11yo has a 'pot belly'

[Anonymous]

More than likely, he's getting ready to grow taller. I have three adult sons, and two of them were like this around age 11, then they suddenly shot up and slimmed down. The other one is 6'3", and has always been slim. I have an 11 year old now, who is exactly the same way. I expect a growth spurt within the next few months. There's nothing at all to worry about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:yes he's very overweight (might even be obese didn't weigh him recently) but it doesn't both me too much as he eats a good enough diet and exercises regularly.

it doesn't appear to bother him either as far as i can tell. but i'm just wondering if he's handling it on his own.

what we've talked about was the fact that he's not 'fit' for his age and needed to do something about it. so not focusing on his size/shape but fitness.

At 11, I was overweight enough to be 'obese' and yes it bothered me quite a bit but if my parents ever asked I just said "I don't care" or "it doesn't bother me"

Yes, other kids noticed and picked on me somewhat for it too.

Has he always been somewhat overweight? If so, it's not likely he is going to outgrow it in the coming years, its more likely that he will continue to gain.

Don't try and focus on fitness because that is just going to be a fail and make him feel worse. Being overweight means it is already harder to participate in activities and it makes you feel worse when you see others do it effortlessly and you are huffing and puffing.

Focus on diet and eating. Just start changing the kind of food you have in the house. Start by limiting sweets to one kind of sweet at a time in the house or per shopping trip. One bag of cookies for example.

when a bag of chips is finished, don't replace them with another bag of crackers or chips.

Look at your freezer. Is it full of convenience foods? Unfortunately the highly processed stuff isn't helpful for changing diet so aim to use up what's in the freezer and not replace most of it.

Be ok with full fat butter, cheese, yogurt, sour cream. These are just more flavorful and can make moving away from processed foods a bit easier.

Don't buy things like whole wheat bread or low fat foods. Both have a lot of sugar and additives, don't taste that great.

Use up any juice, juice boxes, soda and don't replace for a while.

Your DS will eat junk at school but that's better than eating junk at school and at home.

Whats wrong with whole wheat bread?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My then 11yo DS had a paunch. The now 14yo hit puberty, is doing "strength and conditioning" every day at school, and now has a little 6-pack going. Problem solved. Now I just have to keep buying him new clothes and stocking the fridge ...

Good for him! But was he heavy? If an otherwise skinny/average kid had a belly, chances are good he's going to lose it during puberty. A heavy kid with a belly is very likely to keep it into adulthood. OP's kid is probably the latter.

the former ...

[Anonymous]

he's always been larger as i said in the OP, but the belly thing is kind of recent... a couple of months maybe? not sure if a growth spurt is on its way.

he's going to be a big dude and i'm fine with it. but if he's struggling with it internally i'd like to find out and help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:he's in middle school and possibly one of the largest boys in his grade. do you think he already knows some people (kids/adults) are judging/laughing at him behind his back? i don't want him to develop any complexity but should we talk to him about it anyway to find out whether it bothers him?

I would not talk to him about whether it bothers him. I would quietly revamp the foods we had in our house to remove junk and replace processed foods with healthier options, and I would build more activity into his day. I

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:he's in middle school and possibly one of the largest boys in his grade. do you think he already knows some people (kids/adults) are judging/laughing at him behind his back? i don't want him to develop any complexity but should we talk to him about it anyway to find out whether it bothers him?

I would not talk to him about whether it bothers him. I would quietly revamp the foods we had in our house to remove junk and replace processed foods with healthier options, and I would build more activity into his day. I

+100 Make sure that the only options at home are healthy options. No cookies, cakes, soda, frozen pizzas... Lots of veggies, fruits, fish and other healthy options. You also want to do active things as a family (bike rides, skating, hikes etc).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:he's in middle school and possibly one of the largest boys in his grade. do you think he already knows some people (kids/adults) are judging/laughing at him behind his back? i don't want him to develop any complexity but should we talk to him about it anyway to find out whether it bothers him?

I would not talk to him about whether it bothers him. I would quietly revamp the foods we had in our house to remove junk and replace processed foods with healthier options, and I would build more activity into his day. I

+100 Make sure that the only options at home are healthy options. No cookies, cakes, soda, frozen pizzas... Lots of veggies, fruits, fish and other healthy options. You also want to do active things as a family (bike rides, skating, hikes etc).

you probably will be skeptical but we're already doing all these. he's just a naturally big kid with a big appetite and prefers quieter activites. i'm not going to try to change him, as long as i can be certain he is healthy both physically and physiologically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

At 11, I was overweight enough to be 'obese' and yes it bothered me quite a bit but if my parents ever asked I just said "I don't care" or "it doesn't bother me"

Yes, other kids noticed and picked on me somewhat for it too.

Has he always been somewhat overweight? If so, it's not likely he is going to outgrow it in the coming years, its more likely that he will continue to gain.

Don't try and focus on fitness because that is just going to be a fail and make him feel worse. Being overweight means it is already harder to participate in activities and it makes you feel worse when you see others do it effortlessly and you are huffing and puffing.

Focus on diet and eating. Just start changing the kind of food you have in the house. Start by limiting sweets to one kind of sweet at a time in the house or per shopping trip. One bag of cookies for example.

when a bag of chips is finished, don't replace them with another bag of crackers or chips.

Look at your freezer. Is it full of convenience foods? Unfortunately the highly processed stuff isn't helpful for changing diet so aim to use up what's in the freezer and not replace most of it.

Be ok with full fat butter, cheese, yogurt, sour cream. These are just more flavorful and can make moving away from processed foods a bit easier.

Don't buy things like whole wheat bread or low fat foods. Both have a lot of sugar and additives, don't taste that great.

Use up any juice, juice boxes, soda and don't replace for a while.

Your DS will eat junk at school but that's better than eating junk at school and at home.

Did you slim down 'naturally'? Would you have wanted your parents to do anything to help or make things a bit easier for you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:he's in middle school and possibly one of the largest boys in his grade. do you think he already knows some people (kids/adults) are judging/laughing at him behind his back? i don't want him to develop any complexity but should we talk to him about it anyway to find out whether it bothers him?

I would not talk to him about whether it bothers him. I would quietly revamp the foods we had in our house to remove junk and replace processed foods with healthier options, and I would build more activity into his day. I

+100 Make sure that the only options at home are healthy options. No cookies, cakes, soda, frozen pizzas... Lots of veggies, fruits, fish and other healthy options. You also want to do active things as a family (bike rides, skating, hikes etc).

you probably will be skeptical but we're already doing all these. he's just a naturally big kid with a big appetite and prefers quieter activites. i'm not going to try to change him, as long as i can be certain he is healthy both physically and physiologically.

So, the answer is, yes, he's being judged and possibly teased. It's tough to be fat, especially in adolescence. It's harder for girls, though, so there's that.

[Anonymous]

This doesn't sound like a pot belly.

Can't tell if mom has issues or if kid is really just overweight.

[Anonymous]

Op, what is wrong with you? Your son is overweight, in your words, not by a little at that, and you don't want to change him? As long as he is healthy? How is he healthy if he is that overweight? Maybe now he doesn't have cholesterol and blocked arteries and diabetes, but continue on this path and he will have it all. Are you happy with your DS living a shorter life span and having difficult adulthood and adolescence? When you say big, what is his height and weight? If he is withing range, I apologize for my post, but do tell us his weight and height. If he is truly overweight a lot, you need to do something. Do not criticize him, but certainly see a nutritionist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:yes he's very overweight (might even be obese didn't weigh him recently) but it doesn't both me too much as he eats a good enough diet and exercises regularly.

it doesn't appear to bother him either as far as i can tell. but i'm just wondering if he's handling it on his own.

what we've talked about was the fact that he's not 'fit' for his age and needed to do something about it. so not focusing on his size/shape but fitness.

At 11, I was overweight enough to be 'obese' and yes it bothered me quite a bit but if my parents ever asked I just said "I don't care" or "it doesn't bother me"

Yes, other kids noticed and picked on me somewhat for it too.

Has he always been somewhat overweight? If so, it's not likely he is going to outgrow it in the coming years, its more likely that he will continue to gain.

Don't try and focus on fitness because that is just going to be a fail and make him feel worse. Being overweight means it is already harder to participate in activities and it makes you feel worse when you see others do it effortlessly and you are huffing and puffing.

Focus on diet and eating. Just start changing the kind of food you have in the house. Start by limiting sweets to one kind of sweet at a time in the house or per shopping trip. One bag of cookies for example.

when a bag of chips is finished, don't replace them with another bag of crackers or chips.

Look at your freezer. Is it full of convenience foods? Unfortunately the highly processed stuff isn't helpful for changing diet so aim to use up what's in the freezer and not replace most of it.

Be ok with full fat butter, cheese, yogurt, sour cream. These are just more flavorful and can make moving away from processed foods a bit easier.

Don't buy things like whole wheat bread or low fat foods. Both have a lot of sugar and additives, don't taste that great.

Use up any juice, juice boxes, soda and don't replace for a while.

Your DS will eat junk at school but that's better than eating junk at school and at home.

Whats wrong with whole wheat bread?

PP and most of the whole wheat bread is white bread with molasses or caramel color added so really no better than white bread. Better to go with whole grain bread and check ingredients for added sugars.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

At 11, I was overweight enough to be 'obese' and yes it bothered me quite a bit but if my parents ever asked I just said "I don't care" or "it doesn't bother me"

Yes, other kids noticed and picked on me somewhat for it too.

Has he always been somewhat overweight? If so, it's not likely he is going to outgrow it in the coming years, its more likely that he will continue to gain.

Don't try and focus on fitness because that is just going to be a fail and make him feel worse. Being overweight means it is already harder to participate in activities and it makes you feel worse when you see others do it effortlessly and you are huffing and puffing.

Focus on diet and eating. Just start changing the kind of food you have in the house. Start by limiting sweets to one kind of sweet at a time in the house or per shopping trip. One bag of cookies for example.

when a bag of chips is finished, don't replace them with another bag of crackers or chips.

Look at your freezer. Is it full of convenience foods? Unfortunately the highly processed stuff isn't helpful for changing diet so aim to use up what's in the freezer and not replace most of it.

Be ok with full fat butter, cheese, yogurt, sour cream. These are just more flavorful and can make moving away from processed foods a bit easier.

Don't buy things like whole wheat bread or low fat foods. Both have a lot of sugar and additives, don't taste that great.

Use up any juice, juice boxes, soda and don't replace for a while.

Your DS will eat junk at school but that's better than eating junk at school and at home.

Did you slim down 'naturally'? Would you have wanted your parents to do anything to help or make things a bit easier for you?

PP here and no I did not slim down naturally.

I was a little overweight as a kid as well. In high school I did start dieting and doing some mild exercise on my own ( walking) and managed to lose about 15 lbs and stave off additional gain until I went to college where I promptly gained the freshman 15 about 3 times over! I eventually got to the point where I was almost classified as morbidly obese in college so I dieted using diet meds and plans like jenny craig and took off enough weight to go back down to just obese. In my 30's, I got into the morbidly obese range and went to a medically supervised hospital diet plan and it took a couple years but I am now finely down to just the overweight range.

What my parents could have done is what I outlined above. My mom especially since she did the grocery shopping. She would tell me not to eat junk food and try and hide it but she refused to not buy it since my siblings wanted it. She didn't need to stop completely but if she she didn't need to buy cookies, ice cream and candy each and every week and make sure that our house never lacked those. We also ate way too much processed, frozen foods but back then I don't think people realized how those could effect diet.

I also think if I had learned about being sensitive to carbs early on I might have struggled less.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

At 11, I was overweight enough to be 'obese' and yes it bothered me quite a bit but if my parents ever asked I just said "I don't care" or "it doesn't bother me"

Yes, other kids noticed and picked on me somewhat for it too.

Has he always been somewhat overweight? If so, it's not likely he is going to outgrow it in the coming years, its more likely that he will continue to gain.

Don't try and focus on fitness because that is just going to be a fail and make him feel worse. Being overweight means it is already harder to participate in activities and it makes you feel worse when you see others do it effortlessly and you are huffing and puffing.

Focus on diet and eating. Just start changing the kind of food you have in the house. Start by limiting sweets to one kind of sweet at a time in the house or per shopping trip. One bag of cookies for example.

when a bag of chips is finished, don't replace them with another bag of crackers or chips.

Look at your freezer. Is it full of convenience foods? Unfortunately the highly processed stuff isn't helpful for changing diet so aim to use up what's in the freezer and not replace most of it.

Be ok with full fat butter, cheese, yogurt, sour cream. These are just more flavorful and can make moving away from processed foods a bit easier.

Don't buy things like whole wheat bread or low fat foods. Both have a lot of sugar and additives, don't taste that great.

Use up any juice, juice boxes, soda and don't replace for a while.

Your DS will eat junk at school but that's better than eating junk at school and at home.

Did you slim down 'naturally'? Would you have wanted your parents to do anything to help or make things a bit easier for you?

PP here and no I did not slim down naturally.

I was a little overweight as a kid as well. In high school I did start dieting and doing some mild exercise on my own ( walking) and managed to lose about 15 lbs and stave off additional gain until I went to college where I promptly gained the freshman 15 about 3 times over! I eventually got to the point where I was almost classified as morbidly obese in college so I dieted using diet meds and plans like jenny craig and took off enough weight to go back down to just obese. In my 30's, I got into the morbidly obese range and went to a medically supervised hospital diet plan and it took a couple years but I am now finely down to just the overweight range.

What my parents could have done is what I outlined above. My mom especially since she did the grocery shopping. She would tell me not to eat junk food and try and hide it but she refused to not buy it since my siblings wanted it. She didn't need to stop completely but if she she didn't need to buy cookies, ice cream and candy each and every week and make sure that our house never lacked those. We also ate way too much processed, frozen foods but back then I don't think people realized how those could effect diet.

I also think if I had learned about being sensitive to carbs early on I might have struggled less.

It is just sad to see what state US food industry is in, and what is considered "healthy" food by many, and it is in fact far away from healthy food. What is even more sad is that people don't want to hear about it and don't care. I too once thought whole wheat was ok, what a fool I was. But, I found that people don't want to learn because it is easier to just don't think about it. My niece is obese and her mom "washed her hands off of her" in her own words! So sad.

[Anonymous]

limit soda