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From Lisa, child's age 9

My daughter is 9 years old, 4'7" and weighs 105. She has alwasy been chubby but in the last six months she has more than 20 pounds. I'd now consider her fat rather than just plump. She can't fasten up most of her clothes and usually has to leave the top buttons of her jeans undone. I keep buying new ones and she keeps growing out of them. She has a huge appetite and often sneaks food when no-one's in the kitchen. Her thighs are fat, she has a double chin and her tummy is huge, really bulgy. My other chidren are slim, as are my husband and I. I buy fruit for after meals, which she loves, and she'll eat that, then I'll catch her in the kitchen later on, eating leftover pasta straight from the refrigerator! She can't possibly be hungry! She is not an active child, and, although we try to encourage activity (going for family bike rides and walks, etc) she usually tries to find an excuse not to join in. I know she is self-conscious about the way she looks, she had a humiliating experience recently when a bridesmaid dress she had been measured for 2 months previously wouldn't fit on the big day. She couldn't get the zipper up around her middle and it had to be let out at the last minute. Her auntie and cousins were teasing her and she told me later that she feels fat and wishes she could be thin. She asked me if I think she's fat and I told her that she's beautiful and I'm so pround of her, but that she has a few excess pounds and we just need to be a bit more active and eat a little less. She agreed, then I found out from her friend's mother that she ate four doughnuts at the friend's birthday party! I was hoping that some of the other parents who use this column might have some advice for me. I'd love to hear from anyone who has had similar expreiences!