Overweight DD, is this a healthy menu?

[TheChild]

Hello, I'm looking for some advice about my DD(7). She is not technically overwight in terms of BMI but she is very nearly, she is 4 ft 6 inches and 5st 7lbs.

She has always been what I'd describe as "sturdy", but with lockdown I really noticed her getting a bit bigger with the lack of school run, PE and less activities on.

We are trying to be more mindful of what she is eating, but she seems to constantly be hungry! I've kept a track of what she has eaten in the past few days, I was wondering how this daily food compares with other children and how we could improve?

Breakfast: porridge with raisins
Lunch: wholemeal ham wrap (plain, she doesn't like mayo or cream cheese), cucumber sticks and tomatoes, greek yogurt with strawberries, 5 ritz crackers
Snack: 1 chocolate from a box of Thorntons
Dinner: chicken fajitas (1.5 wholemeal wraps), cheese doritos (I'd guess maybe 2 handfuls)
Pudding: small bowl of sweets (9 skittles, to be pedantic 😁) and 1 Thorntons chocolate
Supper: apple

Breakfast: 1 slice toast (best of both) with chocolate spread, handful of grapes with a few tablespoons of Greek yogurt (dad gave the toast with Nutella and she said she was still hungry which is why I gave the yogurt, we have agreed nutella on toast is not the best breakfast!)
Lunch: wholemeal ham wrap, cucumber sticks, pepper sticks and tomatoes, 4 ritz crackers, 2 small hotdogs, grapes
Dinner: 3 chipolata sausages, 5 small roast potatoes, sweetcorn and gravy
Pudding: bread and butter pudding with custard
Supper: apple

Breakfast: 1 slice best of both toast and 2 scrambled eggs
Lunch: wholemeal ham wrap, carrot sticks, cucumber sticks and tomatoes, 2 small hotdogs, 4 ritz crackers, raisins
Dinner: chicken fajitas (1 wholemeal wrap), handful of cheese doritoes
Puddin: peach slices with custard
Supper has not happened yet but she will get the option of either an apple, grapes, melon or greek yogurt with frozen strawberries

A bit more info, we cook most meals from scratch and have really tried to cut out convenience food and find meals we can all eat as a family. I think her portion sizes are fairly normal, I try to go by the "portion is the size of your (in this case her) wrist. She gets a glass of fizzy fruit pop as an occasional treat with her evening meal if I'm feeling generous.
We walk to school and back every day (approx 15 minute walk each way) and she has just joined sports club one afternoon each week. We are trying to encourage her to take up a sport to get a bit more active but she is very shy and keeps saying no to everything we suggest. Neither me or DP drive so we do a fair bit of walking but she definitely doesn't enjoy this much 😂
She is very fussy with trying new things, she doesn't like nuts, cheese, rice, spicy food, stirfry etc so trying to get healthy recipes that we all can eat is a bit challenging! (she is pretty much the opposite of her sister!)
I know the puddings aren't great, she would usually be fine with greek yogurt and fruit but her little sister will not eat greek yogurt at all. Is it better to have say 1 "treat" food per day or have 1 day per week where we might allow her a few treats?
I have also never mentioned any concerns about her weight to her, my mum bullied me about my weight as a young teen and it gave me a lot of issues around food and I will always struggle with binging and my weight, so I'm just trying to talk more about healthy eating and discuss why having too much sugar and pop etc is bad for our health and our teeth.

Thanks so much if you managed to read all that 😊

I think it looks great, maybe a bit heavy on the sugar side but she’s eating a good balance of food, I’d say.

They do go through a change at age 7, I’d maybe focus more on the exercise rather than the diet. Has she got a bike or scooter? They’re all mad for roller blades here too.

I think maybe you need to look at portion sizes. She's eating more than me and I'm 5'8, 10.4 stone, and have a healthy appetite. Also, She's eating a lot of wraps and sausages, maybe look at more variety.

Well I just weighed my nearly 8yo and she is 3.5stone. so your dad is a lot heavier.

She doesn't sound very active at all. How about a Fitbit type thing to push on the steps?

There seem to be a lot of Ritz crackers but otherwise the diet doesn't look extreme, but something seems awry.

I think there is a task for you here op.

She's eating quite a lot for a seven year old- I'd have her lunch myself. I'd replace the Doritos with veg, too- your carb to veg balance is off kilter on the evening meals.

I think the biggest issue is probably exercise though- kids should be active (exercise that makes them breathe heavily) for at least an hour a day.

I don't think she's eating too much food for a rapidly-growing child. I do think she has a lot of sausages/hot dog sausages which is probably not optimum, but it's hardly the end of the world either. Lots of wholemeal wraps I don't see as a problem in the slightest, they're perfectly good food. Plenty of fruit and veg, dairy and the odd sugary treat.

I'd leave her diet largely alone, and try to up the exercise - that will probably happen naturally now lockdown is over, school and socialising are back up and running etc.

She may also be about to have a growth spurt, my DS2 always grew outwards and then upwards. He's a 16yo string bean now and very strong.

Sounds like the problem is the lack of exercise, not the diet.

I think it all sounds delicious and pretty healthy.

I would maybe keep the food the same, but increase physical activity and reduce portion size.

And Christ, don't buy her a Fitbit, that's a terrible idea. They are not for children.

Stop the heavy puddings .. she is quite heavy fir her height .. ds is the same height and 4 stone . He is solid .

@tinseloatcake

Well I just weighed my nearly 8yo and she is 3.5stone. so your dad is a lot heavier.

She doesn't sound very active at all. How about a Fitbit type thing to push on the steps?

There seem to be a lot of Ritz crackers but otherwise the diet doesn't look extreme, but something seems awry.

I think there is a task for you here op.

If your 8 year old is the same height as the OP’s then she’s massively underweight.

Why pudding and supper everyday?

If she doesn't want to do sports where you leave her how about going swimming or doing junior park run where you could run with her?

When you say a wholemeal wrap, is this big one, or one of the mini ones?

Because if she's having 2-3 wraps in day, that's a lot.

I wouldn't have thought she'd need the crackers as well as the big wrap?

3 chipolata sausages is a large portion for a 7yo. I'd give 2 personally.

Cut out the pudding. Save it for supper,and give the yogurt and fresh berries then.

There's nothing wrong with pork ham and sausages are to be eaten in moderation because of the salt and nitrites that result from processing, not because pork isn't a healthy meat.

OP you are about to get mullered by the teeny tiny "DD plays hockey for Surrey on a waft of butterfly wee and a nasturtium petal" brigade. Take it with a pinch of salt, for heaven's sake.

Portion wise it is similar to my 8 year old but I would swap the Doritos to veg and less sausages/hot dogs etc. Also up the amount she is moving, now the weather is better, more trips to the park, playing in the garden etc.

Do you need pudding after every meal?
Just fruit would be OK without Greek yoghurt.

The exercise makes such a difference- I can see it in one of my DS in the last year. Cut the expectation of pudding every day if you can.

Re exercise, is it possible to start her on games which are also exercise but don’t look like it, rope skipping, hula hooping, swing ball in the garden, roller skating etc. If she can up her exercise even a little bit then that will help keep her weight stable as she grows upwards.

I’d swap the raisins for berries, drop the ritz crackers, and the Doritos for dinner. If hungry I’d give a banana or one weetabix and milk or similar for supper.

It’s probably similar in quantities to my DD, and with a few tweaks to have a bit less sugar isn’t bad at all. Mine does 5 hrs of dance classes a week though which definitely helps

Obviously in an ideal world she would have more variety, but I know what's it like trying to feed a fussy kid. Things like having some Ritz crackers with lunch, cheesey Doritos with dinner or a little chocolate or sweets as a treat, as well as dessert sometimes, helps to avoid the good and bad food stuff and maintain a balanced diet. I do think it helps keep them motivated too. No demonising of foods or food groups, but obviously a balanced diet is ideal. Have you tried looking at her macros? It may be possible to just subtlety increase protein for satiety, reduce sugars, carbs and fats a little bit to keep calories lower and more in line with healthy guidelines, and get a bit of extra fruit and veg in. This is best done by making really small changes really slowly. Introducing new foods is great for this, and if you can get her really enjoying fruit and vegetables that's a big part of the battle. Could you switch to some lower fat sausages perhaps? Or add some extra veg to dinner (even if it's the same crudités as lunch). Could you switch out dessert for fruit sometimes? It's good to have treats but also important not to overdo it. There are healthier ways of doing sweet treats, you could look for some healthier recipes and ones which incorporate fruit like crumble or cobbler.
If her diet is not that varied is she having a vitamin supplement? Vitamin deficiencies can hinder weight loss by causing food cravings, and not always for the food you would expect!

Exercise. I know this has been so hard with covid, but really the government guidelines are the minimum and it does not sounds like she is doing a lot of exercise. If she is shy could you find a solo activity she enjoys like skipping, hula hoop, cycling, scooter, running, etc.? Even just incorporating more park trips or walks in could make a big impact. Could you do some exercises together? Maybe some yoga, dance routines or HIIT sessions (like Joe Wickes)? Or you could take up tennis or badminton together, or kick or throw a ball about outside, just anything where you are getting your heart rate up. Could you get a Trampoline? Or some other outdoor equipment? Or inside equipment?

That all looks pretty normal to me. Like most of us it could be improved, but truthfully it's better than what I can get my DS to eat, and he's not overweight.

As others have suggested, it may be a case of being more active.

Her main problem is lack of exercise. She should be doing an hour a day and sufficient to raise heart rate. She’s only doing half that amount.

Thanks so much for the replies, I agree on regards to exercise, I will try to get her motivated to get out more. I once made her scoot with me while I went on a jog and I thought she enjoyed it but when I asked her again if she wanted to go with me on the next jog she said no 😕 we have just bought a cheap tennis bat set and we had a lot of fun with that at the park so I will look to do that more often. We don't have a garden ourselves so it's a case of hoping the weather is nice and getting out the house.

I also agree with the heavy puddings, we will curb those. I don't even know how we fell into the "pudding after every meal" trap as I rarely had pudding as a child, if I did it was normally a yogurt.

The hotdogs are not a regular thing, I wouldn't normally buy them but our younger DD has just started nursery and we are struggling to find food she would eat in her packed lunch as she doesn't eat sandwiches or wraps. Same with the crisps, although she does love them! We seem to have 2 children that like what the other hates, what meals DD1 loves DD2 refuses to eat and it usually ends in tears (my tears 😂)

I wouldn't be giving her fizzy drinks (just my opinion). My son doesn't have dessert (we don't really as a family) but we do get a treat either on a Friday night or a weekend. He doesn't have sweets or chocolates unless it's a special occasion but does really like ice cream so I normally take him for one on the weekend. I wouldn't judge your DD by her height/weight too much as she's growing and how she looks in terms of weight is more important (I.e someone else of the same height and weight could carry very differently if that makes sense?)

As long as she is getting enough fruit and veg you can always up her exercise. Children can obviously be fussy with foods too. Don't put too much pressure on yourself or her (I'm sure you're not). X

I really dont think such a young child should be on any kind of weightloss diet. Hopefully now lockdown is lifting, she can get more active. Her diet sounds fine to me. Pretty balanced