Tween BMI and diet

[Anonymous]

I have a 12 year old girl with a BMI in the 97th percentile, her pediatrician wants me to put her on a more restrictive diet and help her lose 20 pounds. I am hesitant because I worry it will cause body image issues, I also think she is otherwise very healthy. She is a 3 sport athlete with big muscles, she can lift and squat more than I can and has a fast one mile run time. She also just got her period for the first time and it seems like her body is already going through enough changes. What would you do here?

[Anonymous]

Are you or her dad overweight? I’d be inclined to ignore for a year or two to see how it plays out (absent family history). Sounds like you have a very strong and athletic girl.

[Anonymous]

You are trying to justify why your 12 year old should remain obese and that is very sad. Your child is OBESE. She is therefore, not healthy. She needs less food and more movement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are trying to justify why your 12 year old should remain obese and that is very sad. Your child is OBESE. She is therefore, not healthy. She needs less food and more movement.

You have no clue what OP's DD's body fat/body comp is, and therefore you have no ability to comment on her. It's particularly stunning that you say she needs more movement, she. OP already said her DC plays three sports, runs, and lifts heavy.

Maybe you should get some help for your own psych issues and shut the f ck up.

[Anonymous]

OP. What is her percentile for height. I have a boy so perhaps different but from birth until 14 he was 97 percentile height and 98 for weight. He looked chubby. Our pediatrician said to not worry about it. That he was literally a big kid and his body would eventually change and he would need the extra pounds. For years however I was worried because he looked big - no other way to say it. Well fast forward. He is 16. He is 6’1 and thin and perfect BMI. He literally grew into his weight as our pediatrician said he would.. He was always strong and athletic and continues to be. As long as DS is healthy I wouldn’t focus too much on it. Bodies change quickly once they hit puberty. I recommend getting a second opinion from another pediatrician or nutritionist. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Would a pediatrician say the same thing about a male athlete? Seems strange…

[Anonymous]

I have an 11yo in the same range. At urgent care last week she was ( clothed and had shoes on) 5’1 and 134lbs.
She is also an athlete and hit puberty and early. Her doc is ok with her weight. A lot of it is muscle, she swims and plays soccer and has a healthy diet.
20lbs is a lot! How much does she weigh and how tall is she?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are trying to justify why your 12 year old should remain obese and that is very sad. Your child is OBESE. She is therefore, not healthy. She needs less food and more movement.

My ds had that same bmi at 12. He’s now 16 and looks like the fittest, healthiest person you can think of. We did nothing at all for that to happen. Op knows how her child eats and if it can be worked on or not. Sounds like her dd is a very active, confident child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a 12 year old girl with a BMI in the 97th percentile, her pediatrician wants me to put her on a more restrictive diet and help her lose 20 pounds. I am hesitant because I worry it will cause body image issues, I also think she is otherwise very healthy. She is a 3 sport athlete with big muscles, she can lift and squat more than I can and has a fast one mile run time. She also just got her period for the first time and it seems like her body is already going through enough changes. What would you do here?

I mean… can’t you just do this stealthily and not tell her? A slow and steady approach that she might not even notice? Why would it give her body image issues if you don’t even mention anything has changed?

Despite what everyone says I would imagine that if the pediatrician thinks it’s a big deal you might want to actually take it seriously.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a 12 year old girl with a BMI in the 97th percentile, her pediatrician wants me to put her on a more restrictive diet and help her lose 20 pounds. I am hesitant because I worry it will cause body image issues, I also think she is otherwise very healthy. She is a 3 sport athlete with big muscles, she can lift and squat more than I can and has a fast one mile run time. She also just got her period for the first time and it seems like her body is already going through enough changes. What would you do here?

I mean… can’t you just do this stealthily and not tell her? A slow and steady approach that she might not even notice? Why would it give her body image issues if you don’t even mention anything has changed?

Despite what everyone says I would imagine that if the pediatrician thinks it’s a big deal you might want to actually take it seriously.

The girl is 12 not 5, she'll definitely notice. Op I was a swimmer and water polo player during highschool and lifted a lot. I was on the heavier side but was also really muscular. In high school at 5'7" I got up to 160-165. Once I graduated and was not starving all the time due to the heavy lifting and all the cardio, I dropped down to 145 which is where I've stayed. Obviously focus on healthy eating, but try not to make a huge deal out of diet and weight unless it really is medically warranted. My mom was constantly making comments about my weight and what I was eating and I didn't have a healthy relationship with food until I was living on my own. In my case, feeling like someone was monitoring everything I ate only made me eat more.

[Anonymous]

Does she have healthy blood work, including hormones? What does she usually eat? And over what time span did she become overweight? I mean it's hard to say without knowing her body fat percentage...

But as an athlete, a lot of studies show that being overweight puts you at greater risk for getting injured. So I would probably try to approach it from that way...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are trying to justify why your 12 year old should remain obese and that is very sad. Your child is OBESE. She is therefore, not healthy. She needs less food and more movement.

Says someone who knows nothing about bmi. Can you have her get a DEXA scan to determine fat vs. muscle? I am one of the people where bmi has never made sense because I have “high muscle mass.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP. What is her percentile for height. I have a boy so perhaps different but from birth until 14 he was 97 percentile height and 98 for weight. He looked chubby. Our pediatrician said to not worry about it. That he was literally a big kid and his body would eventually change and he would need the extra pounds. For years however I was worried because he looked big - no other way to say it. Well fast forward. He is 16. He is 6’1 and thin and perfect BMI. He literally grew into his weight as our pediatrician said he would.. He was always strong and athletic and continues to be. As long as DS is healthy I wouldn’t focus too much on it. Bodies change quickly once they hit puberty. I recommend getting a second opinion from another pediatrician or nutritionist. Good luck.

BMI takes height into the equation. OP’s daughter’s BMI is higher than 97% of girls her same age and height. That puts her into the obesity category. I would take this seriously. She is 12 and just got her period so she is likely to gain more weight and fairly quickly if you don’t change the trajectory. How is her diet OP? It sounds like she is already active, which is great. I would probably just try to minimiz buying snack-type foods and keep food options clean and healthy. If she tends to lean very carb heavy in her food choices, try to curb that so it more balanced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are trying to justify why your 12 year old should remain obese and that is very sad. Your child is OBESE. She is therefore, not healthy. She needs less food and more movement.

Says someone who knows nothing about bmi. Can you have her get a DEXA scan to determine fat vs. muscle? I am one of the people where bmi has never made sense because I have “high muscle mass.”

She is 12! She is not a body builder…. She is obese. She will be getting heavier as she goes through puberty and her body prepares her for child bearing years. Stop sugar coating for our kids. If you are fat, you are fat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP. What is her percentile for height. I have a boy so perhaps different but from birth until 14 he was 97 percentile height and 98 for weight. He looked chubby. Our pediatrician said to not worry about it. That he was literally a big kid and his body would eventually change and he would need the extra pounds. For years however I was worried because he looked big - no other way to say it. Well fast forward. He is 16. He is 6’1 and thin and perfect BMI. He literally grew into his weight as our pediatrician said he would.. He was always strong and athletic and continues to be. As long as DS is healthy I wouldn’t focus too much on it. Bodies change quickly once they hit puberty. I recommend getting a second opinion from another pediatrician or nutritionist. Good luck.

BMI takes height into the equation. OP’s daughter’s BMI is higher than 97% of girls her same age and height. That puts her into the obesity category. I would take this seriously. She is 12 and just got her period so she is likely to gain more weight and fairly quickly if you don’t change the trajectory. How is her diet OP? It sounds like she is already active, which is great. I would probably just try to minimiz buying snack-type foods and keep food options clean and healthy. If she tends to lean very carb heavy in her food choices, try to curb that so it more balanced.

Yeah, curb an athlete's carb intake. Thanks for the terrible advice.