From Fran, Child's Age 16 - 11/08/20 - IP#: 104.129.18.xxx Click here to reply
My son is 16 and 270 pounds at 5'9. He had an asthma attack in the beginning in October and we went to the hospital, where he ended up weighing in at 262 pounds. I didn't know that he had gotten so big. His doctor says that he needs to at least lose 80 pounds, but I don't know where to begin! Over the past month, I have tried to get him to eat less, but he refuses to do so. He always says he is hungry and I do not want to feel hungry as that is a bad feeling. Since paying attention I notice that he is really big. He is out of breath doing much of anything at this point, all he wants to do is sit, watch TV, play games and eat. Heading from the car to his room on the second floor he gets very out of breath and struggles to climb the stairs. Even bending over gets him red in the face. He does eat a lot, but I don't think it is an insane amount. I work very late and usually for dinner I will bring home a family size fast food meal, and he eats 2-3 burgers, fries and a shake. Nothing too terrible, but quite a bit. I've tried to get him active, but whenever we leave he gets too winded or is very resistant to exercise. I'm not sure what to do!
Reply from Seongwha, Child's Age 18 - 11/09/20 - IP#: 173.79.71.xxx That sounds like a hard situation to deal with. My son also buys food when I don’t keep stuff in the house. If you would like to discuss it over email, mine is eseongwha@gmail.com. I know this is difficult to deal with as a parent.
Reply from Fran, Child's Age 16 - 11/09/20 - IP#: 161.129.70.xxx He has begun to complain if I buy less food, saying that I am starving him. I can buy less food, but he will just go and buy additional food on his own. We keep all kinds of food at home, chicken, seafood, beef, pork, but also some treats as he really likes those. If I don't buy them he will buy them himself after school or on the weekends. He said that the doctor fat-shamed him and that he was fine weight wise after the appointment, whenever I've tried to bring it up again he won't listen and says that I am making him feel uncomfortable and wrecking his body confidence.
Reply from Seongwha, Child's Age 18 - 11/09/20 - IP#: 173.79.71.xxx I just mean that maybe get him less food to begin with and let him get more food later if he's still hungry. I did not grow up privilege either, I understand wanting to do things for him when he asks. What kind of food do you keep at home? did he say anything after going to the doctor about his weights?
Reply from Fran, Child's Age 16 - 11/09/20 - IP#: 161.129.70.xxx I just hate it when he says he is hungry. I did not come from a privileged background and was always hungry, so when he wants food I usually get it for him. What do you mean let him work that out himself? If he is still hungry after dinner he will usually snack later on in the night, which is okay since it's not usually much food. Whenever I buy less food he says he's hungry and will either eat more junk food in the night or will order pizza hut and have it delivered.
Reply from Seongwha, Child's Age 18 - 11/09/20 - IP#: 173.79.71.xxx It's alot of food if it's that many times every week. If he's eating enough for 2-3 people on a regular basis that's going to make him gain weight. If he complain he is hungry, maybe you can start to let him work that out himself? He is still young at 16 but that's old enough he can get himself something if he's still hungry after dinner. What does he say when you try to get him to eat less?
Reply from Fran, Child's Age 16 - 11/09/20 - IP#: 107.150.23.xxx Hello, this is not his first asthma attack, though it has been the first one in about 10 years. I bring the food or an equivalent about 4 times a week. He’s a very picky eater, and I work long hours so it’s a lot easier to bring fast food home instead of cook and he throw a fit if he doesn’t like the food. Is that an insane amount of food? I just know my son has a big appetite, and I don’t want him to complain that he is hungry.
Reply from Seongwha, Child's Age 18 - 11/08/20 - IP#: 173.79.71.xxx Is that his first asthma attack? My son has had asthma since he was a toddler, it's definitely gotten worse as he got older and gained weight. He's 6'0 and is around 320 pounds and his asthma has been the worst this fall that it's ever been, and this is also the heaviest he's ever been. The weight just creeps up, I remember when it hit me how big my son really was. It may not seem like an insane amount of food at first, but 2-3 burgers is more than what a person needs. How often do you bring this food home?
