Girl moms - how much weight gain during puberty?

[Anonymous]

OP you are going to give her an eating disorder just shut up.

Teach by example. Bring healthy foods in the house, cook healthy meals, be active as a family and for god's sake have some cookies, ice cream, and cupcakes!

Your kid is a product of what you do.

[Anonymous]

I’ll also add that even if they are baking, that’s positive progress. I baked a lot at that age. But it also taught me positive cooking skills. When you put a lot of effort into making something, you’re less likely to eat mindlessly. And you are also more aware of what is going into it. (Anyone that has ever made buttercream has had that “holy moly that’s a lot of sugar!” Moment). A lot of girls that age get very into baking, and it’s a good bridge to other types of cooking )plus math and chemistry skills). A lot of my nieces that were obsessed with baking cookies and cakes at age 12-13 are now excellent cooks that make a variety of healthy meals in their 20s and 30s. Of course if you can get her interested in cooking fish and vegetables that’s even better, but any from scratch cooking is positive progress for kids that are.

[Anonymous]

Your percentiles are all wrong which makes me think you have really disordered thinking about weight. Why would you lie about the numbers otherwise or jump to catastrophizing without bothering to run a simple calculator?

She is slightly overweight by the calculators, at 90th percentile weight for height. She is not “off the charts” which isn’t actually a thing or over the 95th %ile.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mine gained a lot.
I think a big issue is they eat so much when they are growing because they need the calories and are starving. Then they finish growing but don't change their eating habits and consume too many calories. At least that’s what I have seen with my daughter…

This. Especially if they drop have dips in their activity as well. My teen put on a lot of weight between 13-15. A combination of big appetite, lots of junk passed out at school and with friends (and never passing on it), and dropping a sport.

[Anonymous]

The doctor is concerned if they talked about healthy eating. My kids have never gotten that talk and they are a normal weight.

[Anonymous]

Truly if your pedi isn’t worried, I wouldn’t be. I so wish when I was a kid that doctors recognized that some girls are muscular and athletic. I was constantly told I was overweight or my mom needed to keep an eye on me at 5’2” and 115-118. I played multiple sports and worked on a farm in the summers. It was ridiculous but I thought something was wrong with me.

My daughter gained a little weight this summer and got her period in August at 13. Then she grew and by November at her annual visit she had only gained 4lbs from the prior year. It’ll all even out. Just make sure she’s active rather than sedentary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The doctor is concerned if they talked about healthy eating. My kids have never gotten that talk and they are a normal weight.

My pediatrician asks every single year about healthy eating with my kids (40 percentile and 55 percentile). Milk intake, juice intake, what veggies they eat/like, how often they have fast food. Both are in middle one boy, one girl. I find it bizarre your ped doesn’t.

[Anonymous]

The only place I've seen it stated that kids get pudgy before a growth spurt is from parents on this website trying to rationalize their kids' weight gain.

My 3 kids didn't put on disproportionate weight during puberty, but they're all athletes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The only place I've seen it stated that kids get pudgy before a growth spurt is from parents on this website trying to rationalize their kids' weight gain.

My 3 kids didn't put on disproportionate weight during puberty, but they're all athletes.

+1 million.

OP, only you know how your kid is built. I was (and still am) 5'7" and 120lbs, and even as a college athlete I could grab fat on my belly so I wasn't underweight despite everyone on message boards saying that's too skinny. I have a small frame. I was incredibly active from ages 7 to 27. It does sound like your daughter needs to change her body composition. Make small changes at home with what you serve and what's available... try to make them things she's interested in trying or already likes. Incorporate after dinner walks. Let her see you lift weights and ask if she wants to join. Sign her up for activities (not necessarily sports if she won't).

It's not the end of the world to admit a child is overweight. In fact, if you don't and your kids grow up overweight and finish growing overweight, the chances they will ever be healthy weight adults are very very small.

[Anonymous]

Mine was 85 pounds at 11 and 5'1 ish, but at 12 she was 5'4 and 112, at 13/14 she was around 130+ at 5'5 and now at almost 17 she's 125.ish and 5'6

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The doctor is concerned if they talked about healthy eating. My kids have never gotten that talk and they are a normal weight.

I wish doctors would be frank about weight. My teen tilted into overweight category and it was the same talk: “Are you eating fruits and vegetables? Do you play a sport?” I do think it would be helpful to hear from a medical professional and not just parents that gaining too much weight is harmful to your health and you need to think about what and how much you are eating, in addition to being active.

[Anonymous]

This is OP. The doctor actually reached out to me yesterday as a follow up. She said she didn’t want to make it a big deal in front of DD, but is a little concerned about the rapid weight gain. It’s on the upper end of normal at this age and could be the sign of a growth spurt to come, or could lead to more weight gain if she isn’t developing healthy habits.

She wants to run blood work to make sure she doesn’t have a thyroid or hormonal issue causing the weight gain, and also suggested consulting a nutritionist but I am a little hesitant because she knows what is healthy and not healthy.

I think the key is to ensure she is more active which is a struggle. She has PE in school daily and plays tennis twice per week (which includes running some laps around the court) but other than that her activities are more in the arts which is her strong preference. She really does not like soccer, lacrosse, basketball, etc.

Please know that I am not coming at this because of her looks, I care about her being healthy. I made the comment about my MIL’s body type just because it’s different than mine, which is carrying all my weight in my stomach but having very thin legs and arms. DD just carries her weight differently because she doesn’t look big in her stomach at all, it’s mainly her legs are thicker and she has a larger butt. Not a bad thing but that must be where some of the weight is going.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. The doctor actually reached out to me yesterday as a follow up. She said she didn’t want to make it a big deal in front of DD, but is a little concerned about the rapid weight gain. It’s on the upper end of normal at this age and could be the sign of a growth spurt to come, or could lead to more weight gain if she isn’t developing healthy habits.

She wants to run blood work to make sure she doesn’t have a thyroid or hormonal issue causing the weight gain, and also suggested consulting a nutritionist but I am a little hesitant because she knows what is healthy and not healthy.

I think the key is to ensure she is more active which is a struggle. She has PE in school daily and plays tennis twice per week (which includes running some laps around the court) but other than that her activities are more in the arts which is her strong preference. She really does not like soccer, lacrosse, basketball, etc.

Please know that I am not coming at this because of her looks, I care about her being healthy. I made the comment about my MIL’s body type just because it’s different than mine, which is carrying all my weight in my stomach but having very thin legs and arms. DD just carries her weight differently because she doesn’t look big in her stomach at all, it’s mainly her legs are thicker and she has a larger butt. Not a bad thing but that must be where some of the weight is going.

Looks wise she's most likely fine, health Is more important and at 12 she will most likely lose she ends gets near the end of puberty not gain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The doctor is concerned if they talked about healthy eating. My kids have never gotten that talk and they are a normal weight.

My pediatrician asks every single year about healthy eating with my kids (40 percentile and 55 percentile). Milk intake, juice intake, what veggies they eat/like, how often they have fast food. Both are in middle one boy, one girl. I find it bizarre your ped doesn’t.

Same. Both kids on the thin side of healthy and now.in 7th and 9th and we have this discussion every year.