DS Weight

[mummyduff]

9-year-old DS needs to lose weight - how can I help him without making him feel bad?

He is 4ft 7inch and weighs 6st 3lbs, which means he is about 9lbs overweight.

I have cut his portion sizes and he does lots of sport, ant suggestions welcome.

Yes, stop worrying. He is only 9, has an active life and will probably grow in to that 9lb before you know it. Does he look like he is carrying too much weight? I can't imagine he would, it sounds like you are doing everything you can already to keep him healthy.

Sorry if that sounds a bit judgey but kids are kids, I was called fat all my life by my mum and brother, when look back at pictures I was not that bad, and it seems a shame I was not allowed to enjoy being a kid because of perceived weight issues that were not even that bad. Fyi, now very over weight as was called fat all my life so ate like a fatty to console myself.

Has the school or your gp pointed out this issue to you, or does DS just look a bit chubby? What is his BMI?

If he needs to lose weight you are doing the right things. Quietly cutting back on portion size. Replacing high sugar, high cal treats with fruit. Replace full fat milk with semi skimmed, reduced fat cheese, etc.

He can still have a mcD treat now and then. Its just important he is not made to feel guilty and overweight, so you have to tread lightly.

He does not sound very overweight, so hopefully he can reach a healthy weight with minimal changes to his lifestyle. Your GP can help.

info here

It looks like he is overweight according to the chart there. There is also information on how to tackle the problem

I thought that you just ensured they didnt put more weight on rather than making a child lose weight. His hight will catch up with his weight soon enough.

And it always makes me shudder when somebody suggests giving a child low fat dairy products especially milk. It should be whole milk all the way. It is only 4% fat as it is so is classed as a low fat product.

reduced fat cheese is still very high fat! And semi skimmed milk contains more calcium so surely better for an overweight child whose BMI is around 20. The OP is tackling the problem in a sensible way - not to get her DS to 'lose' weight but to reduce his calorific intake so that his growth is not accompanied by an equal weight increase, perpetuating the problem, and possibly causing him to have issues with teasing etc.

Does he drink a lot of fruit juice? My ds would have nothing but orange juice if he could but I try and limit it as its full of sugar.

missnevermind you are right. You shouldn't get a child to lose weight, just stay the same weight and grow upwards.

Thank you all for advice, yes it has been mentioned by Doc that he is a little heavy and he is showing as overweight on BMI.
I have tried the just letting him grow into his weight, but he was being teased at school and came home so upset it broke my heart.
Its such a shame as he does lead a healthy lifestyle.

In hindsight I think his portion sizes were to big and he was drinking alot of juice, this has now been adjusted and he didnt even realise, so fingers crossed at his next growth spurt the issue will be resolved ;-)