At my son's physical this year the Dr told him no more than 2 hours combined TV and Computer. My son's not over weight - in fact he's thin according to the charts, but boy did he take the doctor's words to heart. And we have a chart on our fridge from the doc on how much of which foods to eat. My kid is very self regulating. The physical fitness thing is a bit of an issue but as a cubscout, there are badges to earn for physacal activity and sports - that really helps motivate him.
ECKOAJ 7/9/06 11:24 A
I like to think my kids are healthy. They play some sports, but not a lot. I get worried that they don't get enough exercise. I bought a trampoline (and a net) last year and gave my boys the "rules". My oldest, who happened to be the one to play video games all day, now will take a break from his video games just to go jump on the trampoline! That is his plan, not mine, but I encourage it. I think if you can find something that your kid likes to do, go for it, it's worth it!
LLONGTO 7/6/06 11:56 A
I have a 12 year old who has a layer of insulation, let's say... he's not overweight, according to his doctor, but even he notices the pudgy dimples in his body. I feel that he will grow out of it when he hits puberty (any moment now) but I am worried about this summer: this is his first summer that he is not enlisted in a summer camp, or any summertime sports. He loves playing airsoft with his brother and friends. I restrict his "butt time" (t.v., computer games, even painting his miniature statues) however I am a little worried about getting him enough exercise every day. The next two weeks, his brother will be away at camps, so unless his friends are available, he won't have someone to run around with. Does anyone have good ideas to get a boy outside, or at least physical activity if he's by himself? Anyone with an Only Child living at home? How do you keep them physically active, while you're working? (Unless you drop them off at a summer camp?) Any home grown ideas?
LDB2525 7/4/06 11:09 A
in japan, every student has morning exercises at school before studies begin. I'm from canada and the ministry of education has recently mandated that every student MUST engage in 20 min of physical activity to raise their heart rate EVERYDAY! it's fantastic! and our principal is a fitness fanatic too, so i'm looking forward to helping her fit it into their busy schedules. thankfully, she puts a high priority on fitness.
we all must take responsibility in helping these kids get off to better starts, b/c we all know how tough it is as adults to do it after the fact....!
OTMCKAY 7/4/06 8:28 A
The scary thing is that a lot of states do not require the schools to have PE. Given the current state of obesity in children, that is horrible!
RENEESG 7/4/06 7:16 A
sczkcz you've said it best. kids will eat what you eat. Switch the junk foods for healthy ones and they'll follow along. They have no choice!
I don't obsess over my daughter's weight, I am helping her to get within the "normal" range for her age, but I do know that as soon as she gets into her teen spurt, she's going to lose weight as long as she keeps eating healthy. And as the Mom, my job is to make sure she does.
I work at the school as a substitute and see what the kids eat for lunch. They do offer fresh salads along with the daily menu, and make it manditory for the kids to have fresh veges and fruit every day. They have vending machines but I see more and more of the kids going for the fruit juices and waters. I don't know if they do that all over, but it would be nice.
One thing they have been debating on within our school system was to eliminate P.E. from the cirriculum, and have the teachers teach it. There was a HUGE fall out from that!! Physical Ed (gym) is SO essential for their health! For many of them, it is the only exercise they get. And that is sad. I saw a documentary where they eliminated gym in one state, and that state ended up ranking number 1 on the level of child obesity.
So that makes me think that as long as my child is eating healthy, we need to increase the level of exercise.
SCZKCZ 7/3/06 7:50 P
I can relate to all of this as well. My 7 year old was put on an "intake diary" when she was a baby because the doctor believed I was feeding her too much (I am 5'11,large frame, her father is 6'4, football player build let's face it, she's going to be a big kid.) The intake of course showed I was not feeding her too much. Today at 7 she weighs 98 pounds and is the tallest in her class. She plays soccer, basketball, and baseball, she is energetic, plays at recess, this is her second year at summer camp where they keep them very busy with physical activities. We have been referred to a nutritionist by her pediatrician because she was overweight at her last appointment. But I do want to say I was never told to put her on a diet or to have her lose weight. I was to help her maintain until her body could grow into her weight. Which that was November and she still weighs the same, so we're doing something right I hope. Also when I quit smoking and ate junk day after day, guess what my kids ate? Yep, Junk day after day. But now that I am eating well again there is no junk and my kids are eating well too. A lot of it has to do with me and what I am eating and preparing. I am trying to fix it and make it better for my entire family.
IMQTPIE31 7/3/06 7:04 P
I know how u feel my boys are 10 and 11 and they both weigh 58lbs. They are very very picky and very entergetic. My daughter is 5 and is 41 lbs. they are very petite and all kids there age r bigger my 11 year old will b 12 in augest and in 7th grade. I have been a bad role motal by crying about being over weight all these years and now they all think they r over weight and they always say that they r on a diet and r fat and I feel bad because I have said that about me. They r very tiny and I am over weight .Not them. I need to feed them more food that they like more ideas and less food for me i reacken.
DARLENEJB 7/3/06 6:00 P
I need to join this discussion since I have one child who is 9 and rarely eats enough - he is tall for 9 and weighs 65 lbs. My daughter is 7 and also weighs 65 lbs she is a foot shorter than him. However, as a toddler she had a blockage to her intestine and she expanded the top of her instestine three times the normal size so she does not get a full feeling - she will eat until she gets bored. I need some help how do I get my son (who is so picky) to eat good food and my daughter to eat less - she likes all food. (Except his favorite yogurt).
Darlene
RENEESG 7/3/06 5:03 P
WOW! What a neat idea!! I never heard of it before. What fun!!!
TBARTON 7/3/06 3:38 P
Geocaching is sort of like a treasure hunt. SOmeone hides the "treasure." Usually Happy Meal toys or other inexpensive trinkets. They then post the GPS coordinates on the internet. Geocachers can then search for the "cache". Usually they are in parks or wooded areas so there is plenty of hiking involved. Some are in towns as well. Almost anywhere. When you find one, you sign the log book, pick out a treasure and place a trinket of your own into the cache for the next people. :-)
It's really a good excuse to spend time outside and play with neat gadgets! LOL! Plus you get to burn a few calories too.;-)
The website is www.geocaching.com .
Teresa
MSUDMAN30 7/3/06 12:34 P
I can say how much I agree with you. My oldest son is a little overweight and my youngest is a toothpick. I try to stress the importance of eating healthy for all of us rather then focusing on what Gabe is eating. I get him out of the house for at least an hour each day to ride bikes, play basketball, walk or ride his scooter. I love him and I want him to be healthy. So, I don't keep crap in the house and if by some chance someone gets a special treat, so does Gabe. I make their lunches before I go to work in the morning so they know what to have. I set out their breakfast things as well. I never make enough food for seconds at dinner but we have seconds because the portions I give them is the right amount. I will lead my children by example.
LLONGTO 7/3/06 12:21 P
I firmly am against sodas in general, diet or otherwise:
1) I was told the carbonation prevents your body from absorbing calcium for up to six hours. Especially for children, this is a disaster.
2) Drinking one can of soda upsets the PH balance in your body so badly, you must drink 32 glasses of water to simply return your body to the original PH state it was at prior to drinking that soda.
3) Lastly, my manager lost seven pounds in ONE WEEK by making only ONE change: he drank WATER, instead of *DIET* COKE. Why? The amount of sodium content in diet sodas is very high, and just drinking water helped his body to stop retaining water from all the sodium he had been drinking.
RENEESG 7/3/06 11:51 A
I'm not a huge fan of diet sodas. The aspertime triggers hunger responses in some people and/or headaches. Plus it erodes the enamel off your teeth so what is it doing to your bones? My daughter will soon get braces so that is out of the question. We'll try to stick to waters and juices.
She wants to ride the trails near our house. I need to start small and gradually we'll add miles. I do go off what the doctor suggests but I plan her and the family meals to coincide with mine so we're not tempting each other.
CONMOST 7/3/06 11:41 A
My son is now 17. He has been overweight since birth. He weighed 9lbs & 6oz at birth with the chunkiest little thighs you ever saw. I had gestational diabetes while pregnant, but no one told me what to do during my pregnancy. They acted like a diagnosis was all that was needed. So much for that. He remained over-weight until last year. I don't know what got into him, but suddenly he was eating salads when he came in from school. He started drinking Diet Pepsi all on his own. Ha has been active in football & baseball since he was old enough to play. He also likes basketball, but not as a school sport. Gradually we watched him trim down from 280lbs to 215. All of this in a year, and even now after talking to him, he did it in a healthy way. I myself don't approve of fasting, even for the one day he said was each week, but I do know that it has been considered safe by several reliable sources. When I think back over the year he lost the weight, I remember him eating more chicken, more salads, snacking on wheat crackers w/ peanut butter, choosing salsa instead of cheese for dipping things, piling veggies on his sandwiches & subs, eating apples & bananas,& switching to diet sodas. He was actually my inspiration to lose, along with the "Biggest Loser" show. Over the years, my husband would make comments on his eating (hubby is skinny), even though he wasn't hurtful about it, I felt it was nagging. I have had a problem with weight most of my life, so tried not to nag, unless it was something completely overboard. I think it is like with us - we actually have to say "enough is enough" "this time is for real & forever". It never hurts to help them along by watching shows with them that might be based on an overweight person's problems, or one of the health or medicine shows dealing with an over-weight patient, or shows about how healthy eating can prevent diseases. I know that if I had gotten out & about more, he would have lost sooner & I would never have gained all my weight. Just lead by example. Even things we might say out of love & concern can be misconstrued in the eyes of a teenager. If only healthy things are in the house, you know she'll be eating healthy most of the time. I was a little bit instrumental in the diet pepsi thing, after mentioning soda pop caused pimples, though it was before he ever got a pimple. I guess when his face did start breaking out, he remembered it (I have 4 children older than him, so it was probably during one of my talks with them that he heard me). Within a week of cutting out the sugars, he felt better, his skin cleared up, and he noticed feeling lighter. Hope this helps. Connie
LLONGTO 7/3/06 11:25 A
TBARTON, what does "geocache" mean?
TBARTON 7/3/06 10:58 A
We've had good luck keeping our kids active by making it a fun family activity instead of "exercise". We do a lot of hiking and bike riding together. We geocache. We play badminten and tennis. We swim and play games that require a lot of swimming: relays, races, tag. We bike to the beach to go swimming or have picnics or even down the store to have ice cream. ;-) We live in the country and my 10 year old often will run or ride his bike a mile+ to go play with friends rather than me driving him. They took part in a local kid's triathlon this summer.
The kids are participating in a free running program this summer through the local running club. They meet in a local park twice a week and do a little running and a lot of games that involve running. My husband and I have recently started running too so we all go to races as a family. My husband, my 10 year old and I run 5K's and my 8 and 4 year old daughters run the one mile fun runs.
The past few summers they participed in the free summer tennis program that an area tennis league puts on. Three hours of tennis 4 or 5 mornings a week. They loved it!
They enjoy it because it's not something that we *make* them do. It's not a workout. It's fun and mom and dad are doing it too.
I'm making healthy changes in *everyone's* diet. I don't keep junk food in the house for anyone. I don't make huge amounts at dinner time. Just enough for everyone to have a reasonable portion. I keep lots of fresh fruit and vegetables on hand for snacking. I keep bottled water and flavored water on hand rather than juice drinks and pop.
I think it works better for everyone when it becomes a family project rather than a "punishment" for one. (I know it's not really punishment, but I've seen families where the overweight child is put on a diet while the thinner siblings or the parents scarf down cheeseburgers and candy bars in front of them.)
Teresa
COACH_NICOLE 7/3/06 10:52 A
LDB-
SparkPeople is only for adults 18 and over. Kids/teens' nutritional needs are very different than those of adults, so our program would not meet their needs and could also be unsafe. Plus, we do not want children interacting with adults online. Talk to your pediatritian if you are concerned about your childrens' weights to get sound plans for managing it.
Nicole
LDB2525 7/3/06 10:42 A
My situation is similar, multiple kids - some active others not, and their father is a fitness fanatic (was an obese child) and i too, battle with my weight. biggest problem is that we're separated, and i have 2 different nannies cooking for the kids, and i'm only there 1/2 the time. kids LOVE the computer, so i'm considering getting them on sparkpeople (journally is important for them too). QUESTION: can i use the same parameters or is there a factor to modify the numbers (ie. # calories, carb, prot, fat rqmts)? I think a kid focused page of fun excercises/games (my kids LOVE DDR too!) would be terrific!
RENEESG 7/3/06 10:12 A
I also have an overweight daughter. She's been a bit heavy all her life. I have found that most of it is due to boredom. She's a very shy person, not active at all. So this summer she has decided she wants a change. We started our weight loss program together and so far she's doing well. I do have to monitor what she eats and have cought her more than a few times eating when she shouldn't. She eats healthy, but we are working on portion control.
She doesn't like following workout videos so we're looking into Dance Dance Revolution. She suggested it because to her it is more of a game than a workout. We have our bikes ready and as long as the weather is good, we'll ride.
According to the doctor she needs to lose 40 pounds. I know that she is in her pre-teen years and will lose more as she gets a little older, but for now I'm trying to stress the healthy choices and portion control.
OTMCKAY 7/3/06 9:54 A
Great topic! I have one child who is very active while the other I have issues getting moving. She is also a little overweight. I don't want to give her a complex, but I want her to be healthier.
SPARK_COACH_JEN 7/3/06 9:42 A
J,
This would be a great question to post in the Fitness forum. You'll get help from other members and maybe experts there.
Hope that helps!
Coach Jen
JERNDTMV 7/3/06 9:40 A
I am all new to this process, but here goes. I am 57 years old and have struggled for years to rid myself of this large mass above my belt line. I am probably about 30 lbs overweight, and I don't drink alcohol of any sort. I have scalled back my eating portions, I'm exercizing 15 minutes every day, but I just can't seem to minimize the size of my stomach area. Does anyone have any ideas?
COACH_NICOLE 6/29/06 12:01 P
L- Weight, exercise, and nutrition can be very touchy subjects with kids, especially those who are already overweight. Many parents think that they are helping their kids by limiting foods, commenting about weight, or making their kids exercise, but sometimes this can cause even more problems.
I agree with Mom2Boys' recommendation of Ellyn Satter's books. In fact, I just did a review of that one for SP's Product Reviews (located in the Resource Center). In addition, here are reviews I wrote on other family fitness/health books:
There's a section of articles in the Fitness Resource Center called family Fitness that you might want to check out. At that age, I would make things more about getting out and playing, being active as a family and having fun and less about "workouts". Making healthy changes to her diet and adding in some extra activity like I mentioned in addition to the activity she's already doing will help.
I agree with Mom2boys that you might want to talk to her doctor too and see if they have any other suggestions.
Coach Jen
MOM2BOYS 6/29/06 7:42 A
First off I would check with her Dr to see if there is something specific s/he recommends. Some feel that growing children shouldn't try to loose weight but to maintain it and grow into the weight.
Ellyn Satter is a author that councils parents/children with eating issues. She has a new book out on over weight children. You might check it out if your library has it.
LLGROSS1 6/28/06 9:54 P
I need anybodys help that is dealing or has at one point had to deal with an overweight child. She is nine years old,4ft 6in and almost weighs 120lbs. This is hard for me because I am 26, 5'5 and weigh 130lbs. I need to get her on a fitness routine and am not sure how to begin or if I would need a personal trainer for her. She is very active, she swims,cheerleads, and dances. We are working together to change our diets to a much healthier one. I am not sure what types of workouts I would need to begin for her. Please help with any suggestions.
