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Children's health

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Overweight child - has anyone actually succeeded in getting child to lose weight? (Or stop gaining)

102 replies

User5274959 · 11/03/2025 08:04

Dd is 9 yrs 10 months
152cm tall
52kg which on the nhs kids bmi calculator puts her at the 95th centile which is well in to the overweight category.

Has anyone successfully improved a similar situation?

She is one of 3 dc and the others are not overweight. She has asd and I believe eats partly as a sensory thing and just doesn't have an off switch.

Meals are healthy and not big portions.

Snacks can be an issue.

Not naturally active, does one martial arts class a week.

School is not walkable but I'm going to start parking further away.

So far have been trying to make subtle changes without making a thing of it but don't feel like we're getting anywhere.

Her waist measurement is also disproportionately large.

OP posts:
eqpi4t2hbsnktd · 11/03/2025 11:41

Fruit bowl... help yourself. No snacks.

MrsSkylerWhite · 11/03/2025 11:50

Also, no puddings in week nights. Was the norm for me growing up. Just dinner. Tinned fruit and tip top at weekends. Was the norm then. No snacks between meals either.

vickylou78 · 11/03/2025 11:58

Why is she allowed to just help herself to food (bread and cereal)? My 10 year old would ask before taking any/making food.

I would set it up so she has to ask you before she makes food (outside of making breakfast herself etc.). Maybe put all the bread and cereal out of the way.

Think I would say a little white lie that the changes to allowing the kids to make snacks are due to you watching money (instead of mentioning her weight)

Flumpywoo · 11/03/2025 11:59

I feel your pain OP.

This has come at a very apt time for me. My DD10 is on the 98th centile, no additional needs, but she just loves food and eats out of boredom. If she knows snacks/food is there she has to eat it, she has no off switch.

She'll say she's full but then eat something else and it was making me angry in the end. Even if she has a healthy but filling after school snack, say, she'll go in the cupboard and eat sweets straight after and claim to be hungry, but with a smirk so we know she's not.

We feel like we have to listen out for her opening the cupboard door and go and stop her, it wasn't good for any of us. So as of last week I've taken all the crisps and sweets etc. and hidden them so she can't just help herself. We had a big chat about how all of us (not just her) love food but we need to remember that crisps etc. are treats, not an every day thing. And how if we overeat, especially unhealthy things, it will be bad for our heart etc. and we won't feel good, will feel too full etc. She was angry initially, then cried and I felt awful. I said to her we can still have some treats on a weekend but during the week she can have 3 meals a day plus 2 snacks and if hungry in between, can have some fruit but that's it, the extra unhealthy snacks must stop. I'm going to weigh her again next week or the week after to see if she has lost any weight, but I feel I need to act now before secondary school where she'll have more free reign on food. I don't want her to be bullied for being overweight and want her to be able to make good choices.

Her friends are tiny in comparison but most of them seem to have chocolate after school and massive packed lunches with crisps, biscuits etc. so she feels it's unfair sometimes (I've seen the contents of their lunch boxes myself so she isn't exaggerating). But they probably don't then eat as big a dinner or maybe they exercise more, who knows. I just worry she is going to eat secretly now that I've hidden the goodies, but it is worth a try. I will let you know if she loses any weight.

I wish you all the best. It's so hard as parents because you love them so much and don't want them to end up with an eating disorder, but can't carry on with them being overweight so need to do something.

Flumpywoo · 11/03/2025 12:03

@MrsSkylerWhite thanks for the reminder about no puddings during the week ;except fruit). We didn't this for a while, then they slipped back in but it's def a good way to reduce calories.

JadziaD · 11/03/2025 12:06

OP, I have been there - with an overweight, ND child.

1 Accept that the ND IS a factor. Children with sensory processing disorders (and I think the overlap with SPD and ASD is very high) tend to have weak core strength, gain weight on their middle. There is also the sensory act of eating and consuming which can be challenging to manage.

2 if she likes fruit, let her eat fruit. The hand wringing about fresh fruit on MN is ridiculous. Yes, of course, ideally she would not eat an entire punnet of grapes. But it is definitely a better option than many others.

3 Accept that many of the changes can only happen when she is actively working with you to achieve them so your intervention may be limited, In our case, DS didi actually get realyl active in improving things and that helped to accelerate improvements.

Here is what we did:

The first thing I looked at was main meals. I realised that quite often we fall into the habit of "children's food" which are often calorie and nutrient dense foods on the assumption that children don't eat that much. Spaghetti bolognaise, fish pie, shepherds pie, sausages with mash and vegetables etc. BUT, DS was eating large portions of these foods and could happily eat more. So we switched things up. For us, this was fairly easy as we were often eating different foods to the kids (DD is fussy, has intolerances so we'd got into that habit) and DS is not fussy. So meals now can still be large plates of food, but there's a much higher proportion of lean proteins and vegetable/salad. So, for example, grilled salmon with a large portion of stir fried veg and some rice. Or a ciabatta with steak and a large side salad. Or even if doing pasta it's aubergine and tomato, cut in chunky pieces with a bit of chorizo so that the sauce is dominant, not the pasta. Baked chicken pieces with sauteed greens and potatoes. You get the idea. This was transformational and now, years later, we can be a lot more casual about it but we created a process whereby eating large volumes of vegetables or salad to fill up was normal.

Then we looked at snacks. And yes, we'd got into a bit of a habit with less good snacks. This is where DS really had to take part in the process of improving things. We took a sort of at-home Slimming World approach - so things that were clearly treats, we turned into "points" and he could have xx points per day. So he was welcome to eat fresh fruit and veg etc (which on Slimming world would be syns) but his points worked out to just one small packet of crisps a day or a small hot chocolate or whatever. this was important because we didn't want him to feel like he was a) not in control and b) life ws depressing! Grin

Then exercise: I am firmly of the opinion that a lot of children don't get enough movement and that this is worse for ND children wiith sensory processing issues. I don't have the science to back this up but, for example, at the time, DS was taking part in sports groups. BUT.... in those groups, ND children are often the one lurking on the outside. Doing 100% effort.. but only for 10% of the time. Those groups are often too short in length - 30-45 minutes. So we did a few things:
1 Went swimming a lot more. Low impact movement over an hour or more seemed like a good idea. We also started getting him into the idea of doign a swimathon but sadly that was knocked out by Covid but he was training to build up his endurance and ability to swim multiple lengths before Covid happened.

2 Sought out more active sports groups (this was one he had to be 100% behind though, obviously). In his case, he started playing basketball and the sessions were 90 minutes with almost constant movement. This was completely different to the more "kiddy" sports groups he'd done before (and yes, AFC would, in my opinion, be a great option here for your DD)

3 Made an effort to do more movement at home - this started by him and Dh doing obstacle courses in the garden/house during covid. The key was not so much the difficulty, but keeping him interested so that he was moving constantly, at any level, for longer than 10 minutes at a time - so vs taking him for a walk, which we'd also do, but he'd find a lot of reasons to stop/slow down etc. [Side bar - with DD who also has weight issues but not as severe and it's a bit different, we have done things like trying to reach new heighs in number of sit jumps on trampoline or similar].

As he got older and we moved away from Covid, I was the parent who was allowing my child much more independence than others. But a big part of it was that I saw it as a way to help him stay active, and WANT to be active. So taking a walk to the shop or the park, playing football with the neighbours in the park were things he WANTED to do, and meant he was MOVING a lot more.

DS is now slimmer than most of his friends and is very very fit. He eats like a horse, but we've broken the cycle of poor snacks and the wrong RATIOs of food and he is so active he probably could eat more junk and be fine.

Incidentally, I worry about DD's weight too. She's not as bad as he was and she has intolerances and is a bit fussy, plus we've got some minor medical things happening, but I try, as much as I can, to do similar to the above and we are slowly seeing improvements. Her doctor is also of the opinion that as she grows taller it will be less of an issue. So I hope he's right.

Back · 11/03/2025 12:09

My son has asd and is very routine based around food. He also doesn't recognise when he is full. We work a lot with his OT on interoception but it's very difficult for him.
But I try to explain to him if we have lunch out eg fish and chips, then that is lunch. I have to be very clear that he won't be going home to eat his usual sandwich as well. He responds well to this if he is prepared in advance. It's difficult though. I'm sure he'd have a weight problem if he wasn't so active. He doesn't do any regular classes but his choice of activity/stimming is galloping up and down the hallway. He builds up a sweat doing this!

Oleo24 · 11/03/2025 12:10

Sounds tough for you.

I wouldn’t let her help herself to snacks. My kids always have to ask if they want a snack and then I give them the options. You’d have to do that with all of your children though to make it fair. Could you try something like that?

Also ensure she eats plenty of protein so that she feels fuller for longer.

hope things get better for you.

ParrotParty · 11/03/2025 12:18

Only have healthy snacks in the house, with a sugary snack reserved for after school on a Friday or occasional weekend treat.
Filling breakfast like porridge
Fruit for snack
Healthy packed lunch or school meal
Fruit/yogurt/carrot sticks/breadsticks in cream cheese/peanut butter on toast (filling but not too sugary) after school. Make sure she's drinking enough water as dehydration will exasperate the feeling of hunger.
And main thing is activity, so keep screens reserved for a bit of time on the weekend, after school go to the park, or play in the garden, or even moving around playing at home is better than sitting still.
Does she do swimming lessons? That's good for activity as well as being an important skill.

Neemie · 11/03/2025 13:12

JadziaD · 11/03/2025 12:06

OP, I have been there - with an overweight, ND child.

1 Accept that the ND IS a factor. Children with sensory processing disorders (and I think the overlap with SPD and ASD is very high) tend to have weak core strength, gain weight on their middle. There is also the sensory act of eating and consuming which can be challenging to manage.

2 if she likes fruit, let her eat fruit. The hand wringing about fresh fruit on MN is ridiculous. Yes, of course, ideally she would not eat an entire punnet of grapes. But it is definitely a better option than many others.

3 Accept that many of the changes can only happen when she is actively working with you to achieve them so your intervention may be limited, In our case, DS didi actually get realyl active in improving things and that helped to accelerate improvements.

Here is what we did:

The first thing I looked at was main meals. I realised that quite often we fall into the habit of "children's food" which are often calorie and nutrient dense foods on the assumption that children don't eat that much. Spaghetti bolognaise, fish pie, shepherds pie, sausages with mash and vegetables etc. BUT, DS was eating large portions of these foods and could happily eat more. So we switched things up. For us, this was fairly easy as we were often eating different foods to the kids (DD is fussy, has intolerances so we'd got into that habit) and DS is not fussy. So meals now can still be large plates of food, but there's a much higher proportion of lean proteins and vegetable/salad. So, for example, grilled salmon with a large portion of stir fried veg and some rice. Or a ciabatta with steak and a large side salad. Or even if doing pasta it's aubergine and tomato, cut in chunky pieces with a bit of chorizo so that the sauce is dominant, not the pasta. Baked chicken pieces with sauteed greens and potatoes. You get the idea. This was transformational and now, years later, we can be a lot more casual about it but we created a process whereby eating large volumes of vegetables or salad to fill up was normal.

Then we looked at snacks. And yes, we'd got into a bit of a habit with less good snacks. This is where DS really had to take part in the process of improving things. We took a sort of at-home Slimming World approach - so things that were clearly treats, we turned into "points" and he could have xx points per day. So he was welcome to eat fresh fruit and veg etc (which on Slimming world would be syns) but his points worked out to just one small packet of crisps a day or a small hot chocolate or whatever. this was important because we didn't want him to feel like he was a) not in control and b) life ws depressing! Grin

Then exercise: I am firmly of the opinion that a lot of children don't get enough movement and that this is worse for ND children wiith sensory processing issues. I don't have the science to back this up but, for example, at the time, DS was taking part in sports groups. BUT.... in those groups, ND children are often the one lurking on the outside. Doing 100% effort.. but only for 10% of the time. Those groups are often too short in length - 30-45 minutes. So we did a few things:
1 Went swimming a lot more. Low impact movement over an hour or more seemed like a good idea. We also started getting him into the idea of doign a swimathon but sadly that was knocked out by Covid but he was training to build up his endurance and ability to swim multiple lengths before Covid happened.

2 Sought out more active sports groups (this was one he had to be 100% behind though, obviously). In his case, he started playing basketball and the sessions were 90 minutes with almost constant movement. This was completely different to the more "kiddy" sports groups he'd done before (and yes, AFC would, in my opinion, be a great option here for your DD)

3 Made an effort to do more movement at home - this started by him and Dh doing obstacle courses in the garden/house during covid. The key was not so much the difficulty, but keeping him interested so that he was moving constantly, at any level, for longer than 10 minutes at a time - so vs taking him for a walk, which we'd also do, but he'd find a lot of reasons to stop/slow down etc. [Side bar - with DD who also has weight issues but not as severe and it's a bit different, we have done things like trying to reach new heighs in number of sit jumps on trampoline or similar].

As he got older and we moved away from Covid, I was the parent who was allowing my child much more independence than others. But a big part of it was that I saw it as a way to help him stay active, and WANT to be active. So taking a walk to the shop or the park, playing football with the neighbours in the park were things he WANTED to do, and meant he was MOVING a lot more.

DS is now slimmer than most of his friends and is very very fit. He eats like a horse, but we've broken the cycle of poor snacks and the wrong RATIOs of food and he is so active he probably could eat more junk and be fine.

Incidentally, I worry about DD's weight too. She's not as bad as he was and she has intolerances and is a bit fussy, plus we've got some minor medical things happening, but I try, as much as I can, to do similar to the above and we are slowly seeing improvements. Her doctor is also of the opinion that as she grows taller it will be less of an issue. So I hope he's right.

There are some really good ideas in here.

Strangeonthenet · 11/03/2025 13:15

greenwoodpeckerwelcome · 11/03/2025 09:04

The nuclear option - locks on fridge and cupboards. Or (and I appreciate this is a pain to organise) daily food deliveries so that you use that day's supplies, and there's nothing else around the house until tomorrow.

I'm not sure which part of your reply is the most batshit...The first sentence or the second?

MrsSkylerWhite · 11/03/2025 13:15

Also, do you have an air fryer? We cook lots of things in it that we used to fry.
lovely, crispy/succulent food with less fat (it cooks at high temp and most fat drips down through the tray.)

PassOnThat · 11/03/2025 14:00

The issue on 'fuller for longer' is that she's not necessarily eating because she's hungry, rather than bored, unstimulated or another reason. So she's looking for some response/feeling when she eats, which she's feeling the lack of and not getting in other, healthier ways.

SmokeyBlue · 11/03/2025 17:10

Similar issues here and it is so difficult. DS12 (ASD) is on the 99th percentile for BMI. We’ve had to start keeping the cheese in the second fridge and cutting a 40g portion for him each day - we were going through 1.5kg of cheese a week mostly due to DS just taking chunks out the fridge when we weren’t looking. Although we caught him at the cheese in the second fridge at the weekend so I’m considering a fridge lock!
It’s hard now he’s at secondary school as he gets food off other pupils and will spend 2-3 days worth of dinner money in one day. Or he’ll spend his bus money buying food at the shops or borrow money from other kids to spend at the shop.
When he was at primary school we were referred to one point as he was stealing food from school and they had to come and check we have food in the cupboards at home. He’s also been know to eat none food items
I get punched and sworn at on a weekly basis for not giving him all the food he wants. It’s really hard.

We’ve started going swimming at the weekend and he managed to swim 50m at the weekend which he was pleased about.

It’s extra hard too as my other children are both slim and older teens who need more calories. DS12 doesn’t think it’s fair they get more food than him. DS17 also has ASD and he’s on the 0.2 percentile for weight. We have to encourage him to eat and have puddings and snacks while simultaneously stopping DS12 from eating. It’s an impossible task at times.

pursuitOfSomething · 11/03/2025 17:30

stanleypops66 · 11/03/2025 08:56

I've seen lots of girls at that age (my dd included) that put on weight at that age. Nothing else had changed in terms of food or exercise. Then suddenly within 9 months they had a growth spurt and it all evened out. It could be pre pubescent hormones.

DD2 did this.

I worried - starting trying to tackel it more acvtivity less snacking - and DD2 was getting self concious around trunk weight - 6 months later she was a foot taller and stayed thin as a rack since. DD1 didn't do this.

Some of the others mother nodded and said puberty - but she started her periods same age as DD1 at 12 later than I did.

drspouse · 11/03/2025 20:11

My DD is not overweight but she will just eat all and every snack.
We make a rule about snacks and breaches result in loss of screen time e.g. fruit only if it's an hour till tea and if you take biscuits then you've lost your screen time.
Also not buying them, and hiding them (DH has diabetes and needs sweet things on hand for hypos) helps.

Superscientist · 12/03/2025 11:01

I'd look at starting to look a different things for after school.
If sports aren't her thing even something that keeps her occupied and reduced the snacking might have an impact.
Would she engage with craft hobbies like cross stitch, knitting, crochet etc? I know I snack less when my hands are busy. I struggle with my mental health and having busy hands helps to quieten my mind. The other advantage of crafts is you don't want to get food on your project!
You could do snack on the journey home from school and then activities until dinner time?

Loopylou7219 · 27/04/2025 09:20

@User5274959 Hi OP, how are you getting on? I'm in a similar situation my DD, 11 is slightly overweight by a couple of pounds and I'm mindful of letting it get out of control, she is a big eater and not good with fruit or vegetables.

As someone else accurately put it, I want her to feel good about herself and not worry about her weight, but I also know she is conscious of wanting to look a certain way and wear certain clothes like many girls her age, I think if we're all brutally honest as women, none of us feel happier being overweight than not. Similar to you, my other two children are very slim but have totally different approaches to food. For me it's also about snacks after school I think and I plan to do a bit of a cull of the treat shelf in our cupboard (though there's not much in there tbh outside of Xmas and Easter etc).

Anyway I just wanted to show some solidarity and wondered if you'd made any changes that seemed to be helping.

ACatNamedRobin · 27/04/2025 09:27

Sorry completely off topic - I'm 160 cm and 54 kg. Ok I might "feel fat", but socially/visually I look ok (with clothes on). I know I'm an adult female but I'm very androgynous shaped (cup A boobs, definitely no ass really).
So what's the difference really?

INeedNewShoes · 27/04/2025 09:44

ACatNamedRobin · 27/04/2025 09:27

Sorry completely off topic - I'm 160 cm and 54 kg. Ok I might "feel fat", but socially/visually I look ok (with clothes on). I know I'm an adult female but I'm very androgynous shaped (cup A boobs, definitely no ass really).
So what's the difference really?

An adult's body composition is different to that of a child. What is slightly pudgy in an adult can be quite overweight for a child. If they continue on that trajectory they'll probably battle with their weight through adult life.

I'm 163cm and weigh 62 kilos. I officially am a healthy weight as an adult female, just a bit flabby in places. When I was 13 I was the same height, 163cm, and pretty much same weight at 60 kilos but I was fat and unfit. I looked a lot larger than my peers. My weight was enough to make me not feel confident doing sports and I looked very chubby all over but most noticeably in my face. I wasn’t healthy and didn't feel it.

At 13 I changed schools and instead of getting the bus to school every day I walked up a hill. That 10 minute walk twice a day was enough to start a small change. Then I gave up chocolate for Lent and it helped get my sweet tooth slightly under control (though my sweet tooth has very much stayed with me I stopped wanting to eat 100g chocolate in one sitting). Two small changes that were enough to change the path I was on with my weight. I think it's a really positive thing if parents gently steer their kids' eating and exercise habits while still at an age to make a difference.

Loopylou7219 · 27/04/2025 10:28

INeedNewShoes · 27/04/2025 09:44

An adult's body composition is different to that of a child. What is slightly pudgy in an adult can be quite overweight for a child. If they continue on that trajectory they'll probably battle with their weight through adult life.

I'm 163cm and weigh 62 kilos. I officially am a healthy weight as an adult female, just a bit flabby in places. When I was 13 I was the same height, 163cm, and pretty much same weight at 60 kilos but I was fat and unfit. I looked a lot larger than my peers. My weight was enough to make me not feel confident doing sports and I looked very chubby all over but most noticeably in my face. I wasn’t healthy and didn't feel it.

At 13 I changed schools and instead of getting the bus to school every day I walked up a hill. That 10 minute walk twice a day was enough to start a small change. Then I gave up chocolate for Lent and it helped get my sweet tooth slightly under control (though my sweet tooth has very much stayed with me I stopped wanting to eat 100g chocolate in one sitting). Two small changes that were enough to change the path I was on with my weight. I think it's a really positive thing if parents gently steer their kids' eating and exercise habits while still at an age to make a difference.

I totally agree, I think it's all about steering in the right direction without making an issue of it and I think whilst they're young that is very doable

User5274959 · 27/04/2025 11:27

@Loopylou7219 thanks for your message.
I have upped my game in terms of doing what I can, but I came to the (renewed) conclusion that the most important thing is to build self esteem and not shame.

As some others said on this thread, and I feel the same about myself, I don't know if my mum could have done anything to stop me when I was that age.

I have changed the snacks I buy, and the weather has helped her be a bit more active. She's been going to the park after school and we've taken the bike out more.

It's hard to know if it's made a difference as she didn't like me suggesting we weighed her every so often so I've no idea!

OP posts:
User5274959 · 27/04/2025 11:31

Oh also I realised that the sensory chew necklaces do really help

OP posts:
binbins123 · 27/04/2025 12:12

Hi OP, I could have written your post about my 11yo dd (Y6). She’s also autistic and we are trying to get a hypermobility diagnosis which is something that was recommended when she had her autism assessment. She also struggles with the school environment and is constantly exhausted because of it. She doesn’t get much physical exercise outside of school despite my best efforts, as she needs so much time to decompress after the school day. Usually she heads straight upstairs to chill out in her bedroom and read or watch some tv, but she really needs that time to chill out after masking all day.

She 100% takes after me - I have the exact same body shape and packed on weight at her age. I was the kid at weight watchers with my Mum at age 11, which obviously I would never do. I’ve always struggled with my weight and growing up as a size 12 teen through the 00s ‘thin is in’ era was so damaging for me. I’m 35 now and have struggled with my weight my whole life, and I don’t want that for her. I am almost at a healthy BMI right now for the first time as an adult.

I honestly don’t know how to approach it. She will only eat specific things and hates being outdoors. One thing she does like is riding her bike so I’m going to encourage that more now the weather is nice. And I know I can cut down her portion sizes. She is very mature for her age and has a good understanding so I think I can have a gentle discussion with her about us all being more active and healthy and frame it that way. She’s very aware that her school friends are active and sporty types, and she’s a bit bigger than them, and it really gets her down.

I’m going to read through your whole thread now as I’m sure you’ll have had some good advice which I can take on board!

Loopylou7219 · 27/04/2025 13:13

@User5274959 Hi OP thanks for your reply. I completely agree with you, building self esteem is so important. Although I wasn't really an overweight child I did gain weight around puberty and remember my Mum not handling it particularly well in her response, so I think for me that part is key.

I think I'm on the same page, trying to encourage and making changes with the things I have control over, but ultimately short of bringing it to her attention and making more significant changes like calorie counting, which I would never do, there is not a lot more to be done. I guess we have to remember they are constantly growing as well which makes it more complex than an adult perhaps wanting to lose a few pounds.

It's comforting to know (without sounding weird) that other people have similar struggles.

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