My Daughter Is Very Chubby

honestly i would tell you that if you can't get to your kids pediatrician to talk about this, lie to your inlaws and tell them that you did talk to them and none of the kids are to have any sweets at all! Having been a chubby kid myself in elementary school i would hate to see someone elses kids be picked on and tormented the way i was because, in this case, the grandparents neglect to listen. I would tell them all the kids just to be fair to your daughter, that way her siblings aren't running around with a candy bar teasing her with it. I too have had my fair share of inlaw problems and all the advice i got was "you do whats right for YOUR children" talk to your boyfriend about it and make sure he will commit to this too and if you have to don't tell him about not having talked to a doctor right away...he doesn't need to know. he just needs to know that you care about your kids health and wellbeing and inevitably their self esteem. Good luck with everything and i hope it works out.

Cinthia,
My sister had a very similar problem growing up. I agree that you should not make an issue of it or make her feel like something is wrong with her. I would start to focus on what you can control.

You can control how much exercise she gets or if she watches TV rather than plays outside. You could get her on a soccer team or go on walks after dinner. You also can start modeling the behavior you want from her - yourself. When everyone else is eating a dessert you could choose yogurt and fruit (and go crazy about how yummy it is).

I think at age 6 YOU are still the most influential person in your daughter's life. I would focus on living a healthful life - good food, exercise and being together as a family. Maybe your in-laws will take a hint, but even if they don't you can do it!
Good luck,
J.

my step daughter is now a healthy happy 51lb size 6x 6 year old. BUT at 4 she was 79lbs and we ahd to buy her sixe 10 capris as pants, it was terrible. she eats 6 times a day, but i limit the size of her meals, get online and check portion sizes, like a portion of chicken is the size of a deck of playing cards and that is for adults, so you figure half that is probally more than enough for her, she does get sweets and she does get snacks three of her meals are jsut that, and it's wahtever the other kids are eating, so it isn't so much what she is eating but the amount, limit the amount and the frequency and you should be fine. truely we still do mac and cheese and hot dogs and it only took 2 years for her to drop the weight. good luck, i'm short on time but if you need info let me know.

Like you said, you're not there 24/7 so whatever diet you decide to do, probably won't work unless you get the inlaws to agree to it. I have to agree with the person that said not to make a big deal out of it...the more you focus on her weight the more she's going to feel bad about herself etc. and it is a downward spiral. Especially if the ped is not concerned! I know it's hard to do!
If you get a chance, read the "Schwarzbein Principle." It is written by a medical doctor who specializes in hormones. You may not want to follow her specific diet in total, but the overall principle is very very sound.
My 5 yo is actually pretty good about not eating sweets without my permission, because I've explained to her about health. I've also gotten the doctor to tell her that it is not healthy to eat sugar, and if she eats it at all it should be very minimal. Mind you, she wants to eat them, but she at least will ask me first. I would tell your daughter that she needs to ask YOU, and not the grandparents, and if you find out she's eating without asking, then she will have some consequence (like no sweets at ALL for a day or something). It might sound crazy, but like I said, it works for my daughter but she is pretty obedient anyway.
Do your inlaws babysit your daughter? What would you do if you weren't living with them, as far as who your daughter was spending time with? I would try to limit the time she was with them without you around, as much as you can. Also, are they the ones buying the "junk?" Maybe you could see if they'd be willing to keep it out of the kitchen at least. I know you feel they won't listen, but maybe if you explain the health side of it instead of having a shouting match, they'll at least start to see your way. Print out articles from the internet about sugar, etc. Tell them they can choose to eat how they want to, but that you want your daughter to be the healthiest she can be and you hope they want what's best for her, too. Tell them you understand it's hard to say no or change what they've been doing, but that you want them to stick to your menu (put a list of okay snacks and meals on the refrigerator). Maybe they'll start to listen then?
Hope that helps!

You may not be able to limit her food right now due to the in-aws. However you can try to instill a love of exersize. Despite the way a lot of people feel at first most humans feel good after some exersize. It even becomes addictive if its fun. Dance (at home to the radio), nature walks, walking around the Mall, anything to get moving!
[I don't know if you do this but] Don't talk about being fat--ever! My parents said little things to me about being chubby and I developed and eating disorder that ruined my metabolism.

My daughter is 5 and will be 6 in January. She also is taller for her age and weighs 68 pounds. I did some research the other night because I noticed her looking "chubby" and the one thing I took away from all the articles online was- it is best to try to maintain the weight they are at than to get them to lose weight through diet. The idea behind it is they will grow into the weight in 6 months-1 year. And kids their age need at least one hour per day of physical activity...playing on a playground, flying a kite or sports. Good luck:)

My 9.5 month is already 25 lbs! It would be very hard with all that up against you! I would say find a good doctor and get your kids into something (fitness plan, diet plan... )