DD over weight but very tired

[widdles]

DD is 13 and in the last 4 months has gained quite a bit of weight (she is 70kg) but in proportion, this weight gain has coincided with her being tied all the time and her joints are constently clicking.

The weight gain is due to the tiredness and as so lack of exercise.

She has a gp appointment in a weeks time but i am concerned as she also hasn't started her periods.

She eats very healthy and never has sweets, chocolate or crisps and her portion sizes are average if not on the small size.

What could this be???

Are you sure she isn't eating when you aren't aware of it? I was a fiend for eating in secret at this age, and my weight was testament to that.In my case it was in response to unhappiness. At 13 has she just started a new school? Is there anythng else going on?

I know boys often put on weight and fill out quite a bit just before puberty starts, maybe girls do too.

It may all just be part of maturing but I would get her checked out to be on the safe side though.

Could be thyroid issues or polycystic ovaries. How's her skin?

How tall is she? 70kg is a lot, how much did she weigh before the weight gain?

she is 169cm tall which is roughly 5ft3, she has size 7 feet and her dad is big (6ft4 and 19 stone).
She is restricted to £2 per day to buy dinner and at home she is always with me.

her skin is pretty good actually, considering her age.

hope this helps

The first thing that springs to my mind is her thyroid as someone else suggested. An underactive thyroid certainly causes tiredness and weight gain (along with a load of other symptoms which you might want to check out). 70kgs is a lot for a 13 yr old especially her height so a trip to the docs probably wouldn't be a bad idea.

169 cm is 5'6"". Which is it? If she is really 169cm and 70kg then BMI ok. If she is actually 5'3" (160cm) she's overweight.

What exercise did she do before the tiredness? Is she getting enough protein in her diet?

I would definitely take her to the drs. I am 6 feet tall and 72 kg so that is very overweight.
What is she buying for lunch at school......remember what she tells you is not always what she actually does buy. I am often in dd's school at lunchtime and see the crap some of the girls buy.
It may account for her tiredness.
Hope she gets better

sorry 160cm not 169cm, she's tall but not that tall

Hard to tell if it's chicken or egg, isn't it. Is the weight gain causing the tiredness or vice versa?

Definitely get her checked. You say her periods haven't started, how developed is she? I would say she weighs a lot for a prepubescent girl, so either there's a medical issue or her diet is poor, which is likely if she's eating school dinners. As others have said, she could well be spending the money on junk. Send her with a packed lunch and no money to be sure.

You say average sized portions, if your dh is big and eats a lot without gaining weight, is it possible your perception of portion size is skewed towards the larger scale? I've seen it happen before in families where one person is v tall and eats a lot. Perhaps look at some online portion control resources and start weighing food out for dd.

All of this clearly applies if there isn't an underlying medical issue, so get her checked.

dh eats very little and meals are very small in our family.

She is developing slowely but gradually.

I really think the tiredness has caused the weight gain and not vice versa.

The school dinners are very good, she generally has a panini or pasta salad as the chip queue is so long she would be late for class and she has never been late for anything.

I have kept track today and she has eaten 2 piece of toast, supernoodles and she will have chicken and salad and that is it for the day, whereas dd2 who is 7.10 has had 2 weetabix, 2 slice of toast, gingerbreadmen (she made) supernoodles, ice lollies a packet of crisps and will have chicken and salad for tea but no dount she will also want supper and milk before bed. She is 4ft2 and weighs 4stone 8lb its just not fair

Sorry widdles, the diets you have described are not that great really. They sound high in carbs and low in protein. Kids at this age need lots of protein to put on muscle mass. Carb-rich meals also lead to feelings of lethargy. Can you get her to eat more eggs, cheese, fish and green veg and less bread, pasta and potatoes? She will still need carbs but try to go for slow-release stuff like porridge and brown rice.

All this after getting her checked out of course.

I don't want to sound like I am criticising but I can't see that your DH would be 19 stone on "very small meals" regardless of his height. Is it possibel as the previous poster that your perception of the size is wrong?

Obviously at home today her meals haven't been big but I know that when I was 13 I ate a HUGE amount of sweets that my parents knew nothing about.

Sundays are a day of eating generally what you want because through the week we have meat, veg and potatoes 3 nights, pasta 1 or 2 nights, a rice dish 1 or 2 nights and then something with chip (slimming world chips) on friday night.

She dosen't like eggs or cheese.

Dh has always been big and his mum and sister are the same, he goes to the gym everyday and eats according to the training he is doing (currently eating carbs like mad) but he eats 5 small meals as this is better for his diabeties.

Hmm, her diet sounds high in carbs, low in protein and fresh foods.

Also if your dh has diabetes, your dd should be checked for that as well.

Dd's bllod sugars are fine (dh checks all the dc's every week).

I have spoken to my cousin who is the nurse at our gp's and she thinks it is more than likely medical than teenage lazyness.
She is going to try to get her an earlier appt than next monday

I have to say it doesn't sound like its just a diet/lazy thing from what you say she eats etc - could be thyroid, could be PCOs, could be any number of things (although sounds like you have diabetes covered!) I hope you get some answers and help for your DD, it must be a worry for you. Keep us posted and good luck.

Your family diet seem to be very high in starch. (Which is very high in calories) Rice, potatoes, pasta. It is all carbohydrates. It gives an energy high just after eating, and then tiredness. My dh cant eat any of the above, as it will put him right to sleep! I am not kidding. It makes him really lethargic. I have not stopped having these as sides to meals, as we have growing children, and they are really skinny! However, he substitutes all of the above with extra veg or salad. I always make plenty of steamed veg or salads on the side. Could you try to let your daughter cut the above carbs, and just fill her plate with veg instead? How much fish and red meat is she eating?

she doesn't really eat fish but is a big meat eater.

I really don't think her diet is a big contributer to this and it is more a medical thing.

widdles, being kind I think it could be both medical and your dd's diet - sorry your dh is to heavy and he may have been to heavy for a long time my own father is over 3 inchs taller and nearly 3 stone lighter and he eats to much at times, also a gym bunny.

As others have said a bit to much starch and cutting out possibly one of the starches say pasta may help reduce your families intake.

Sorry to say that your DH's BMI puts him as obese. Of course this may not be the case if he is a bodybuilder, but even 6'4" rugby player are rarely over 18st.

Even if there is an underlying medical condition, please do look at diet.

We've all been brainwashed into thinking that loads of spuds, pasta and rice are good for us. Sure, if you are doing a couple hours of hard CV exercise every day, or spending all day doing physical labour. But that's simply not the case for most of us. Most people in sedentary lifestyles could benefit from replacing half the carbs they eat with green veg and pulses/beans.

It could be both, widdles. That is a seriously carb heavy diet, which isn't good for anyone except those doing serious exercise and sports. Even if the problem is medical, I would look at getting a mor healthy diet into her.

Fwiw, I recently reduced my carb intake due to ongoing lethargy problems, and it's done wonders for my energy levels.