Overweight teenage son

[Emmanate123]

My son has just turned 13 and have recently noticed how he has got larger. First I noticed he had man boobs which more recently have got bigger and quite concerning then I realized how big his belly was and then how big his thighs were. I also realized his double chin which has got larger and more noticeable. We went shopping the other weekend and we where in the children's section no trousers would fit and we had to go into the men's section and pick up a 34 inch pair he also needed a medium t-shirt. He is aware of his size but he doesn't seem overly concerned. I asked him how much he weighs and he said last time he weighed himself he was 57kg which really scared me but he then said that was a couple of months ago. So I decided to weigh him myself and he was 67kg. We have started to lower portion sizes ban crisps fizzy drinks sweets and chocolates but in having done this for 3 weeks he has only got heavier and know weighs 70kg. I have sat him down and asked him about what he eats and he said nothing but what he gets from home and said he has been quite self conscious and he is perticuarly conscious about his man boobs. Anybody going through a similar situation with any advice or support would be great. He does PE lessons Jujitsu once a week and goes running once/twice a week too and has been doing this for 2 years now. My husband is reluctant to take him to the doctors because he can't really see a difference in him and didn't want to make him feel any worse about himself and would rarther make smaller changes on our own. Thanks for any advice you can give or any similar situations.

You do need to visit a doc, quick gain like this can happen for medical reasons

Hi there,

My nephew was exactly the same at your sons age ..as a family we were worried about his eating habits and how down he was feeling about his size. But please try not to worry...when he hit 16 he turned a corner on his own terms and decided to eat healthier and joined the school gym. He is now very slim and much happier. I think the more we made a "thing" about it the more he ate. I'm sure your son is a very bright lad and he will get there on his own terms and in his own time.

Your a great mum as your care and your giving him different options of food..even knowing he can talk to you about it is a massive step. Just carry on being supportive and he will know he can talk to you about it.

Best of luck

Hopefully I have not seen any steps of his own yet but there's still time

I would suggest a doctors appointment for some blood tests for them to rule out anything like a thyroid issue.

Otherwise, i would suggest cutting fizzy and snack between meals, drinking more water and more exercise, but fun things if he can and if you can afford. Basketball, bike riding, karate, self defence etc

There was a programme on called doctor in the house and there was a boy with the same issues. The doctor was baffled about his weight because he ate healthily and was active etc. I think it was something to do with his ph balance in his gut or something along those lines. He was put on some sort of diet and had to cut out certain things and he lost loads after a couple months. Might be worth a look. But also a GP visit.
My DD is starting to become overweight so we are all having an overhaul with our diet. And she has also started 2/3 sports clubs per week.

Both my kids gained weight around the age of 12/13. From being just normal sized children, they suddenly became very chubby and I too was worried.

But then the teenage growth spurt came and they shot up and the fat just melted away. Both are slim young adults now.

It's almost as if they start to lay down fat in preparation for the huge bodily changes that are going to come with puberty. If he's not eating to excess and doing lots of sport and activity then I wouldn't be over worried.