Big weight gain in 7 yo - panicking

[Anonymous]

My 7 yo has gained lots of weight. She is chubby and her belly is visible as well as there is plenty of fat around her chest so she basically looks like she has tiny boobs. I did take her to our pediatrician who confirmed it is not early puberty, it is just fat tissue. She refuses to eat veggies and fruits. She asks about desserts all the time. I was reading the other thread here on how you shouldn’t tell the kids that food can make them fat. So…. What am I supposed to tell her? I am panicking we will be dealing with obesity in about a year. She has a full breakfast at home / yet she goes to school and ask her teacher to get school breakfast. She is, for sure, not hungry. Can I ask her teacher to stop giving her school breakfast?

[Anonymous]

Get a full evaluation from your pediatrician to identify if there is a medical problem.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't panic. She's probably about to get a lot taller.

[Anonymous]

I would panic. I got Breakfast at home and at granny's. Then stole food. Parents didn't use good portion control. Was 88 pounds by first grade.
Grew tall. But kept eating.

[Anonymous]

Tell her she can choose breakfast at home or school breakfast. Tell her if chooses home then you and she will tell teacher she eats breakfast at home.

[Anonymous]

OP is a heavier body type part of your or your husband's genetics?

[Anonymous]

I would just not give her breakfast at home. My nephew would do the same thing with breakfast and lunch at school so my sister just quit giving him breakfast at home and quit packing lunches on school days.

[Anonymous]

Full workup, meet with a nutritionist.

Refusing fruits and veggies at 7? Was she always like this?

Desserts are a treat, not an every day thing, what's for dinner is dinner.

[Anonymous]

What are you serving. Is it food she likes. Is she being restricted in any way. Do you shame her? Believe it or not, kids often want what they believe is off-limits.

[Anonymous]

Limit the junk you buy. If it isn't there, she can't eat it.

Tell her no lunch at school. It's fine to email the teacher too. Just make sure you're actually giving her a filling breakfast.

Get her involved in meal and snack planning. Maybe she can find some recipes that incorporate fruit or veggies in a fun way.

I don't like telling kids that foods make you fat. It's so much more complicated than that. We talk about serving sizes, what the different make up of food does and does to our bodies (calories, fat, protein, carbs, etc). We talk about why some food is better for us than others. If you can teach your kid why eating healthy is important instead of eat healthy so you don't gain weight, I think it is more beneficial long term.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would just not give her breakfast at home. My nephew would do the same thing with breakfast and lunch at school so my sister just quit giving him breakfast at home and quit packing lunches on school days.

I get it, but the school breakfast is so junky. Pop tarts, chocolate chip muffins, chocolate milk, Lucky Charms cereal bars, etc. School lunch isn’t very heathy either.

[Anonymous]

Explaining that dessert is not part of the food pyramid and everything is fine in moderation is NOT fat shaming and is 100% a necessary discussion with your child. No veggie/fruit, no dessert. There has to be a balance. It's not about fat, its about health.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would just not give her breakfast at home. My nephew would do the same thing with breakfast and lunch at school so my sister just quit giving him breakfast at home and quit packing lunches on school days.

I get it, but the school breakfast is so junky. Pop tarts, chocolate chip muffins, chocolate milk, Lucky Charms cereal bars, etc. School lunch isn’t very heathy either.

+1

Tell the teacher that she is eating at home and a second breakfast it not desired by you and her health professionals.

[Anonymous]

What does she eat at home for "full breakfast"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Limit the junk you buy. If it isn't there, she can't eat it.

Tell her no lunch at school. It's fine to email the teacher too. Just make sure you're actually giving her a filling breakfast.

Get her involved in meal and snack planning. Maybe she can find some recipes that incorporate fruit or veggies in a fun way.

I don't like telling kids that foods make you fat. It's so much more complicated than that. We talk about serving sizes, what the different make up of food does and does to our bodies (calories, fat, protein, carbs, etc). We talk about why some food is better for us than others. If you can teach your kid why eating healthy is important instead of eat healthy so you don't gain weight, I think it is more beneficial long term.

This.

It isn’t anything you are doing wrong OP. Kids now get junk food from many sources outside the house, there are truly no kids going without access to junk food regularly, even if parents don’t keep much at home. So I just don’t buy the thinking that “depriving” her is driving her to eat more junk. Some kids are just wired to seek out more suagr/carb loaded food. If it’s there, they want it. Portion control is key and keeping things balanced.