From Colette, Child's Age 7 - 03/31/01Click here to reply
My daughter is 7 yrs old,weighs 115lbs. I am so worried about my daughter I know the weight bothers her sometimes but she doesn't say anything. She can't tie her own shoes very well if she does she says it hurts her tummy. She has a lot of friends but kids still tease her at school. I don't keep junk food in the house at all, but I do always try to have a lot of fruit like apples or oranges she know that if she is hungry at an unappropriate time she can eat fruit for a snack. I have been recently been diagnosed with diabetes, and I am worried that she is at risk for getting this disease due to her weight. I have trouble finding clothes for her, and K-mart doesnt always work. I have to buy sweats because she can't wear jeans because I can't find her size. I anyone can tell me anything I would appriciate it.As far as excersise she is active but just started within this winter. Her doctor says she will grow out of this within a year or two if she continues this diet, but when she is with her dad he gives her just about anything she wants, he knows that it isn't good for her but does it anyways.I don't know what to do.
Reply from Debbie, Child's Age 9 - 01/24/03 - IP#: 65.149.212.xxx Hi. I'm wondering where your daughter is weight - wise almost 2 years later? My son is 9 and weighs 127. He's about 58 inches. I, also, have a lot of trouble finding clothes that fit - the waist in jeans is a real problem. Like you, I don't buy much junk food and he is a good eater. I hope your daughter has grown out of the weight problem.
Reply from Sue, Child's Age 12 - 04/01/01 You are right to be concerned about your daughter's weight but at age 7 you still have a lot of control over what she eats. You obviously strongly suspect that it is what her dad gives her to eat that is causing the problem. This may well be the case but I would first be absolutely certain that you aren't accidentally giving her too much to eat or too large portions. This is very easily done. In my case my daugher loved pasta and would eat it for every meal every day with loads of cheese and sauce. I love her and I want her to enjoy her food so that is what I gave her. But she got bigger and bigger and bigger. It was very boring but I started weighing her food and calculating calories and working out a healthy eating plan. I wanted to rule out a possible medical problem because there can be medical reasons for a child gaining weight and I knew my doctor would ask for a break down of what she was eating. So the first thing I would do is try and calculate about how many calories a day she is eating when she is in your care. There are loads of lists on the Internet. Your doctor will advise you if it is too high or about right. If the doctor's advice is that the calories and fat content of her food is acceptable for a child of her age then you know for sure that it is what her dad is feeding her is wrong. This is very tricky because he cannot be forced to see that what he is doing is harmful to his daughter but perhaps logic and gentle reasoning might help. However, in order to lose the weight then obviously your daughter has to have a consistent diet. Also, my daughter has a friend who aged about 5 was gaining too much weight and it turned out that her grandmother, who looked after her all day, was accidentally giving her too large portions. She was clearing the plate because she loved the food. Her doctor advised the mother to slowly cut down on the portions and 'shrink' the stomach so the child expected less food. I hope this advice helps.
