Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Children's health

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

My child is obese

37 replies

tommorang · 28/01/2016 21:18

I decided to weigh and measure my 11 year old son. Know I new he was a little overweight as he had breasts and small rolls of fat. It turns out he is 5 foot 1 inch and 59 kg wich according to the NHS is very overweight. He has a very healthy diet and I don't know why he is obese what can i do to help he is quite active and eats healthy.

OP posts:
Adeleslostbeehive · 28/01/2016 22:07

Maybe he needs to eat more at home? Soup for supper everyday isn't much. If he's hungry in the day he might be eating fatty junk because it's cheap/accessible/filling

YouGottaKeepEmSeparated · 28/01/2016 22:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Choughed · 28/01/2016 22:14

Children should be doing one hour of exercise a day. How much is he exactly doing?

TheAussieProject · 29/01/2016 07:24

My DS1 is 12, 159 cm tall and 48 kg and he looks normal, not skinny nor thin.

Something I often read is people saying they have a healthy diet just because they cook from scratch. I do too and I can guarantee my homemade lasagne has thousands of calories, ditto my pizza, my apple pie, etc....

Healthy is something totally different. A minestrone, shell fishm a chicken breast, a boiled egg, a tomato salad, ... meat or fish without sauces, salad or veg with olive oil and not a bottled dressing or fatty gravy. You mention tomato soup, the canned Campbell one? How much cheese in it? Any bread with it?

How much pasta? 80 gr or 200? How many toasts? Dripping butter and Nutella?
Yes you become a little softer before a growth spurt, but not that heavy. And if a boy has boobs that weight is not muscle.

It is very good on you OP to be concerned. What not keeping a food dairy. A previous poster commented that your son's diet is heavy on carbs. Does he eat alone or do you eat as a family at the dinner table. What does he drink? Chocolate milk? Juices? Sodas? or maybe something healthy like a liter of milk and 3 bananas.

If he buys junk food at the shops, you'll find the wraps somewhere in his room, schoolbag, under the bed, ....
Why not suggest a new year resolution and you start eating clean and lean as a family. So he won't feel targeted.

Prettyinblue · 29/01/2016 07:41

I live by a shop every morning all the high school kids pile in and buy soft drinks and sweets. Any chance he is doing the same?

Doesn't sound like much exercise either. What does he do after school? How much screen time doeshe do most days, get him moving, get him cooking,

Muskateersmummy · 29/01/2016 07:52

I would think he is buying stuff on the way to or from school, possibly both. What you describe doesn't sound a lot for a growing child, so I think he is supplementing what he eats.

I think a frank chat about what he is eating is needed but don't get angry, it will need handling sensitively. Keeping a food diary is helpful. Whenever I am having a slip, the first thing I do is go back to writing down what I eat, it helps me focus and gain control.

Good luck xx

tommorang · 29/01/2016 08:02

He is having one slice of toast with a little low fat margarine and we all eat together and has told me he doesn't go to the shop but he could be lieing thanks for all the responses it is much appreciated

OP posts:
Jw35 · 29/01/2016 08:09

Perhaps he's got a hidden medical issue? If I eat wheat I put on weight! My dd is overweight (not massively but a bit) I bought things like oatabix instead of wheatabix and bought wheat free pasta and bread. After 2 weeks she had more energy and was noticeably slimmer. I'm nothing saying it's the same but I could be or it could by thyroid or something. His diet sounds normal or less than average. Up the exercise and see your gp.

rookiemere · 29/01/2016 08:34

It's a really tricky one.
DS has a pal who is noticeably overweight and wears clothes that are 2-3 yrs older than he is, also tall.

But I know he walks to and from school every day - 1 mile walk each way, and I could guarantee you that he won't be getting fed rubbish at home.

I've noticed that when I have DS and his pals over this boy will naturally want to eat more than the others. So when they have pizza the slim boys will stop after 2-3 slices, DS will stop after 4, but his pal will eat another 1-2 or else I whisk pizza away.

I think some DCs are prone to wanting to eat more and I suspect portion size may be the issue here. DS was getting plump so the measures we instigated were - get rid of calories through drinks , he was having a smoothie every morning so replaced that with a bit of fruit at break time and try to increase the protein at each meal. Also he loves raw carrots so I now chop a couple up each day as a snack before meal time.
We also focused a lot more on exercise - took DS to junior parkrun, DH forced us to walk DS to cubs last night (half mile in a blustery gale ) for the steps.
DS is looking fine now although I noticed last night he's bulking up a wee bit again - hopefully for a growth spurt as right time of year.

Muskateersmummy · 29/01/2016 08:35

I'm wondering now whether a trip to the doctors might be in order. Whilst exercise is important, it doesn't sound to me like he is doing so little and eating so badly to cause this problem. Also taking him to see someone else might make he be truthful if he is hiding something from you.

rookiemere · 29/01/2016 08:49

Actually rereading OP's posts sounds like your DS isn't getting enough protein. DS is carb boy extreme and it doesn't fill him up in a way that say ham or cheese or eggs ( sadly he doesn't like those ) would. Try introducing protein in at every meal see if that helps.

EuropeanSpoon · 29/01/2016 09:11

One slice of toast isn't much for a growing kid.
Does he like eggs? Scrambled eggs with 30g of grated cheese would set him up for the day. Try and get some decent protein into him at each meal. Hard boiled eggs make a good snack.
Agree with some of the other posters that he might be hungry so filling up on crap.
I'd see the GP for a mot and ask to be referred to your local weight management service for some ideas.
Can you or dad go jogging with him two or three times a week to increase his activity?
You sound like a great parent for recognising there's a problem and deciding to tackle it. He just needs some help to grow into his weight, if you work together he'll do brilliant. Good luck!

New posts on this thread. Refresh page