Any tips for food for "chunky" 7 year old?

[Tanzie]

The school doc said that DD1 was a bit overweight. She is just about on the top line of the chart for both height and weight, but does look a bit hefty. Doc said "don't feed her so many chips, burgers and fizzy drinks" . She doesn't eat these things (I must have the only child who doesn't like chips) and I'd say she has a fairly healthy diet. In a day she eats:

Breakfast: 2 weetabix with semi skimmed milk or muesli with plain yog, milk to drink

Snack: apple or banana

Lunch: ham or tuna sandwich on brown bread, yogurt, raisins

Supper: chicken casserole with mash and veg, with more fruit to follow and three times a week sweeties - fun size Mars or tiny bag of gummy bears

She swims at least twice a week, does gymnastics, ballet and sports club, plus brownies and has 15 minute walk home from school every day, so she's not lacking in the exercise department.

Her sister, who is like a stick (on 98th centile for height, 50th for weight) is, according to school doc "in exactly the right proportion", whereas I would think she was a bit underweight.

I don't want her to worry about her weight at this age, but she has said that people call her fat at school and she wants to eat "healthily". Doc is monitoring her height/weight in another 6 months and wants it to be "more in balance".

tbh it doesnt sound like theres that much that you CAN do....

she seems to be eating a ice healthy balanced diet, and getting enough exrecise

you could gover her skimmed milk.... but i doubt that will do a lot to get her slimmer or anything, and you are right, you dont want her to be worried or conciouse or anything, esp when she so young!

I think her diet sounds really good and she does loads of exercise so tbh I wouldn't worry. She'll most likely just even out as she grows.

I'd have said that if she was on the same centile line for both height and weight then she already is in balance. Her diet sounds very, very good to me and she's getting plenty of exercise. If you cut any food out she's going to go hungry, and it really looks as if it's going to be hard to make her diet any healthier.

She does eat quite a lot, but I try and fill her up with soups and veggies and fruit. She eats most things and doesn't have a particularly sweet tooth.

I am a bit of a porker and I suppose I don't want her to end up like me!

Only thing I can think of, would it be possible for her to have her main cooked meal at lunchtime. Is she going to bed on a full stomach? Apart from changing this I can't see what more you can do.

Tnazie - DD(also 7) is very slim but does chub up now and again just before a growing spurt. Like your DD she is very tall for her age and so can shoot up quite a bit in a short space of time!

Your DD's diet sounds good to me, so I would leave it a bit and see if it evens out a bit over the next few months

IMHO (I'm not a doctor or anything) the school doc is being pretty irresponsible by commenting on your dd's weight without finding out exactly what she does eat, and how much exercise she does. He's making you (and more seriously her) worry about nothing. It sounds to me as if she's eating really well and I would do nothing. If she's on the same centile line for height and weight that would suggest that she is in proportion, wouldn't it? I'd be more worried about these stupid comments giving her a real 'thing' about her weight, and I would be worried that acting on them could make your dd feel that you also think she's 'fat'. Personally, I'd continue as you have been, and keep telling your dd how gorgeous she is. I'd be more worried about her self-esteem than her weight at this stage.

(PS I don't mean to imply that you are doing anything wrong re. her self-esteem... Sounds like you're doing everything right. I'm annoyed with the bloody doctor, making comments like this without bothering to find out what she does eat and without thinking about how such comments might make your dd feel. Grrrrrr!)