From Natille, Child's Age 14 - 02/06/14 - IP#: 70.192.68.xxx Click here to reply
Hi I'm Natille and I have four daughters that are all very overweight. My 11 year old is the biggest she is 4'9 138lb, shortly followed by my 14 year old standing in at 5'2 151lb. My 13 year old is 5'2 as well but only 133lb. My 16 year old is the skinniest but is still very fat, she is 5'3 127lb. I don't know what to do they are all so heavy. I feel like I've failed as a mother
Reply from michelle, Child's Age 10 - 03/02/14 - IP#: 24.149.107.xxx Well first of all, your oldest child isn't fat. She is in the middle of average/healthy weight for her height. Your 13 year old isn't technically overweight either, though borderline. That's based on BMI anyway. If they are very muscular then they are even less overweight. The only two that are actually overweight are your youngest. Now if your oldest and second oldest were large when they were younger, then chances are your youngest two will grow out of it. You don't need to worry about your oldest childs weight because she is perfectly fine. Also, weight isn't everything. You can be a bit overweight and be perfectly healthy, and be average or underweight and be unhealthy. It's not all about weight. The best you can do is try to create a healthy home. Make sure they are getting good food in the right portions. Cut back on red meat and processed foods. Make sure they are active. You can limit tv and computer time or encourage them to join a club or sport. Try taking the whole family for a walk or taking a yoga class together. Don't call them fat or tell them they need to lose weight though and try not to make comments about their weight. Try to find healthy things they like. There are so many substitutes for things to make healthy foods like vegan peanut butter bars taste like reesses almost but are 100 times healthier. Fish is meat but still healthy. Soy milk is much more beneficial than cow milk and tastier. Making your own fries instead of buying them or using whole wheat flour or replacing eggs with unsweetened applesauce are all healthy ideas. If your children aren't into sports, try a club. Clubs may not be as active as sports but they are still better than sitting in front of a tv all day.
