From Kevin, Child's Age 14 - 12/19/01 - IP#: 64.12.107.xxx Click here to reply
My son is seriously overweight. In fact, if he gains 10 lbs he'll be obese. Here are his measurements:Height: 5'6" Weight: 175 Waist: 33 Thighs: 24 Chest: 37Stomach: 39. His eating habits are just like mine: terrible. I'm obese, and I hate it and I don't want him to get there. Here are my measurements:Height: 5'10" Weight: 230 Waist: 38 Thighs: 27 Chest: 42 Stomach: 44 He can pinch 9 inches of fat off his gut. We really need help. Any advice would be appreciated.
Reply from chantal, Child's Age 17 - 04/12/02 - IP#: 207.164.143.xxx hi! i was reading your story and i was very touched.. i was once an obese child and ppl do hurt us and call us names this society is cruel and we need to do something about it! ar 13 yrs old i weighed 198! then went to my pediatrician and he then tells me i have type 2 diabetes that changed my life drastically thank God my mom worked in diets and she helped me on my way to where i am now! i now weigh around 135 i feel super and i overcame the diabetes. i exercise everyday work out at the gym.. play lots of sports! drink lots of water and only eat 3 meals a day.. i dont starve myself i eat healthy like everyone should! thanx to my mom i am here where i am now! a good healthy snack for your daughter is popcorn fruits and veggies! i hope i am a little help to helping your daughter succeed in her weightloss! feel free to email me anytime! volleygirl5518@hotmail.com well bye for now tell your daughter to smile it's free i know its hard to stay focus when the ppl around u are mean and bullies but look deep down and your heart and have faith! Say it with me!! I CAN DO IT!!! take it easy! byez!
Reply from Sue, Child's Age 12 - 12/22/01 - IP#: 62.64.229.xxx Correction, I think I said it should be 2000 calories for a male but it is in fact 2500 and may be more for someone of a bigger build. Sorry.
Reply from Sue, Child's Age 12 - 12/21/01 - IP#: 62.64.204.xxx Kevin, On the positive side, you can do this weight less program together. It does help a lot to be doing it with someone. When my daughter had weight to lose we decided to do it together and support each other. Another positive, if he has a fair bit to lose then once you start eating sensibly the weight should come off fairly quickly and that will be encouraging. One thing to check out first, are you absolutely certain first that there isn't a medical reason why he is overweight, which could explain your weight too? i.e. I have an overweight friend who has just had blood tests and discovered she has an under-active thyroid and the doctor has put her on medication for this. Apparently she is losing the weight now without even dieting - and this someone who has been dieting all her life and couldn't understand why she was so big. Assuming you have discounted a medical problem, not for the real advice. It is not going to be easy because you have to completely change what you eat and how you eat. I would first go to the doctor or find out roughly how much fat and how many calories your son should be eating. I know for a normal adult male it is about 2000 but it may even be more for a growing child. Once you have this information, go shopping for food that you both like but lower fat and lower calorie. You would be surprised at exactly what sort of foods are now done in lower fat versions - even burgers and pasta and potato chips. Being winter, try the low fat soups, very filling and no more than 50 cals. We hunted high and low and found low fat chocolate eclairs. It made it a whole lot easier because my daughter got to eat food that she loved and didn't feel deprived. Now the difficult bit, you have to keep a rough count of how many calories your son is consuming and not to go higher than a certain amount - the figure you get from your doctor. Most foods have the calories on them or you can find out on the internet. I said it was difficult and boring but this is the only way you are going to be able to keep track for sure. It doesn't have to be exactly accurate but roughly. I know it is diffiult with a 14 year old because he is out a lot and you can't see what he is eating. You have to try and get him on board with this otherwise he'll just eat what he wants out of your sight and the whole thing becomes pointless. Exercise is also important but I would guess he is doing that at school. I don't know how many in your family so this may be difficult but we cleared our shelves of anything really fattening so there was no temptation there. We also had a free fruit rule. My daughter could eat as much fruit as she liked. She claims she never felt hungry on this diet. Remember, the first few weeks will be difficult if you keep to it but once the pounds start coming off you will both get encouraged to carry on with it. Also, set a realistic goal i.e. we aimed to lose about 5 pounds a month. At first it was 2 pounds a week and on some weeks it slowed down for no apparent reason or stopped but the next week she would have lost 3 pounds. It soon starts to add up. Good luck.
