8 Yo Too Heavy

Yes, I know - I have a 4 yr old the same way; they are so sweet, aren't they?
I just mentioned the other day to my little girl that when she's hungry, to make a fist, and that's how big her tummy is. Then she can get what sounds good to her - within reason - that will fit in the same amount as her tummy! She loves doing this; it's like a game.

Like a neat fact; nothing "preachy".

Hope this helps! :)

Jen

S.,
Sounds like she gets lots of activity, so I'm leaning toward her diet. Here are a few "healthy" culprits:
soda (diet is just as bad as regular,sport drinks are just as bad as regular soda)
juice (orange, apple, etc - ditch it!)
tea (if you use sugar, you might as well give her a soda)
ranch dip (to go with the veggies - try a low carb or switch to a vinegrette or a healthier oil based topping - even trade it for a natural PB)

Protein - increase lean proteins without adding carbs! Natural peanut butter instead of regular, carb-aware cottage cheese, sliced cheese, lean cuts of poultry (white) and lean beef and pork.

Watch the processed foods: cereals, breads, some pastas etc. Switch to "Whole Grain" not whole wheat and then use sparingly.
milk - should be 2% - 1% and Fat Free have way too much sugar and not enough of the "good" fats! Whole milk has too much of the bad fats.

Help her to eat smaller meals throughout the day (try within 200 calories each). Ask the pedi. to give you a good calorie range to stay in so that she's assured to get enough, but not too much. Eggs or egg whites are great breakfast foods because they have great protein to start the day. A lot of people mistakingly think that Cheerios and Fat Free Milk is a great breakfast - WRONG - too much sugar and bad carbs! Leaves you starved later and doesn't feed your muscles! :)
I've seen many of my "athletic" students with this same problem!

At the end of the day, weight loss is a numbers game. More has to go out than came in - but what the makeup of what goes in is critical to winning!
Best of luck!
Kids who are very active tend to gain weight because they're not feeding their activity with the right calories. Oftentimes they load up on carbs (like sport drinks) when they should be feeding their growing muscles with protein (like cheese sticks or natural PB and celery).

Hi S. -

Many of these ladies truly have great advice! I would start by talking to the doctor. If they already suggested that she lose a little weight ask them if they think she should have some testing done to see if it could be her thyroid.

This is something that one of our adult friends did and she lost over 20 lbs. He plays Dance Dance Revolution an hour every day. I know it sounds silly, but if you want her to lose weight without her realizing you are trying to make her this might do the trick (IF it is not a thyroid problem). It would be something the entire family could play and is a good overall body workout!

Best of luck!

S.,

It sounds like you are already off to a good start! She is physically active, she sound like she eats sensibly, have you talked to your doctor about her thyroid?? She might be having issues with hormones? These are merely guess's!! Has she always been heavy, or has this happened suddenly?? Are their other issues??

Good Luck!

I was a fat child all my life untill I turned 25 I went to a doctor. He specialized in diet. Did some blood work and come to find out I have an over active insulin. Basically any sugar I ate stored in my body. Ask you doctor if a low carb diet would work. Be sure to give her her vitimans. I am a little concerned with cutting out foods completley that it would do more harm at this age than good. Thank you for doing what is best for your child. I wish my parents would have taken action at age 8. I would have had a much different life. Good luck and God bless.

My mother in law was dealing with the same thing with her daughter. She was very heavy weight and was so active that it didn't make any sense. They finally took her to get tested and found out that there was something wrong with her thyroid and that was why she wasn't losing any weight. The doctor put her on medication to regulate her thyroid and she has since lost like 20 or so pounds.

What does her doctor about her health at this weight? How active is she? Some kids start off heavier and thin out later. Once you rule out any medical issues and you make sure that she's active, I'd just wait it out.

I have to say that I relate to your worries and fears. My oldest is going to be 8 in August and she weighs 91 lbs. Granted she is tall for her age (Daddy is 6'8"), but still "fluffy" as you put it. I have signed her up for various exercise classes at the Y but they are not often enough to make a difference. Please share with my any advice you may get from the rest of the ladies.
Thanks!
M. F

I would also suggest taking her to a more specialized doctor. If there are no medical reasons, I would keep a dietary log for at least a week. Include every snack, drink (even water), piece of gum or candy. Then seek the advice from a nutritionist and bring that log and any relevant test results. Remember, if the log is fudged, even minutely, then you will not get the help she needs. If she already has a taste for healthy foods which it sounds as if she does, then a new food guideline will be easily implemented.

How about something fun like dance lessons, cheerleading, swimming lessons, gymnastics, any kind of sport. Maybe even rideing bikes or walking with her at night.

I comopletely understand and empathize. My sister-in-law has the same issue with my 6 year old niece. I don't have any good suggestions. She has tried all of the above, including cutting back her portions-but trust me-she noticed. She was always complaining that she was hungry and she was miserable. Her doctor suggested that she would eventually outgrow it. I wish I did have a suggestion-I just wanted you to know you are not alone and I have seen how hard this can be. You want your kids to have good self-esteem and be proud of who they are, but you also want them to be healthy. I was a chunky kid and my mother finally told me one day that I was chunky and needed to lose weight. I was about 13 years old and I have never, ever forgotten it and still have a skewed idea of my body and struggle daily with my weight, even though I am only a size 6! Just be careful and love her just the way she is! The only thing I can suggest is perhaps seeing a nutritionist. It might not be that she is eating the wrong things, just at the wrong time of the day. Good luck!

Hi S.-

This sounds like me when I was a kid! I was always extremely athletic but also the biggest girl on the team. In hindsight, for me I know the culprit was drinks!! I hated plain water and I always drank pop, gatorade, koolaid and juice. And because I was always out running around I was drinking constantly. This is actually still a problem for me today. When I diet I'm happy to eat healthy meals and give up sweets or junk food but drinking water is hard for me.

If she does tend to drink sweetened drinks rather than water try to change that. If she doesn't like the taste of plain water try a slice of lemon or lime in it (that's what works for me now).

Good Luck!
K.

Your daughter sounds like me when I was younger. First of all every child is different and grows at their own rate. The system that the medical proffesionals use to compare the growth of children is rediculous and a waste of time and paper. Unless you compare children of the same body type and genetic background the study is worthless. I say this because "they" my kids are too short and over the average weight. News flash I am short and stalky chances are my kids are too. But they are healthy and happy so I don't worry.
Sorry about the ranting, but if your daughter is Healthy and happy you shouldn't worry. She may be getting ready for a growth spurt. Before you put her on any weightloss make sure she doesn't have any medical conditons that cause weight gain (thyroid).

Please take her to an "Endocrinologist" for a Thryoid disorder. She may have no or a slow metablism. Children do get this, and from what you are saying she is getting the exerise and eating right. This happened to me, I had no metablis, I use to belong to a gym that did nothing, so I was so releived to be find out there was a reason for it, but it took 10 yrs of going off and on to regular doctors until a friend told me that you really need to go to a "Endocrinoist" enough though your others doctor thought that was your problem but the test did not show it. She was correct you have to go to the correct doctor.

So many of the calories taken in by children come from what they drink. When my youngest daughter was 11 she was a little "fluffy" as well. I started buying Fanta Zero, Coke Zero, flavored water, etc. They taste exactly like the real thing. She never even noticed! She lost 10 pounds in a month! All of the fruit juices out there are full of sugar.

Hi S.,

Portion control is important, but the main thing is the type of food she's eating. I would suggest cutting back on the fried foods and fast food. Definitley keep her active in sports.

She could just be hitting a chunky age right before a growth spurt. My older sister got really pudgy in 4th grade and my little sister hit the pudgy stage earlier, in 3rd. I was lucky to miss it, but all 3 of us are average size today (6-8) and don't really have to work out to stay that way. They were pudgy for about a year or two and then slimmed right down. If it's only been recently, then I would wait it out a little longer and see if it corrects itself.

My mother started taking me to Weight Watchers when I was about 12. I really enjoyed it and it has helped me throughout my life. They will allow her to join if you get a note from her doctor. Get the cookbooks and let her play with the scale and other portion measuring tools. My mom used to let me make healthy meals for the whole family and would do it with me even though she has never carried more than 5 extra pounds. It is a healthy way to eat.

Schedule a play date with some of her friends where they go and spend the day at the park running and playing. Make up some sort of competition with a healthy prize. If you have a dog have her go walking with the dog, of course you join as well. If she asks why, the dog needs exercise and it is a natural way to file down their nails so they stay healthy and do not get sharp. Stay away from sugary foods, juices, and sodas! My daughter is 9 yrs and 100 pounds, part of hers is diet-she refuses to eat veggies. Fruits she absolutely loves. Count calories without her knowing too! Try and keep a diary of what she eats and drinks and what time she does this at. Then talk to her pediatrician. What her bread intake as well! If you do not have a dog i recommend getting one. It would teach responsibility as well as her getting out to exercise everyday with the dog. It might help. Best of luck to you and your family!

i suggest putting her in some kind of exercise class or maybe, signing her up for a gym membership

S.,

It is good that your daughter loves raw fruits and veggies. Maybe some of the natural sugar is what is causing the increase in weight. She is a well active child so her metabolism should be working as it needs to be. As for portion control, cudos to you for watching her portions, as Americans in whole our portions have gotten way out of hand. I wonder though if she is getting all the vitamins her body needs to fully metabolize the nutrients. I am an Herbalife Independent Distributor and our products specialize in nutrition and weight loss. All of our products are free of harsh chemicals and are safe for children to use. As soon as my 11 week old is old enough for vitamins I intend to start him on the products. We offer kids shakes in vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. These shakes come in powder form and you mix with milk, they have 17 essential vitamins and minerals, plus protein and fiber, also an excellent cource of calcium, b-complex vitamins and antioxidant Vitamins A,C and E. We also offer a multivitamin specialized for children 4 and up. If you would like you can give me a call or email me and we can talk more about the product. My name is Z. Barnes and my number is ###-###-####. My email is ____@____.com you would like to read about the products you can go to my web page. www.bfit4lif2day.com I can also mail you a catalogue if you like. Just let me know. I enjoy helping people.

Thanks for taking the time to read this
Z.

She might have a thyroid problem, you should get that checked. Even kids get that so don't discount it by ANY means. If this is indeed the problem, if not treated, it can cause a host of other problems so go ahead & test for hypothyroidism, at least you'd know either way if you need to check something else.

Do you put butter on the veggies? What about cheese? Those add calories real quick to a meal.

Don't listen to the bad advice of giving her artificial sweetener drinks instead of juice. They are MUCH WORSE and they say that they make the body react like sugar when it comes to diabetes which seems to be a problem for children these days. But do try to avoid drinks sweetened with high fructose corn syrup which is worse then sugar. The sugar in 100% juice is natural, not refined and not corn syrup which SOOO much better for you.

Each 12-ounce can of soda contains the equivalent of 10 and 12 teaspoons, or 1/4 cup, of sugar. So despite one poster's comment that sweet tea is just as bad as soda, this is not true either (at least I don't put that much sugar in my tea!) You can add some powdered vitamin c for some added citrus tartness and even some tasteless powdered fiber. That would make tea a much better flavored drink then soda. She could even have it sweetened with fruit juice instead of sugar, adding more benefits.

The sugar in milk and juice IS a problem though and make sure you limit those portions to 4 oz of 100% real fruit juice a day (remember, you don't want empty calories, so make sure it's not a 'cocktail') and 16 oz of skim milk a day. Remember that when she gets yogurt or cheese it substitutes milk.

Bananas are full of sugar so half a banana is one portion. Again, it's natural sugar which is far superior to refined sugar.

Sweetener substitutes better then the artificial stuff:
honey, agava, stevia- the last two can be found in the healthfood section of your grocery store and are not chemicals.

Oh, watch out for the starches, especially refined flours but even the whole grains she shouldn't have a lot of breads and potatoes and rice. The body turns them into sugar.

I hope this helps,
S., mom to four girls, pregnant with #5, and health food nut LOL

Hi S.,

It is awesome that your child is so physically active! Cutting back on portions is a great idea.

Check out http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/height-weigh...

At this site, there's an upbeat article about kids/teens, the dangers of dieting for kids, and how their weight fluctuates a lot as they grow.

It's great to be sensitive about her self-image. And, maybe it would be a good idea to be open with her about what the doctor said, show her the height-weight norms for her age, and make it a "fun family goal" for her that can be rewarded appropriately when she loses weight. Since either you or your husband are always home, then you can monitor the snacks--I would keep only healthy ones (including drinks) at home.

If you all do everything in your power and she is unable to lose weight after a couple of months, perhaps a nutritionist who specializes in children and a pediatric endocrinologist should be consulted. Our granddaughter was morbidly obese as a child and teen, and come to find out she had a significant hormone imbalance and was pre-diabetic. BTW, she is not near as active as your child!

Find out your daughter's blood type and check out dadamo.com. This is not a "fad" diet site, nor are his books "fad"--Peter D'Adamo is a naturopathic doctor (as is/was his father) who does extensive, scientific research on blood type as it relates to nutrition. I have a friend who, for a month, ate only foods (and drinks) that were considered "beneficial" for his blood type, and he lost 40 lbs. without trying. Wheat is a huge culprit for weight gain, unless it is sprouted. Dairy is generally not good either. The foods we eat and the exercise we do can affect our metabolism. Maybe your daughter can benefit from eating foods that positively affect her metabolism.

Perhaps you and the kids could join the local "Y" 3 times a week and do some of the fitness classes. Your daughter sounds like a great kid--kudos to her for being active, and to you for letting her. Good luck! jenifer

My first suggestion would be to truly have a food diary for your 8yo. Many of us do not realize what's actually going into our bodies and how many calories it all contains. A few packs of juice here, a granola bar there it will add up. If you truly want to help your dt, and I think you should button down and get serious with this bc it will effect her self esteem and eventually set her "pecking" order within her social network, you need to over analyse the food she eats and do it without her knowing too much. You need to write down everything that goes into her mouth and that includes liquid intakes (liquid calories are the worst). What about late night snacking, I am certain that's happening. So once you write everything down, calculate the calorie amounts for the food/drinks that she's injected. A can of regular 12 oz soda has 150-200 calories. That's a lot of calories. Make sure you pay close attention to the portion size outline by the lable. 5 Ritz crackers is about 80 calories. Her body is not burning fat like her siblings, you need to help. And her body is probably collecting fat if she is as active as you think she is. The processed foods are just sticking to her body like glue and not burning off like it should. Yes more people are prone to collecting weight than other. If she's this case then she'll need to learn how to eat better food for her body than most. So when you have her food diary done for a good week and you are consitant with it, no making excuses that "oh, its a friend's birthday party that's why she had a slice of cake so lets not put that on the diary", no excuses for the 4th of July cookout food. Set a date, today, and write down everything. Find out how much calories, add it up. Go to an online calorie website and input her age, and height and they will tell you how many calories she should be injecting each day. Then stay with that recommendation.

She may just be going through a phase. Me and all 3 of my siblings went through a chubby stage right before we hit a growth spurt. We used to rag on my youngest brother because he had been the chunkiest of all of us. He's now 6'1" and average body build. I've noticed that doctors are more and more concerned with the weight of children but with some children it just seems to be a natural phase. None of us ever ate bad and were constantly active. Right now my son is 6 and a bean pole but so was my youngest brother when he was that age. If I remember right he didn't get real heavy until he was about 8 or 9 and then stayed that way for a few years.

If she is eating right and excercising then the only other possible is having her thyroid checked. If that's all good then I wouldn't worry too much about it. You could also get with a nutritionist and have them evaluate how much she eats. They may tell you she's not eating enough. When I decided to lose weight a couple of years ago a nutritionist told me I needed to add an extra 1000 calories into my diet because by not taking in enough my body was holding onto the fat. She said by not takingin enough your body will go into survival mode. When I started following the meal plan set up for me by the nutritionist I started dropping weight even though I was eating more. Hope that gives you something to go on.
M.

Amanda had the best advice - I am going to save her response for my own family!

My son is 5 1/2 and weighs 66 lbs. He is 52" tall so he doesn't look heavy, just big. At his 5 year check up he weighed 66 lbs. and was only 47" tall. The dr. said he needed to lose some weight. We stopped drinking juice and in six months he grew 5" and gained no weight. The dr. said that was the equivalent of losing 10 lbs. Juice is such a problem for kids (and adults) but we are always told it is good for us but, it isn't really.