI ideal weight chart.

www.waitrose.com/home/inspiration/healthy-eating-andweightloss/weight_loss/bmi_calculator.html

@Babababyy sure, other than the fact BMI is total rubbish. I'm sure all the rugby players who count as morbidly obese worry about it a lot?

There's a lot more that goes into health than a BMI rating.

@Babababyy
9 stone at 5' 2" is not overweight- it's a healthy BMI.

Most of us aren't rugby players or body builders. If you are, then ignore the BMI chart. It's accurate for the majority of the population.

@Babababyy it's not. It's based on the average white man 70 odd years ago.

I'm also not loving this "just within a healthy weight" business when someone's BMI is 23.

My BMI is 22.8 (I'm 5' 8", and about 10 stone 10lbs). So rather than being classed as a healthy weight, by @Babababyy 's logic I'm "just within". 😦

I'n a size 10 and I look and feel great so though 🤷‍♀️🤣