MY son is sports mad, eats well, but is still overweight for his height - should I be worried?

[tigermoth]

Something that's been nagging at me for some time, and now beginning to worry me:

I have two sons, 6 and 11. They both like their food. At home, we don't do organic salads and we don't have zero tolerance to sweets or mcdonalds hamburgers when out, but we do believe in lots of home cooking, fresh fruit, meat and 2 veg suppers, not much fried food, no chicken nuggets ever - so a middling sort of diet I suppose. My youngest son has a slim, wiry physique - no hint of being overweight. Granted he eats smaller portions than his older brother, but then he is smaller.

Both sons are active. My oldest son is very active and a very keen cricketer. He has just started secondary school so does a fair bit of walking to and from bus stops etc during the day. An average week for him at the moment means 1 hour of football during school breaks and lunchtimes, more football practice after school once or twice a week, plus cricket nets for 1 hour on Thursday evenings and 3 hours on Sundays, and a couple of hours on saturday if we can fit it in.

He does buy his own school lunches, but tells me he chooses things like sandwiches and yoghout most of the time, allowing himself chips once a week.

He is, and has been since the age of 7 years noticeably chubby especially round the middle. He takes an adult 34 inch waist for his trousers and is the fourth shortest in his class ( he used to be about average height for his age, but has not had any recent growth spurts).

To be honest, I am mystified why he is not slimmer. He could hardly do more sport than he is doing now! Even if he was stuffing chips every day at school, I know what he eats for breakfast and supper.

I know he would love to look more 'athletic'. But my worry is more than about looks - I am beginning to concerned that something might be amiss. From the time he was a newborn baby, he had a very protruding tummy and that was before he put on any weight. Perhaps I am being silly, and when he has a teenage growth spurt his shape will change - any thoughts?

i wouldn't necessarily believe the chips once a week line! i used that with my mum too! lol

that aside though i reckjon he'll even out when he gets taller

I suspect it is just puppy fat, and will fall off in the next couple of years, but if he does suffer from fatigue or mood swings, maybe a blood test just to check all is ok.

tigermoth, my 2 are like this - DS1 has a very stocky build and DS2 is a string bean (well he isn't any more now he's 12, but still a completely different shape from DS1).

DS1 stayed on the short-and-chubby side right through sec. school, despite being v keen on sport, and although he has finally (at 17) just about topped 6', he still has exactly the same build he always had and weighs over 15 stone. I think he is always going to have to be aware that he is a big person and watch what he eats accordingly.

If it would make you feel better could he switch to packed lunches for a bit, so you know exactly what he's eating, or is that not done at his school?

I sympathise, tigermoth, my ds (11) is similar, although not so active as yours. I've just helped him join a gym and will work out with him, which he's keen to do. My theory is that he has postural problems (doesn't sit up straight) which throw his body out of balance. I hope core stability exercises and stretches at the gym will help, but I'm also considering Pilates for Kids, and Alexander Technique, just to get his body more into alignment.

I know someone who was pretty much the same shape as your ds1 and similarly sporty (although lazier in certain respects and NOT a super cook...)
He went off from last choir practice of summer a stocky little boy...and he had grown about six inches come September, it was astonishing - and we had to radically alter his choir robes, so this was how we knew.
I think the same will happen to your ds1 - and that he clearly has a tendency to stockiness, like JanH's boys.
A blood test would rule out possible thyroid or metabolic disorders I guess, but...when someone is such a delightful, welcoming, friendly, lovely boy as your ds1 is...he is never going to lack admirers. He is great and dd will not be parted from her black rubber teeth

thanks for the comments Fauvre and others.It's reasssuring to see I'm not the only one with a children whose body shape belies their diet and general lifestyle.

When ds1 started his new school, afer just a few weeks his PE teacher took him to one side to talk to him about his eating habits and what to choose for lunch. While that's probably 'a good thing' it still makes me sad that people who do not know my son well make assumptions that he has a bad diet and needs a good talking to . And by extension, that includes me, his mother - I sometimes wonder how many people assume our family diet comprises of turkey twizzlers and donuts? In the past, I have been gently lectured by friends for letting ds1 have a hamburger etc when out, which I do find annoying. I tend to make a point of telling people how much ds1 likes sport.

My son has slim friends who seem to eat far more junk food and sweets and would always choose computers above sports, and it just seems so unfair.

I know I could give ds1 a packed lunch for school, but he's dead against this as he says it's not cool.

With all the media attention on obesity in children I think many people assume that non obese children = healthly lifestyle = good parenting, while obese children = unhealthy lifestyle = bad parenting. There was a programme on TV 'Killing our Kids' I think it was called. Families were told to change their lifestyle so their overweight children would change shape and live longer. Parents were blamed for reducing the projected lifespan of their children. What sort of frightening message is that giving my son and other chubby but healthy eating and active children who watch it!!

Janh I know a boy like your ds1 - he goes to our church. I have seen him grow from a stocky 12 year old to a broad and tall 15 year old, still keeping the same body shape. His younger sister, like your ds2, is a different shape altogether.

But on the other hand, I have heard several stories like yours' marina, where short and stocky boys transform and grow taller almost overnight (and ds1 was very taken with your gorgeous dd - so will be so pleased she likes the teeth!).

I would be interested to hear if anyone has gone to the doctor and found out there child has a specified problem regarding food and weight - I just want to be sure. I think I will get ds tested just to be on the safe side.

bump!

Funnily enough, I've just spent today thinking about doing ds packed lunches - he told me today that his 2 best friends have them - I was amazed! The advantage would be that I could make them healthy and what he likes; and he wouldn't have to queue and then buy something he doesn't like that much. But more work for me unless I could get him to do them, which is a possibility.

Packed lunches are definitely more work - up to last year I was doing them for both sons. I know some people recommend making sandwiches in batches and freezing them. I never did that (being irrantional I know but it seems really unappetizing) but if you did this, it would cut down the work. Have to say, however, that I found it hard to avoid the crisps and biscuits as you can only do so many sandwiches and fruit can get very damaged and soggy.
Mind you, if your son is into the idea, and wants a healthy packed lunch, you have him on your side already.

DS2 does make his own packed lunch now, although as he does it unsupervised I'm never sure if he bothers to put in the apple and frube he is supposed to...he also has a peanut butter sandwich and either a carton of apple juice or some apple+mango juice in a flask. Same thing every day

He has school dinner one day a week, when it's his year's priority - the reasons for him not having it daily are the price and the knowledge that he will buy rubbish - he is not as sensible about food as yours, tm!

the thing is, janh, he enthusiatic about all food - first the sensible stuff admittedly, but then the less sensible stuff to fill the odd gap.

Having said that, ds2 is also enthusiastic about food and cooking, but has not any spare fat on him at all (and if anything, eats a less healthy diet than ds1).

Do you know, it's the same with mine - dd has a really sweet tooth, eats more rubbish, yet is not at all chubby. Ds is into healthy food; but it's sitting in front of a computer that is his downfall. Would be all day, every day, given a chance.

The computer may or may not be the problem IME My son has done more and more sport in the last two years. It has not made a radical difference to his body shape.

thanks, batters. I am glad you said that as you have seen him!

I think a talk with the doctor about possible tests would be a good idea - we have talked with our GP a bit from time to time, but all he as done is to chat generally about diet and exercise.

I agree. You say he has a fat tum - I just thought barrel-chested, honestly. I think he will grow into his upper body strength. Maybe an opera singer in the making?

ha ha! well he does love his voice a lot. wonder if I will ever pay to hear it - no there's a thought

indeed. I do feel that in some way I will be able to say, I knew that tigerstar as a child you know...why not the stage of the Coliseum!