13yr old's pediatrician just told her she is overweight and I am pissed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BMI is 24.7 which is still in the healthy range

It is overweight.

https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/bmi/calculator.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Totally fine with this. Long term obesity is a health issue that should be spoken about. Like smoking

Right, body shaming teen girls has done wonders at keeping obesity rates under control for the past few decades!

Body shaming? He gave a medical diagnosis based on data.

So then go back and reread the OP and tell us what you think the girl (or her parents) should do. Do you think a teen who is getting plenty of exercise should start restricting calories? Do you think she should start tracking everything she eats?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think the doctor should have spoken to her without speaking to you first and I think you should tell them that.

However, I think you are kidding yourself a bit here if you are thinking it's not an issue that will come up. If you have the resources maybe look for a sports medicine doctor or someone that looks beyond BMI. The sad and depressing fact is that being overweight/obese (not that your daughter is obese!) when you are young makes it harder to maintain a healthy weight as an adult. According to the CDC BMI chart your daughter is in the range for obesity.

5-5 and 151 lbs is BARELY in the BMI overweight category. Like literally, one tenth of one percent into the overweight BMI.

If you find a calculator that let's you add the .25 to the height, it is the highest healthy weight and not even in the overweight category. Take off her shoes and clothes and she would have been a healthy weight for sure, albeit at the upper end. Add that she is an athlete and it sounds like she is definitely healthy. The ped's statement would almost certainly do more damage than good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Overweight" is not a judgment on your child. It's a clearly defined medical diagnosis. That definition is based on BMI.

You can be "overweight" because you are a highly muscular athlete, or because you are carrying extra fat, or even for other reasons. But "overweight" does not necessarily mean unhealthy. If you treat it that way, you are part of the problem.

- American Academy of Pediatrics Issues Its First Comprehensive Guideline on Evaluating, Treating Children and Adolescents With Obesity
- https://www.aap.org/en/news-room/news-releases/aap/2022/american-academy-of-pediatrics-issues-its-first-comprehensive-guideline-on-evaluating-treating-children-and-adolescents-with-obesity

Well BMI is not for athletes or those with real amount of muscle and the judgement that comes from hearing overweight as a teenage girl are life-altering. So stop using flawed metrics and then making judgements and treatment. Refer for a DEXA if you are really that concerned.

BMI is for athletes. It just doesn't mean what you think it means.

Okay well when one person has a BMI of 25 and is 5'5 at 150 with 120 lbs of muscle (20% BF active, etc) bvs 90lbs of muscle (40% bf) there is a difference. And yet that number (BMI) is somehow used as reasoning for X,Y, Z.

A 13 year old is different than a person who is in their 20s or 40s. A 13 year old's weight will likely only go up. OP's DD is already disadvantaged.

So will her height

Not if she's already started her period.

This is BS. I started my period at 11. I kept growing until 19. Gained two inches between senior year of HS and 2nd year out.

That's fine this happened to you but it's not typical at all.

Well every single one of my friends grew after their period. My mom did- she wasn't 5'8'' at 14. My best friend was not 6 feet at 13. I was not 5'4'' at 11. I don't think this is normal for previous generations that excessively calorie restricted,.smoked, had severe food insecurity, etc. I also think that again genetics play more of a factor than menarche. And menarche growth stopping is a common myth but isn't 💯 either way.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1070801/

[Anonymous]

OP the pediatrician was probably looking at percentiles and growth curves not just BMI.

My DD has always been very skinny. No matter how many avocados or high calorie foods we gave her she was barely on the 1% for weight but was 70% for height. Our ped wasn’t worried because she kept growing on her curve. Her height slowed down and even though she was still really skinny she made it to the 25% in weight around age 12-14. She stayed at the same weight from age 12-16/17. She gained 5 lbs during the first year of lockdown but then promptly lost once she caught covid and then in person school started up. She’s back at her original weight and her height is the same but her percentile is really low, around 1-3%. Girls start gaining weight around 16-18. So now we’re back to buying ensure and adding calories wherever we can.

I honestly don’t know which is harder. Helping a teen gain weight vs helping a teen lose weight.

If your daughter is near her end height then she is at risk for further escalating her weight gain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Totally fine with this. Long term obesity is a health issue that should be spoken about. Like smoking

Right, body shaming teen girls has done wonders at keeping obesity rates under control for the past few decades!

Body shaming? He gave a medical diagnosis based on data.

So then go back and reread the OP and tell us what you think the girl (or her parents) should do. Do you think a teen who is getting plenty of exercise should start restricting calories? Do you think she should start tracking everything she eats?

Dp. Did anyone say anything about restricting calories? I don’t see anything wrong with talking to a teenager about healthy eating habits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Totally fine with this. Long term obesity is a health issue that should be spoken about. Like smoking

Right, body shaming teen girls has done wonders at keeping obesity rates under control for the past few decades!

Body shaming? He gave a medical diagnosis based on data.

So then go back and reread the OP and tell us what you think the girl (or her parents) should do. Do you think a teen who is getting plenty of exercise should start restricting calories? Do you think she should start tracking everything she eats?

Dp. Did anyone say anything about restricting calories? I don’t see anything wrong with talking to a teenager about healthy eating habits.

Did OP ever indicate that her DD doesn’t have healthy eating habits? If she’s truly overweight as many of you insist, and also very active, then she’s going to have to reduce her caloric intake in order to get to a “satisfactory” weight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am the same stats as your daughter and I am definitely overweight. I know its infuriating but take a step back and consider whether there is some truth and your daughter needs to do some changes for her own health.

Are you also a size 6?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BMI is 24.7 which is still in the healthy range

It is overweight.

https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/bmi/calculator.html

It’s uninformed because muscular people should not use BMI they should body fat % and hip to waist ratios.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Totally fine with this. Long term obesity is a health issue that should be spoken about. Like smoking

Right, body shaming teen girls has done wonders at keeping obesity rates under control for the past few decades!

Body shaming? He gave a medical diagnosis based on data.

So then go back and reread the OP and tell us what you think the girl (or her parents) should do. Do you think a teen who is getting plenty of exercise should start restricting calories? Do you think she should start tracking everything she eats?

Dp. Did anyone say anything about restricting calories? I don’t see anything wrong with talking to a teenager about healthy eating habits.

Did OP ever indicate that her DD doesn’t have healthy eating habits? If she’s truly overweight as many of you insist, and also very active, then she’s going to have to reduce her caloric intake in order to get to a “satisfactory” weight.

I haven’t read the whole thread, but didn’t see that OP said anything about her eating habits. But why would it be a problem to talk to a teen about their health, to include diet and weight? Conversations about health don’t automatically lead to eating disorders like some of you want to believe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At my daughter's well visit and during that time she talked to her about physical activity etc...

My daughter does cross fit in winter, volleyball in Fall, and travel softball year round. She definitely has an athletic body. She wears a size 6 in jeans and a small or medium in shirts/pants. She is 5.25 height and was 151lbs with her clothes and sneakers on.

This pediatrician talked to her about being in the overweight category in the BMI and I almost lost my $hit. My jaw dropped. She looks nothing overweight. She has muscular legs and arms (she is a softball pitcher) and no belly gut. She isn't a twig but man, I was thrown they would talk like this to a girl teen. When we left, I told my daughter to not listen to her and she is strong and beautiful and muscle weights more than fat and not to worry at all. But I know this made her start overthinking. I could see it.

Is this normal? Really thinking of moving doctors.

You're in denial mom, at 5'2'' and 151 pounds, her BMI is 27.6 which is the upper part of "overweight" and getting toward what is considered "obese". With all that activity you claim, her diet and quantities are out of whack and that's, unfortunately mostly going to be on you. You should schedule an appointment w/ a nutritionist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP the pediatrician was probably looking at percentiles and growth curves not just BMI.

My DD has always been very skinny. No matter how many avocados or high calorie foods we gave her she was barely on the 1% for weight but was 70% for height. Our ped wasn’t worried because she kept growing on her curve. Her height slowed down and even though she was still really skinny she made it to the 25% in weight around age 12-14. She stayed at the same weight from age 12-16/17. She gained 5 lbs during the first year of lockdown but then promptly lost once she caught covid and then in person school started up. She’s back at her original weight and her height is the same but her percentile is really low, around 1-3%. Girls start gaining weight around 16-18. So now we’re back to buying ensure and adding calories wherever we can.

I honestly don’t know which is harder. Helping a teen gain weight vs helping a teen lose weight.

If your daughter is near her end height then she is at risk for further escalating her weight gain.

+1 a lot of teens are skinner and then gain weight over years and decades. So what is not that high of a weight for an adult is heavy for a teen. Do you mean like an adult Size 6 for a 13yo?

[Anonymous]

Np but we all need to have more conversations about weight. Burying our heads in the sand clearly is not working. Look around anywhere you go. Americans have a weight problem and it’s getting worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think the doctor should have spoken to her without speaking to you first and I think you should tell them that.

However, I think you are kidding yourself a bit here if you are thinking it's not an issue that will come up. If you have the resources maybe look for a sports medicine doctor or someone that looks beyond BMI. The sad and depressing fact is that being overweight/obese (not that your daughter is obese!) when you are young makes it harder to maintain a healthy weight as an adult. According to the CDC BMI chart your daughter is in the range for obesity.

5-5 and 151 lbs is BARELY in the BMI overweight category. Like literally, one tenth of one percent into the overweight BMI.

If you find a calculator that let's you add the .25 to the height, it is the highest healthy weight and not even in the overweight category. Take off her shoes and clothes and she would have been a healthy weight for sure, albeit at the upper end. Add that she is an athlete and it sounds like she is definitely healthy. The ped's statement would almost certainly do more damage than good.

Look at the chart for youth, not the one for adults. Children are not adults and aren't the same size as adults.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At my daughter's well visit and during that time she talked to her about physical activity etc...

My daughter does cross fit in winter, volleyball in Fall, and travel softball year round. She definitely has an athletic body. She wears a size 6 in jeans and a small or medium in shirts/pants. She is 5.25 height and was 151lbs with her clothes and sneakers on.

This pediatrician talked to her about being in the overweight category in the BMI and I almost lost my $hit. My jaw dropped. She looks nothing overweight. She has muscular legs and arms (she is a softball pitcher) and no belly gut. She isn't a twig but man, I was thrown they would talk like this to a girl teen. When we left, I told my daughter to not listen to her and she is strong and beautiful and muscle weights more than fat and not to worry at all. But I know this made her start overthinking. I could see it.

Is this normal? Really thinking of moving doctors.

Definitely fire this dimwit physician. Few of them use their brain. These days most of them simply parrot whatever they’re told to say and do. They’re useless if you want actual intelligence.