Tween BMI and diet

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Oh shut up. You don't know that she's "fat" without a f'cking DEXA scan. BMI is just height vs. weight. Tells you nothing about body composition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

She is 12. She isn’t some high level, elite athlete. It’s fine to tell her no to a second piece of cake or no to a third helping of mashed potatoes. Have something else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Oh shut up. You don't know that she's "fat" without a f'cking DEXA scan. BMI is just height vs. weight. Tells you nothing about body composition.

But kids BMI compares their BMI to other kids on the same age, gender, and height. Hers is greater than 97% of her peers if the same height, age, and sex. It is likely that yes, she is overweight at minimum, but technically obese by clinical definition for teens/kids (which is BMI >95th percentile)

[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.

+1 to all this. Pediatricians know how sensitive and defensive parents can get so they won't say anything unless it's a real issue.

I also agree that it doesn't need to be a big deal. Replace milk with water, use less butter, snacks are fruit and only for when she's actually hungry and she has to sit down at the table with no screens or books to eat them. Small changes make a big difference.

[Anonymous]

This is OP, thanks for many of the helpful and some not helpful comments. To answer some questions she’s just over 5’4” and 162 lbs so she does look heavy but is also visibly muscular. She just played two hours of basketball this morning and is in great running cardio shape, her coach rarely takes her out because she is so fast, skilled, and doesn’t get tired. She has 2 siblings who are athletes and our family plan has always been to do a ton of athletics and have lots of foods available at home that they can choose from. Her siblings are not overweight and can metabolize a lot of calories easily so I’m hesitant to say her brother can eat a dozen cookies while she get carrot sticks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

+1 to all this. Pediatricians know how sensitive and defensive parents can get so they won't say anything unless it's a real issue.

I also agree that it doesn't need to be a big deal. Replace milk with water, use less butter, snacks are fruit and only for when she's actually hungry and she has to sit down at the table with no screens or books to eat them. Small changes make a big difference.

And some pediatricians are not skilled. You certainly don't have enough information to offer an informed opinion. OP should get a second opinion, and certainly shouldn't listen to you people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

She is 12. She isn’t some high level, elite athlete. It’s fine to tell her no to a second piece of cake or no to a third helping of mashed potatoes. Have something else.

You obviously don't have a clue about sports nutrition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is OP, thanks for many of the helpful and some not helpful comments. To answer some questions she’s just over 5’4” and 162 lbs so she does look heavy but is also visibly muscular. She just played two hours of basketball this morning and is in great running cardio shape, her coach rarely takes her out because she is so fast, skilled, and doesn’t get tired. She has 2 siblings who are athletes and our family plan has always been to do a ton of athletics and have lots of foods available at home that they can choose from. Her siblings are not overweight and can metabolize a lot of calories easily so I’m hesitant to say her brother can eat a dozen cookies while she get carrot sticks.

I strongly urge you not to listen to people here. Please talk to a pediatrician with experience with athletes and consider talking to a sports nutritionist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is OP, thanks for many of the helpful and some not helpful comments. To answer some questions she’s just over 5’4” and 162 lbs so she does look heavy but is also visibly muscular. She just played two hours of basketball this morning and is in great running cardio shape, her coach rarely takes her out because she is so fast, skilled, and doesn’t get tired. She has 2 siblings who are athletes and our family plan has always been to do a ton of athletics and have lots of foods available at home that they can choose from. Her siblings are not overweight and can metabolize a lot of calories easily so I’m hesitant to say her brother can eat a dozen cookies while she get carrot sticks.

So what is her diet like? Is she eating very large portions? A lot of junk? She is only 12 and very active- for now. She is likely going to gain more weight as she goes through the teen years plus her activity may drop too as homework increases and she develops other interests.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is OP, thanks for many of the helpful and some not helpful comments. To answer some questions she’s just over 5’4” and 162 lbs so she does look heavy but is also visibly muscular. She just played two hours of basketball this morning and is in great running cardio shape, her coach rarely takes her out because she is so fast, skilled, and doesn’t get tired. She has 2 siblings who are athletes and our family plan has always been to do a ton of athletics and have lots of foods available at home that they can choose from. Her siblings are not overweight and can metabolize a lot of calories easily so I’m hesitant to say her brother can eat a dozen cookies while she get carrot sticks.

5ft 4 in and 162 lbs on a 12 year old is not muscular. Knock it off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP, thanks for many of the helpful and some not helpful comments. To answer some questions she’s just over 5’4” and 162 lbs so she does look heavy but is also visibly muscular. She just played two hours of basketball this morning and is in great running cardio shape, her coach rarely takes her out because she is so fast, skilled, and doesn’t get tired. She has 2 siblings who are athletes and our family plan has always been to do a ton of athletics and have lots of foods available at home that they can choose from. Her siblings are not overweight and can metabolize a lot of calories easily so I’m hesitant to say her brother can eat a dozen cookies while she get carrot sticks.

5ft 4 in and 162 lbs on a 12 year old is not muscular. Knock it off.

I didn't know you could do a DEXA scan over an internet forum.

[Anonymous]

I don't know OP. Even for a tall and muscular 12 year old that is a lot of weight.

What you want is for her to eat healthy and continue to be sporty. I would worry that she is heading into puberty where her body is going to be changing (along with the other girls) and she is going to be left behind in sports. Then you will have a real problem.
You mention the siblings calories which makes me think you are focused on that rather than modeling healthy eating for all of them. I would get a sports nutritionist. That will help a lot.

[Anonymous]

I’m 5’4 and am very muscular (I’ve been lifting heavy and prioritizing protein for a few years now) and I weigh 145. I can’t imagine 162 at my weight is healthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know OP. Even for a tall and muscular 12 year old that is a lot of weight.

What you want is for her to eat healthy and continue to be sporty. I would worry that she is heading into puberty where her body is going to be changing (along with the other girls) and she is going to be left behind in sports. Then you will have a real problem.
You mention the siblings calories which makes me think you are focused on that rather than modeling healthy eating for all of them. I would get a sports nutritionist. That will help a lot.

Agree. Nobody, even a healthy, athletic teen boy, NEEDS to eat cookies and chips and cake. Eating healthy is different from going on a diet. PP has a good idea about learning from a sports nutritionist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP, thanks for many of the helpful and some not helpful comments. To answer some questions she’s just over 5’4” and 162 lbs so she does look heavy but is also visibly muscular. She just played two hours of basketball this morning and is in great running cardio shape, her coach rarely takes her out because she is so fast, skilled, and doesn’t get tired. She has 2 siblings who are athletes and our family plan has always been to do a ton of athletics and have lots of foods available at home that they can choose from. Her siblings are not overweight and can metabolize a lot of calories easily so I’m hesitant to say her brother can eat a dozen cookies while she get carrot sticks.

5ft 4 in and 162 lbs on a 12 year old is not muscular. Knock it off.

Right? These people are crazy. My 6’2” tall extremely athletic 13 year old BOY is all muscle and doesn’t have an ounce of fat on him… and he weighs 150…

And OP, just don’t let ANY of your kids eat a dozen cookies! It’s not good for them, either.