Healthy Weight in Teen Girl

I recall feeling 'fat' in HS and college and I weight 132 and 5'8.5" What shocked me the most was to find out some girls shorter (5'4" or so) could weigh more and look amazing. I imagine they have a lower fat% and higher muscle % than I had. I honestly do not think the BMI is a very good way to judge someone's health.

This is actually a new BMI that will be out soon. I can now weigh more according to the BMI and still be 'healthy.'
http://people.maths.ox.ac.uk/trefethen/bmi_calc.html

I'm glad you thought that through - more than one mother has given their girls eating and weight complexes. Good job.

Overweight? You are kidding right. Leave her alone and quit worrying or you will create an eating disorder in your child

Look at the curve of weight gain.
You say she's a size 3 and doesn't look heavy.
I think you're making an issue where there isn't O..
Peds these days are very forward in addressing weight gain.

Don't forget that your daughter is still growing, AND that she's active in athletics. Muscle weighs more than fat, so one can weigh more, not show it, and be healthy. That's why what the scale says can be deceptive and must be balanced against other factors.

Go ahead and bring it up with the pediatrician - privately. Don't talk to your daughter. You need to have your own questions answered before you bring up anything with your daughter that will affect her body image.

Your daughter is 2 lbs heavier than the range you found when you Googled it. That is not the same as overweight! Scales are not perfect. Maybe she just drank some water ... weigh her again after she pees.

Saying your daughter is overweight because of 2 lbs is obsessive! Her weight will fluctuate by a pound or two on a daily basis.

Your daughter does not have a problem. Yes you can encourage her to order grilled chicken instead of nuggets and thin crust pizza and not breadsticks or eat a salad first. It's great to talk to her about healthy choices, while still enjoying your favorites. But this is not about 2 lbs. Talk to her about healthy choices so that she remains healthy, not because she's overweight, which she's not. You need to relax!

If she's really a size 3 at that height and weight, then she is very muscular so don't worry about it or say anything to her. Girls have enough to worry about with looks and body image. The last thing she needs is to hear that from her own mother. Don't project your anxiety and issue onto her.

My daughter is 5'8" and 130, and she wears a size 2. She looks like she weighs less; our pedi was actually surprised when she stepped on the scale. Muscle weighs a lot! You should really just be concerned with how fit she is. Can she run a mile? (Or if she's not a runner, there are other cardio activities that I'm sure she does - can she easily do them?) Does she have muscle definition? Is she eating whole foods (vs. processed foods)? I would focus more on that than on what the scale says. Weight guidelines often don't take athletes into consideration - a teen with a lot of muscle will weigh more than a same-sized teen with no muscle.

Let her be! She is active and she has much more muscle than fat. Two pounds is not going to break the bank. You say she carries her weight well.

We all don't fit the mold of the "recommended" guide and that has caused a great problem in this country about how we look and behave. As long as you are healthy, look good, have great mobility, what more do you want? Feed her well as you say and don't go overboard about the junk food. I had an aunt that felt like you about food and it could start her on a journey of food eating issues and many doctors visits. Her body is still growing and developing and needs the extra to mature properly. She will learn from you what a healthy body looks like and how you handle your weight fluctuations so be reasonable.

I look smaller than I am and carry my weight well.

Good luck to both of you.

the other S.

PS Magazines have done a lot to foster an image of the "ideal' girl/woman to sell products.

I don't think you should say anything to her at all. And don't think about looks either.

If you want to make a change, then think about how you might change what you are making for meals to make your entire family healthier. After all, I think that is probably something we could all do - and if you make a change so that YOU can be healthier, then, since you do the cooking, the benefits will be passed down to your family.

That weight for that height would shock me too bc my family has light bones I guess so don't feel bad you were surprised and a bit concerned. My mom is 5'3" and typically weighs 110-120 and is curvy. But muscle and just heavier bones can really impact things. I have to remind myself too as my girls are more like my husband's side so their weight can make me raise an eyebrow. But don't say anything to her... Eating disorders are such a risk that if she looks good and is active, just bite your tongue. I'm sure she's fine. But we do talk about healthy eating habits in our house. There's so much unhealthy stuff out there nowadays that I think it has to be ingrained to show some self restraint. I've seen lots of kids who were thin really gain too much weight as teens. So a general conversation at appropriate times seems ok to me. Even just a "oh, this country has such an obesity problem... People really need to watch it. So much processed food is bad and catches up to you later in life." Just about the issue in general vs anything at all specific to her. And if she says "am I ok??" tell her a resounding yes!! But she should be aware of her choices with food.

Muscle weighs more than fat. If she's healthy, don't worry about it.

Sounds like you're the one with the weight issues. Not your daughter. All you can and should do is encourage healthy eating and exercise. She sounds fine to me. Also, she may have gained a lot of muscle. So forget the number.

And being on her case about being 2 lbs "overweight" will not make her happy.

Be quiet. Your daughter is fine. She is happy. Healthy. Athletic.
Her doctor isn't worried.
You need to chill out.
Don't give her a complex.

muscle weights more then fat, therefore, the more active you more, the more you use your muscles, the more you are going to weight, her clothes fit the same, but she has gained weight, ok..so her muscle mass has increased. the problem with the traditional body mass index is its actually based on ( whites only) body frames from the 1950's..not the 2000's . the child is not overweight! K. h.

Don't go by just her weight. You said she is an athlete, so I assume that she has more muscle than fat. Muscle is denser than fat, so a muscular 5'3" kid could easily weigh more than a fat 5'3" kid.

She doesn't look heavy -- let it go.

Relax. I agree that 142lbs does seem like a lot for an active 5'3" teenaged girl... but if she's fit and healthy, she's fit and healthy

The one thing, i might call the doctor about (without her in the room) is the fact that she gained nearly 20lbs in the last yea r without really SHOWING any change in body shape or size. Ask him if there's any cause for concern with that.

If not, let it go.

T.

From what you describe, I am thinking she has a lot of muscle, which is heavy.

If the doctor is not concerned, the most I would say to her, is casually mention as we get older we have to cut back on the good stuff and eat healthier because our body changes.

By the way, My 2nd grader weighed 97 lbs in January. I have no idea what she weighs today. People are shocked when they hear her weight because she has a lot of muscle. She is a kid, so she does not appear muscular, but she is in a lot of sports as well. Most the kids her age are half her weight or less.

Muscle weighs more than fat. She's muscular all the way through and she's going to weigh more than other kids her size. I weighed 150 at 5' tall but wore size 9-11 pants. They were loose too. I am shaped like a pear so that size pants is tiny for me. My weight is all hips and thighs.

She needs more food than most kids too because exercise uses food to make her go. She needs more food and will weigh more due to being active and having solid muscles.

One misconception that happens is to cut calories. You have to put gasoline in a car to make it go. If it doesn't have enough gas it stalls out and can't go.

She needs her gasoline. A full tank every day. She may even need 2000 calories per day.

Go to sparkpeople.com and have her go through the start up stuff. I bet they tell her she's not eating enough calories. She needs food and since she's active any food is fine as long as it's not ice cream and chocolate instead of food that is nutritious.

The size she wears is very telling. She must have larger bones or very muscular. A size 3, even at 5'3" is pretty tiny.

Muscle weighs a lot...your daughter is curvy and an athlete! You should not worry or obsess over this. She sounds great! If you are really worried call her doctor some time when she is not around to talk about it. But please don't start talking about weight with your daughter...women are constantly bombarded with these negative messages. No need to burden her with more of this. She sounds super healthy to me!