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Original poster

My dd is getting fat :(

59 replies

bluejelly · 04/10/2007 11:23

My dd is nearly 8, she has got quite a big tummy ( pokes out of her clothes) and is starting to get a double chin!
She is very active at school, goes swimming regularly and skating. She has a fairly big appetite but eats healthily ( no crisps, fizzy drinks, sweet cereals hardly any sweets, cakes or biscuits)... Toast or cereal in the morning, school dinners for lunch, normal dinner in the evening...
She has started complaining about being fat all the time, saying she is the heaviest in her class ( she is also one of the tallest)
Is there anything I can do? Or will she just grow out of it?

OP posts:
Original poster
bluejelly · 04/10/2007 12:08

Thanks frogs, I know what you mean about carb heavy lunches

But worry that sandwiches not great either-- would need to be super creative making health packed lunches therefore, not easy being a single parent who works full time.

But I guess it's feasible

OP posts:
goingfor3 · 04/10/2007 12:09

Children do need carbs as they are growing. If there was a big problem with school dinner then it would be easy to spot the pack lunch from the school dinner kids.

dinny · 04/10/2007 12:11

agree- they don't need two main meals a day, plus there may be pressure for them to finish their school lunch

deffo go packed lunch as you can control the amount she is eating

also, can you increase general activity? ie. walking to school, playgrounds etc?

SSSandy2 · 04/10/2007 12:12

Everyone in dd's class has school dinners. No one just has a packed lunch but some are chubby, others look very slim.

dinny · 04/10/2007 12:13

Bluejelly, am afraid I never give dd interesting packed lunches - I just do half a ham/marmite/cheese etc sandwich on wholegrain bread, piece of fruit, tub of chopped veg/salad and sometimes a small yogurt plus bottle of water. and a treat on fridays

handlemecarefully · 04/10/2007 12:15

Personally I would provide her with a packed lunch to give me back some control about what she is eating at school

Are you sure she isn't taking pocket money with her to buy sweets or crisps etc from the tuck shop / vending machines at break time?

Original poster
bluejelly · 04/10/2007 12:26

HMC: there are no vending machines at school, and she spends her pocket money on magazines....

Dinny your lunches sound good and not too difficult to manage! She walks to school every day, but it is only 2 mins from our house so not great exercise!

OP posts:
scareybee · 04/10/2007 12:32

bluejelly - my mum used to make our sandwiches every sunday and bung them in the freezer. We'd then take them out every morning and they'd be fine to eat by lunchtime. Cheese and marmite on granary defrosts very well

dinny · 04/10/2007 12:52

I really reckon lunch is key if she is having reasonable breakfast and dinner

I love dd having packed lunch as she SO enjoys her evening meal.

frogs · 04/10/2007 12:58

Goingfor3, that's not necessarily true, as some kids have school dinners but only pick at them, while other kids might be snarfing packed lunches full of crisps and chocolate bars.

Surely the point is rather that for the same child, swapping a commercially-cooked lunch which is likely to be relatively high in carb, fat and sugar, with a packed lunch that can be arranged according to that child's tastes and energy needs is likely to provide a way of regaining control over the child's calorie intake.

And bluejelly yes, you can make a week's worth of sarnies and freeze them. You wrap them separately and take out of the freezer in the morming, and they're all nicely chilled by lunchtime. Cheese goes a bit crumbly, but is otherwise unharmed. Marmite soaks into the bread a bit, but ditto. But you can't freeze them with cucumber, lettuce or tomato in you have to add that afterwards, or put it in a separate bag as a side order!

shrooms · 04/10/2007 14:49

School dinners are in general, rubbish. While they claim to have new healthy alternatives like shephards pie, the mash on top is probo instant, the veg tinned or frozen and overcooked, and everything cooked with too much fat!

Packed lunches can be the same everyday or varied and interesting.
IMO - Bluejelly - your daughter doesn't look fat at all in the piccie. She looks quite healthy!

The best thing you can do with kids is make sure they get at least 5 fruit and veg a day, which fill them up. Also, wholegrains other than wheat are good to incorporate now before they get in a wheat rut.

And exercise which you seem do be doing well with - they need to run around and play for fun and games for about an hour a day at least. I'd avoid too much structured stuff as it can be boring for them when they don't understand training principles!

Theclosetpagan · 04/10/2007 14:52

bluejelly - have you asked the school nurse to review your DD. I bet the school would have a number you could phone her on. Ask her to weight your DD and measure her height. She might not be as overweight as she thinks she is. If she is then the school nurse should be able to help.

Original poster
bluejelly · 04/10/2007 15:02

shrooms: am confused, is there a picture of my dd somewhere? I've never put one on the site

theclosetpagan: yes good idea, no idea if there is a school nurse though but worth checking out!

OP posts:
MaureenMLove · 04/10/2007 15:09

My dd was just the same at that age, and she did the regular excercise thing, doesn't drink juices or eat crisps or choc that often. She is turning 12 tomorrow and her diet and lifestyle hasn't changed at all since she was 8, BUT she has started her AF and her body changed. She's got all slim again.

shrooms · 04/10/2007 17:22

Bluejelly - sorry! I meant Geekgirl. I had got confused and thought she had started the thread! No, there is no pic of your daughter on the site!

macdoodle · 04/10/2007 18:53

Agree with exercise - my DD age 6 is a big eater good appetite and always hungry...3 good meals (but packed lunch rather than dinners) and snacks as well (some healthy some not so )...but I think she eats a lot for a 6 year old...but sje is very very active - swimming once a week, trampolining once a week, dancing and drama once a week....and out on her bike almost every day and good long walks/rides on weekends - she is tall and well built but lean and muscly rather than fat...whereas I am tubby

MaryAnnSingletomb · 04/10/2007 19:57

bluejelly - you might be interested in this - v good I think - good soundtrack too

%3A%2F%2Fkateharding%2Enet%2F
MaryAnnSingletomb · 04/10/2007 19:58

duh ! i forgot the
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaH4y6ZjSfE&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fkateharding%2Enet%2F

lovey · 04/10/2007 21:26

I would think I school dinner AND home dinner, as well as any snacks could very easily be a bit too much - calorie wise. If a main meal at school is around 800kcals (which is very likely, as they must be good and wholesome), she may be going over a RDA? I may be completely wrong, but is worth a look into?

dinny · 04/10/2007 22:52

a school lunch would be 800 cals? really? goodness, am shocked!

nappyaddict · 04/10/2007 23:03

maybe stop the m&s meals at the childminders? ready meals quite often contain a lot of empty calories.

also what sauce does she have with the pasta. is it very creamy? maybe she could have something a bit healthier if it is?

Original poster
bluejelly · 08/10/2007 11:59

NA: sorry for delayed response... not creamy usually tomato and onion maybe with a little bacon or salami.

Dinny: Would also be surprised if school dinners were 800 cals!

I wish I could get her to do more exercise in the week, but don't get home from work till 6.30, really too late to do anythng at that time

And after school clubs this year all seem to be cereberal ones ( eg languages and music) rather than active ones... which is a shame in some ways.

OP posts:
alycat · 08/10/2007 12:19

I would not use the BMI calculator. Children of this age are still covered by the centile charts in the red books. Check her height and weight on these.

My DD (7)looks much bigger than her classmates, she is on 98th for height and 93rd for weight, so is in proportion.

I have seen her GP (I usually go in one week and discuss it and take her along the next day/week so as not to discuss it in front of her) but both times was told she is fine.

The Dove film was good, also watched 'daughters' which made me cry as this is such a hot topic in our house as my DD has started talking about how she is unhappy to be so much bigger and taller than her friends (she has size 1.5 - 2 feet as well which she hates)

My DD does PE/Game 4 times a week (including a X-country run) Ballet, horse riding and swimming. Not everyone can be a size zero.

lovey · 08/10/2007 17:46

It may not be, but the traditional, 'homely' meals often can be- my prep school served food laden with calories, as it was in keeping with good old English grub! Still, I may be very wrong...

lovey · 08/10/2007 17:46

Agree with the pasta sauce thing, go for tomato sauce instead of creamy based, as they are much healthier and lower in calories.