From Libby, Child's Age 14 - 07/19/06 - IP#: 71.202.61.xxx  Click here to reply  
I know this is not for me but I want to know if you guys can give me some much needed advice.
I'm basically very worried about my daughter’s weight, and I really don't know what to do. Some background info, I have one daughter named Sara and she's always been a chubby girl all her life. I really never worried about her weight and let her have w/e and everything she wanted, no matter how large. I know this wasn't smart but I didn't really know what to do but make my little girl happy.
As she grew older I realized she wasn't just chubby or pudgy anymore, but becoming quite fat for her age, especially around ages 8 and 9. I still hesitated, and continued to indulge in her horrible and large diet, which I now realize is my fault. This became the worst during her preteens, when early puberty caused her appetite to reach new heights, and of course I stupidly I continued to give her all and w/e foods she wanted.
Her weight naturally sky rocketed to the point where even I was taken back, and yet I still didn't do anything. Sara continued to gain and get bigger and bigger while I pretended nothing was wrong. I just kept telling myself that she's happy and that’s all that matters. Meanwhile her meals were becoming larger and she was continuously getting fatter, and I recently realized something needed to be done.
The reason why I am finally realizing this now is because last week Sara went to the doctors for a physical. She's 14 yrs old today and was weighed in as 302lbs. I was so shocked that I couldn't believe it. Yes I knew Sara was very overweight and she was getting bigger but in my mind I always thought of her as in the early 200lbs, and that’s why I hesitated. But seeing my baby girl being weighed in as over 300 at only 14 knocked me out of w/e denial I was in.
Now I truly see all the mistakes I've made over her life and desperately want to fix them.
Since that visit I really see differently the way Sara eats and live. She eats huge meals (unbelievably I make them), doesn't exercise (I never made her), always snacks (I never made rules), and doesn't care at all about her weight (at the doctors she wasn't even listening). She’s become so overweight she’s three times as large as me and twice as large as most people on the street. I can’t even hold my baby girl anymore because I can’t get my arms around her, and it makes me want to cry. I realize most of these are my fault and she’s only going to get bigger if I don't take action. But I just don't know how to approach or follow up on the citation.
How can I start teaching about health and exercise when I never taught it b4? How can I make her see how bad it is to be her size? How can I enforce diet and exercise when she becomes sad about her weight? And lastly what else can she do to lose weight?
Please, I really need advice as I don't know what to do. I want her to be happy and healthy at the same time, but it looks impossible. She's become so fat now; I really need to get her healthy.
Pls reply, Libby.
Reply from Katy, Child's Age 14 - 09/01/15  - IP#: 173.25.248.xxx
My daughter was close to 200 lbs last spring. We went to the doctor and I realized how big she was becoming. I sent her to fat camp for the summer and she lost 50 pounds, and then another 25 in the last 8 months. Go to Camp Shane's website, I think it'll hell		 
Reply from Debbie, Child's Age 9 - 08/20/06  - IP#: 68.97.219.xxx
this needs to be an adjustment made in your household not just with your daughter. If she needs the larger portions make them healthy choices, fill her plate 3/4 full of heathly prepared veggies, it doesn't do any good to serve broccoli and cover it in cheese or a sauce, also instead of using a regular size dinner plate get smaller plates, then you feel like you are having a full plate but really eating less. She is going to have to want to lose also, unless you are with her 24/7 she will have access to outside foods, she needs to be made to understand this is not healthy, while you should be ashamed for allowing it to get to this point, I am glad you are taking responbility to try to fix it, but you can only do so much, she has to want to fix it. I would suggest joining a gym or the "Y" in your area as a family and working out together, even if you don't have a weight issue, you can always benefit from exercise.

 
Reply from Lina, Child's Age 12 - 07/19/06  - IP#: 68.36.244.xxx
I strongly advise you to take your daughter to a dietician, since the best advice would be that of a professional. In the meantime, my own personal advice is for you to slowly(and I mean very slowly)cut back on what you are feeding her. If you really have been indulging her in the past, continue to, but take a little bit away.When you give her large meals, keep them large but not quite as large as what you have previously fed her. This way your daughter will not as though she is on a "diet" and will not crave the extra food enough to eat behind your back, something she would do if her new diet was too extreme for her.Because she is so overweight, the good thing is that she will shed the pounds very quickly at first, and this should encourage her to want to lose more. At the point when her weight loss hits a plateau, cut back a little more on what you are feeding her, but just a little bit. By doing this, your daughter will not feel as though you are taking her food away from.An even though it is going to take a long time for her to reach a healthy weight, you can rest knowing that she is on the right track. :-)