It sounds like you're doing a lot of good things to support you're daughter in a healthy lifestyle. Although I agree there is no reason for her to "diet" at her age, there is no reason why you can not open up more discussions with her about heathy food choices.
MAMA2MAD 10/29/06 12:02 A
my 7yo is considered obese sine she was 3 (though from newborn till 2 she was underweight) she has had a host of eating issues, but fortunately she has been staying away from the bad ones. we try to eat healthy but french fries is her favorite food. my 4yo is overweight, has been since infancy, but her height offsets the obese level my 3yo is underweight since 15mts even though he eats like the girls for the most part
PATSY8/9 10/26/06 7:27 A
HI Saw your post and had to reply to you as i know exactly how you feel as i had a daughter that was very obese and i too felt like a failure , especialy as i worked for weight watchers at the time and had been dieting for many a year Pauline tried so hard to lose the weight , she got so many people saying unkind things to her and even her dad was cruel , in his way he thought that would shock her into dieting As she to, grew up she was a stone for evry year of her life , so at two she was two stone ( 28lbs ) Three 3 stone 42 lbs this went on until at sixteen she was siteen stone 224lbs I remember the tears and tantrums, the hurt that she went through and me feeling that i had failed her My advice to you is to take it gently with her, dont put pressure on her keep the whole thing light , and gently explain the benefits of eating an apple instead of high sugar foods at school , (this could be the place where she is getting the foods that put the weight on ) also i realy do believe in the glycaemic programme (there is an excellent post here about the benefits of slow carbs read it ) it helps to keep the blood sugar levels steady and stop cravings , instead of milk chocolate you could give her 70% and above cocoa chocolate so that she feels she is not being deprived . But most of all you must stay positive and believe that you will get her slimmer , tell her she is not dieting just changing some foods to healthier eating If you get down please dont hesitate to get in touch i will be here to support you all the way good luck Patsy
SP_COACH_DEAN 10/25/06 7:49 P
Hi, T
I agree with you about not putting her on a diet or making a big deal out of her weight. It would be much better to make a family effort out of eating healthy and staying as active as possible, and keep the focus on positive choices, rather than making an issue of weight loss. At her age, significant calorie restriction (below what she needs for maintenance and growth) isn't a good idea for developmental reasons, but making healthy food choices will also help with weight management.
It might be good to talk with her about what she's eating at school or when she's out of the house--but again, mainly from a health perspective. It's amazing how so many schools allow so much empty-calorie snack food in vending machines and even in the school cafeteria.
There are quite a few articles in the Resource Center on nutrition and exercise for kids that might help. Here's one to start with:
I just got home from my daughter's 9 year check up. Her birthday is Friday. She was considered slightly overweight last year at her 8 yr check up. Today, they weighed her in at 112 lbs. And consider her obese. I have always watched her diet. She eats a lot of veggies, well balanced meals. She loves salads, drinks milks. I do allow her soda about twice a week, and about one glass of sweetened tea or koolaid a day, at supper with the family. She doesn't eat while watching TV, she rides her bike.
The doctor is ordering blood work, but I'm sitting here feeling like I have failed as a mother. I don't want to put her on a strict diet, because she's 9. I don't want to start her thinking she has to diet already. I want her to like herself and not think of herself as fat.
