Big weight gain in 7 yo - panicking

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does she eat at home for "full breakfast"?

My guess is there isn’t anything wrong with what she eats at home. If my kid ate a full breakfast of omelet, bacon and toast with milk, I’d bet he would still want to grab a honeybun or Froot Loops or yogurt tube at school, if it were available to him. School breakfast is usually the equivalent of sacks of sugar and corn/wheat with synthetic vitamins and artificial color added.

If that is true, what can OP do to stop her from eating the sugar breakfast at school?

There must be something for diabetics or kids with other dietary issues, can she opt in to that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

That's right! You really do *not* need to be putting boxes of this and bags of that into your grocery cart. No kid died of acute junk food deprivation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does she eat at home for "full breakfast"?

My guess is there isn’t anything wrong with what she eats at home. If my kid ate a full breakfast of omelet, bacon and toast with milk, I’d bet he would still want to grab a honeybun or Froot Loops or yogurt tube at school, if it were available to him. School breakfast is usually the equivalent of sacks of sugar and corn/wheat with synthetic vitamins and artificial color added.

If that is true, what can OP do to stop her from eating the sugar breakfast at school?

There must be something for diabetics or kids with other dietary issues, can she opt in to that?

I am not in the know, but aren't the breakfasts for kids dropped off early? Stop dropping her off early. What am I missing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does she eat at home for "full breakfast"?

My guess is there isn’t anything wrong with what she eats at home. If my kid ate a full breakfast of omelet, bacon and toast with milk, I’d bet he would still want to grab a honeybun or Froot Loops or yogurt tube at school, if it were available to him. School breakfast is usually the equivalent of sacks of sugar and corn/wheat with synthetic vitamins and artificial color added.

If that is true, what can OP do to stop her from eating the sugar breakfast at school?

Stop putting the money on her account.

Not OP, but in my state the public schools are required to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students. A lot of districts are doing this to take the perceived stigma away from low income kids that qualify for free or reduced school food. Obesity in the name of equality, yea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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?

Stop it now.

You are the problem

Learn how food is digested and turns to sugar. Fruit is not the answer you idiot.

Get parenting classes.

Take your kid for walks and active activities like bowling something to do with you.

You are heading them wrong they are hungry because you suck at feeding your children healthy meals. Find a good dietitian to help you and shit up around your child

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d do as many meals at/from home as possible. Breakfast at home, healthy, no sugar. Lunches made at home. Absolutely no desserts unless fruit and no sugar. Remove junk from house entirely.

+1

I did this a year ago when my child started to gain weight. I got rid of snacks like gold fish, fruit gummies, Oreos, etc. This definitely worked for my family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d do as many meals at/from home as possible. Breakfast at home, healthy, no sugar. Lunches made at home. Absolutely no desserts unless fruit and no sugar. Remove junk from house entirely.

+1

I did this a year ago when my child started to gain weight. I got rid of snacks like gold fish, fruit gummies, Oreos, etc. This definitely worked for my family.

And then when they are teens they will complain you are an “ingredient household” and you don’t have any good snacks. You aren’t wrong though, just be ready.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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?

Stop it now.

You are the problem

Learn how food is digested and turns to sugar. Fruit is not the answer you idiot.

Get parenting classes.

Take your kid for walks and active activities like bowling something to do with you.

You are heading them wrong they are hungry because you suck at feeding your children healthy meals. Find a good dietitian to help you and shit up around your child

This is unbelievably rude

[Anonymous]

Do people really feed kids eggs, meat, toast, milk every day?
Yikes.
We got shredded wheat or oatmeal and a banana with milk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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?

Stop it now.

You are the problem

Learn how food is digested and turns to sugar. Fruit is not the answer you idiot.

Get parenting classes.

Take your kid for walks and active activities like bowling something to do with you.

You are heading them wrong they are hungry because you suck at feeding your children healthy meals. Find a good dietitian to help you and shit up around your child

This is unbelievably rude

And believably correct. Op is the problem. But also the "don't say foods make you fat or that you're kid is getting fat" is also a big problem. Those things should be said. Full stop. Too fat at 7 is very very sad..

[Anonymous]

The teacher is not going to get involved in policing your child’s meals if the school policy is everyone gets fed. Many kids also grow out right before they grow up. Give your kid some protein at home, accept she will eat school breakfast and send in lunch. Stop stocking the house with empty carbs if that’s what you have there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do people really feed kids eggs, meat, toast, milk every day?
Yikes.
We got shredded wheat or oatmeal and a banana with milk.

Yes I cook my kids breakfast every morning. Nothing extravagant but eggs, fruit, steel cut oatmeal, a bagel sandwich/burrito, reheat pancakes from the weekend

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The teacher is not going to get involved in policing your child’s meals if the school policy is everyone gets fed. Many kids also grow out right before they grow up. Give your kid some protein at home, accept she will eat school breakfast and send in lunch. Stop stocking the house with empty carbs if that’s what you have there.

Yeah..I’m not sure the teacher will do anything Op. I know at our school the breakfast is a self serve, grab and go set up. No one is overseeing who is taking what.

[Anonymous]

Does she talk about her weight gain or perceive something is going on?

[Anonymous]

OP I would not panic about this - you really are shaping how she’ll think about nutrition for her young life. I would keep reiterating why we eat fruits and vegetables: to keep us from getting sick, to make us strong, the types of nutrients they deliver. Maybe the science part will trigger an interest.

Obviously keep serving healthy foods, and desserts in moderation and leaning heavily towards fruit with yogurt or less caloric options. I would really stay away from telling her anything is wrong with her body, but tell her that your whole family is using the new year to get stronger and healthier and focus on foods that help our bodies grow (or however you want to pitch it). I bet things will even out when the weather improves and we are all moving our bodies more outdoors.