My 9 Year Old Is Over-weight and I'm Worried.

A.:
I encountered the same problem with my daughter. She was over-weight until she was 15 years old. Then the pounds started falling off.
P. S

Hey A.,
I am a Registered Dietitian. You've gotten a lot of good responses so far. The only exception is that the myth that cows milk is bad. Skim milk & low fat dairy products in moderation are an excellent way to obtain Calcium, Vitamin D & protein that your daughter needs. (Also, Kroger and Publix milk is now hormone- free, so you don't necessarily have to buy organic if you want to avoid hormones).
The only thing I would emphasize is to NOT put her on a diet. Make your whole family's food choices healthy, remove the sweets/ high fat & carb foods such as potato chips, high fat snacks, white breads & grains. Buy only 100% whole grain bread, rice, pasta, etc, and try to give fruit & vege snacks & have her eat at least 5-9 of these a day. These will help fill
her up & give her the vitamins & minerals her body needs. It is always a good idea to supplement with a multivitamin too.
Hope this helps some!
;) S.

I'd say that if her doctor isn't worried right now, she's probably going to be OK. It sounds like she is active and you're helping her make good food choices, which is about all you can do right now.

I was a stick-skinny kid who got kind of pudgy right before I hit puberty. If you look at the pictures of me when I was 10 and 11 years old, I do look a little overweight. But by the time I was 12 my body settled down to a good average size - not skinny, not fat. It's possible your daughter might be going through the same thing.

I'm glad to hear that you are concerned. she is lucky to have you as a mother. it's good to get a handle on this early.

well, you said it. her body is different from her siblings'. part of growing up is learning to take care of her own body. it's also healthy for her to understand that she cannot compare herself to others. it's not fair, but some of us can't eat the same way as others in our family. She will need to learn to avoid the foods that are higher-calorie and choose lower-calorie, but still nutritious, foods. it's great that she is open-minded about what she eats. good for you for teaching that to her. and since she is old enough to start preparing some of her own meals, she can start researching new recipes she'd like to try-look at allrecipes or better homes and gardens. maybe she can make her own hummus and pick some veggies to dip in it. there are some good whole-food, all natural cookbooks that maybe she can start making a meal a week from. avoid the processed, fast-foods, and move toward foods in their natural state.

can you pack her lunch? most school lunches are extremely unhealthy, and she might not have any good choices. whole-grain wraps with fat-free turkey and spinach and carrot matchsticks with some part-skim mozzerella and pickles- now that's a nice lunch.

please don't let her siblings eat different foods than her. it's better to say, "we don't keep candy in our house" because really, who NEEDS that stuff?

she may be starting to go through puberty. yes, it can happen this young. i would strongly encourage you to try to avoid animal products with added growth hormones, and if you can afford it, use organic foods. maybe the kids can keep a garden to get those organic veggies.

she needs to exercise more, at least an hour a day is what I've heard recommended. the whole family can do it together so she doesn't feel singled out. maybe you can all sign up for a 5k for a charity of her choice and train for it together. or get an aerobic dance video and do it together.

there are medical conditions, like a tumor on the pituitary gland, or type 2 diabetes, or thyroid problems, that you might want to check out. her pediatrician should be very concerned and want to thoroughly examine her to rule out a medical problem.

most of all, she needs to know that you love her no matter what, and that she is very special. i hope this has helped.

I wouldn't worry about it either. I am 40yo now and I've only grown 1 1/2 inches since I was 12. I grew really fast and then my age had to catch up with me. It was tough.

But if your child is eating pretty good then I wouldn't worry about it. I wouldn't be putting added pressure on her about her weight and making it a problem in the end for her.

But having said that, I would probably only look at a couple of things and if these couple of things are okay, then don't worry about it. First, cow's milk will put on weight. If she drinks a lot of it, then slow it down. I was a big milk drinker. When I got off of cow's milk, I lost 20 pounds in just 3 weeks. Milk really doesn't do the body good. Another thing is the amount of carbs that is taken in. If there are a lot of snack crackers, breads, etc., that are in her diet, then that would be where you need to slow that down as well. Other than that, eating protein and veggies are the best thing out there for her with some good carbs.

Good luck!

Kids can't help their genes and she just sounds like she might have inherited her father's genes like my daughter. I don't know if 100 is a lot at that age. Kids do go through a chunky stage before they slim up in high school. My daughter is 14 and she has never been a small girl, but not big either and I kept telling her when she hit high school, she would slim up and she did. She is 5'8" and weighs 172, but will never be a small person like a model on tv, which is what she wants to do. I think the best you can do is realize she is never going to be small like the others and has to be concious about exercise and food choices. Teaching her the right things to eat and balancing the good with the bad are the most important things and to drink water. It can't hurt to teach all your children this because even though they are skinny now, they could grow up to be larger when they are older with bad food choices.

Have you talked to your pediatrician about this? There might be some tests he/she can do to make sure there is nothing chemical causing the weight gain and he/she may also be able to help you formulate a diet that will help her keep her weight in check.

Try not to make too big of an issue about it or you may push her towards body image/food issues later in life. That being said, kids CAN be cruel and you want to protect her from that. You also want to protect her from being overweight, as that poses health risks. In my opinion, the best thing you can do is make healthy choices for the whole family--eat healthy together, limit carbs, exercise together etc. No one has to know your motivation for it and you get to give your whole family the gift of a healthier lifestyle (which everyone could use). If she continues to be overweight, just love her for who she is and teach her to love herself. Best wishes!

hi A., i was the same way growing up and my brother was stick thin. we were both really active (swim team, basketball, bicycles, etc) but i was chubby and he wasn't. my parents seem to think it was from drinking fruit juice, especially before bed. and try to buy organic milk, cheese, and meat. in high school i did thin out, a lot it had to do with walking. my mom and i would walk almost everyday together and also with friends. i'm in good shape now, but i do have to watch what i eat and stay healthy and active. but these are things everyone should do no matter what size. i hope this helps. i would try not to make a big deal about it, just help her make good choices. i have a daughter now (only 11 months old now) and it's definitely something i think about for her future. good luck!

Have you had her thyroid checked? If it's not that then you may try getting her involved in some fun activities that get her heart rate way up, thus speeding up her metabolism, like jumping rope, jumping on a trampoline, etc.

Give her a multi-vitamin. Don't allow her to drink her calories. Water most of the time. If you serve fruit juice a glass of water must be consumed first. When you grocery shop limit processed foods. I stopped buying sugar 6 years ago and only buy natural fruit juices. Also use organic milk (no hormones). Making small changes like that can make a big difference.

P.
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I'm sure everything is fine, but you might want to have her thyroid levels, especially her TSH level, checked by her doctor. It's a simple blood test, but can show if she has Hypothyroidism. There is one type, Hashimoto's disease in which the thyroid starts to malfunction at age 5 and usually is diagnosed around age 10. My son gained 35 pounds in the year between 9 and 10, and our doctor did the test. Other symptoms are cold hands and feet, dry skin and hair, inability to concentrate, and snoring. If your doctor doesn't want to test her, you'll need to see an endocrinologist. The treatment is very simple - they take synthetic thyroid hormone (usually a drug called Synthroid)and the levels are monitored until they reach the right dose. Good luck!

I have used the Eat Right For Your Type books. The theory is that our blood type is directly linked with how we process foods and what foods are best to process for each type. I have used it as a guide for about 6 years. It offers what foods are highly effective, neutral, and to be avoided. For my body and my daughter's it makes a great difference with weight, immunity, alertness...
Hope this helps!
P.S. Also, my Mom's side has obesity issues, but their issues that come into play are more likely mental processing challenges than genetic ones.

Eat whole-grain and low-fat food. My daughter was in the 98th percentile for weight at 2 and 3. Now at 4 she is in the 50th. Also pack your daughter's lunch rather than having her eat at school. Most school food is horribly unhealthy. High in calories and no whole grains. Also, make sure she eats a good balance of protein, carbs, and fat. You may want to visit a nutritionist because most people, including me, don't truly understand how to eat healthy.

Take her to the doctor and then get counseling as to how to help her. Whatever you say to her in the wrong way may make things worse. If it's medical then I'm sure something can be done to see where her hormone levels are. If it is just overeating then you need to be firm and limit everyone's intake so she isn't singled out. Make new rules on the food you serve and how much everyone gets. If you all do this together then it will actually help everyone also by eating better foods. Mom you are the one to do this. Obese people get treated differently, sorry to say, and you don't want that for her. Love her enough to use tough love in a loving way. Are you obese, if so how do you feel about yourself?
None of us want to be obese, so we have to confront our dragons and find out why we over eat.
I wish you the best of luck and you have all our support on eating better and enjoying life more, for your whole family.

Did her dr. say anything about her weight?

My nephew sounds just like your daughter, he is 9 years old and probably weighs the same. He really doesn't look big, he is just solid! He eats very good and doesn't eat sweets AT ALL!!! Genetics has a ton do with it, my sister is 6 feet tall and my bil is like 6'2", neither one of them is really overweight but they aren't skinny either -- I think he is just going to take after them.

Is she in good cardio-pulmonary shape? You say she is very active. Could she, for instance, run a mile in under ten minutes(like they usually have to do in school)? If so, I wouldn't worry yet. My brother started out really slender and then got fairly heavy right around that age. Once he hit high school, though, he grew taller and taller and never gained a pound. He's 33 now and slender as can be. Help her be in good shape physically and eat well (without becoming obsessed). I agree with a previous post that leading by example is the best way to go. Your "stick" children need to learn good habits, too. Lots of "sticks" become overweight as adults when their metabolism no longer covers for their bad health habits.

Hi A.,
I am a Chiropractor and here are my thoughts... does your daughter drink any soda? Does she get any artifical sweetner through any of her foods/drinks? If so, her cells are getting predisposed to not release fat. This is not good and will continue to keep her from loosing weight. Avoid them, this can be aspartame, splenda, sucralose, equal, etc... Push water as much as you can. If she cant be plain right away, try vitamin water. I would use organic milk if she is going to be drinking it. You have no way of knowing that the others who say they are 'hormone' free actually are. If its organic, it is tested for its word. Brocolli, spinach, cheese, yogurt are also great ways to add calcium. If you use soy, limit her to one serving a day. Otherwise, it will interupt her hormones. She has enough right now, you dont want to add unnessary ones through diet. Find a good mulitvitamin from your healthfood store. The ones at Walmart, etc are all synthetic and do not get absorbed by our bodies. You want a whole food vitamin, not man made. I would also suggest taking her to a chiropractor. Believe it or not, getting your spine in its correct position will actually improve your metabolism. This could really start her on a healthier lifestyle. Let me know if I can offer any more advise. Best of luck to you guys! Your a great mom for being so concerned:)

Please see the portions that she is eating that is the main clue on controlling your weith Also two low calories snacks in betwwen lunch and diner and one before going to bed Put her in sports volleyball, swiming, etc Riding bycicle, etc This should help her out Also have you check her out with a doctor to see that there is nothing physical wrong with her