Help. My daughters weight

[irishchick93]

Hi. I have an 8 year old girl (just turned 8) shes noticably a bit pudgy lately. However, clothes are now really tight and ive just discreetly got to weigh her as the health visitor needed a weight update for baby. (Who ironically isnt gaining weight)

She is 125cm and 68ibs so i convert that to 31kilos. Ive then just checked the NHS website and shes in the 91st centile. I am so shocked.

I really need some ideas of what i could do to help.

She eats cereal in morning packed lunch. Sandwich fruit frube. Dinner is normally fish or chicken casserole, stew type things. The odd biscuit or sweet after. Which i will obv stop. Im hoping the brighter weather will help she will be out playing more. She currently swims twice a week. PE once a week. A daily mile in school they walk around the yard. Drama class once a week and an irish dance class all the above being 30/40mins

Please help i want to do my best to help my girl

She’s almost certainly due a growth spurt. My youngest grew like this, at about age 7.5 he got really chubby and sturdy, then strung out like toffee! Same thing happened at 9ish and 11ish. He’s 6’2 now and like a whippet.

I wouldn’t change her diet (it sounds fine) or take away the biscuits etc, as it doesn’t sound like you’re overdoing those anyway. She’s getting plenty of exercise. If she doesn’t shoot up and slim down within 6 months, take her to the gp and ask for blood tests.

I'm really surprised that there are so many people saying the diet is fine. It is certainly not unusual but it can be improved so why wouldn't you?

I was an over weight child and it had nothing to do with what I was eating at home. I used pocket money on sweets and to be honest was eating far too much at my nannas, she loved to feed and it was biscuits on demand. Could she be eating elsewhere?

I agree, and it only needs to be small changes. Childhood is the best time to be instilling healthy eating habits and learning about good nutrition that will pay dividends. A lot of cereals are devoid of nutritious value and white bread used for sandwiches is too. They also cause sugar spikes and crashes leading to cravings etc.

Get rid of the sugary yogurts, keep biscuits and sweet things for weekends only and up the exercise.
This is common in children and easily reversible.