My overweight son wants to get fatter??
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
I'm not normally the type to voice my concern online but I saw a recent post which was similar to my problem and helpful ideas were given so here goes.
My son has just turned 8 and is quite chunky with a bit of a chubby belly and face. I was happy that it didn't seem to be bothering him, he was always happy as normal and I just assumed he was storing fat for a growth spurt, which is normal at his age I am told. However the bad news is he has just got fatter and fatter over the last year reaching 34kg recently. As soon as I noticed this weight increase I was slightly concerned (but not too much) so took him to the doctors for a check-up. The doctor told me he was very overweight and have me some helpful advice regarding his diet, excercise etc. But the most concerning thing is he is very proud of his new belly and seems to by trying to get fatter, which sounds absurd writing this. However stuff like when we went swimming he sat down and went "Mummy look how fat I've gotten!" with excitement - I just shrugged it off as him being silly but looking back it does worry me. Now everytime I weigh him, which the doctor told us to do regularly, he is happier when he puts on weight and sighs when he loses weight. He asks for bigger portions and seconds and is always trying to get me to buy sweets at the supermarket. Obviously I am not stupid and I have his food intake under control, but especially after events such as Christmas parties, NYE parties and his birthday which was just before christmas, it is difficult to stop him from eating so much. I kept my eye on him taking all the nibbles, sweets and chocolate but there's not much I could do about it at a party when I'm mingling with my friends and he's playing. He must of put on an inch around the waist just over the last month after all he ate and drank because now when he buttons up his school shirts, the buttons look like strained from the push of his fat belly, which he found hysterical. Sometimes he lifts up his shirt and chases his sister around whilst running his belly or something and always plays with his belly fat when he sits down I've noticed. The most recent 'game' he's created is balanced cutlery on his belly which now sticks out enough for him to do. The doctor warned him of the dangers of obesity but the message didn't seem to go through. If my son's trying to put on weight (and currently succeeding) then what can I do about it??!! I have him doing as much excercise as I can but it is difficult. We lives 1 minute away from school so although he walks it's not exactly a lot of excercise. The school takes him swimming once a week, and he plays football at th weekend when he can. However lots of the time he meets with the neighbour friends round houses or whatever where I'm not sure he does get much excercise. Any suggestions because I'm seriously stuck?? I'm controlling his diet, excercise and we've had professional help but still no results??!! |
Anonymous
| Probably just a weird phase - taking him to the doctor was a good idea - not too sure how to handle if it carries on but I doubt it |
Anonymous
| Never heard anything like this! Are you sure that is what he's trying to do - he's only 8 he might just be trying to get a positive out of the negative that he is very overweight. If you really think he is trying, it may be the case that he's slightly autistic or has a form of ADHD as traits of these disorders are to fixated on things, in this case getting fatter. |
Anonymous
| How big is this boy?!! 34kg for an 8 year old seriously overweight - I'm not surprised at your concern! I am very surprised that he wants to get even fatter as that is certainly not usual. Perhaps buy him a scooter or something to play around with with the neighbour kids, it won't feel like much excercise because it's great fun but it'll help him no end by the sounds of it. |
Anonymous
Yes he's very big, I wasn't joking. When the doctor took his BMI he was the 94th percentile, one off being obese and had the waist of a 12-14 year old (close to 30 inches). A scooter is a good idea but how much he's actually use it is a different question. Thanks very much for your suggestion though it is a great idea! |
Anonymous
| It sounds like he uses his belly as a toy. How about jump rope? It's a good exercise. Have him do a certain number of minutes or jumps and record it to see if he can break his record each time. |
Anonymous
| For the curious, that's about 75lbs. |
Anonymous
I had to do the conversion online and it is about 75 lbs. It it isn't necessarily that overweight depending on his height. My son weighs about that but is tall for his age and very athletic but it sounds like you are not in that situation. Does he like any sports? I agree that it may be a phase. Try to get him to do some activity. |
Anonymous
| Yes if he's trying to put on weight you need to trick him into actually losing it. The above ideas of the scooter and jump rope are good ideas. |
Anonymous
|
I can hardly believe this is real, but if it is, you need expert help ASAP. A general ped doesn't count. He's clearly eating too much and not getting enough exercise, but he also needs a full check-up for metabolic diseases, and both he and the rest of the family need to be coached on weight loss, exercise, and nutrition. You don't say whether you've had regular conversations with him about the effects of food on his health. Is anyone else overweight in the house? Ask this board, and the doc, for a referral to a weight/fitness program for children - I am sure there are some, perhaps at John Hopkins or Children's Hospital. John Hopkins has a program for adults consisting of a team: doctor, nutritionist, psychologist (and I forget who else, maybe a sports doctor), and they are supposed to be very good. Hopefully there is a similar program for kids in this area! Empty your house of junk food and practice healthy portion sizes. Junk is fine on rare occasions, but it's easier to control if it's outside of the house, eaten as a special treat. Also, he needs daily vigorous exercise. If you don't want to run around the block with him, after school, can you enroll him in sporty after-school activities for every day of the week, at school or with businesses such as Dynamite Gym or martial arts dojos? You can turn this around, OP. My best friend at that age was overweight and couldn't run as fast as I could. A year of intense martial arts and better nutritional choices later, he was WAY faster than I was: I remember being so jealous 
|
Anonymous
|
Pokemon Go is a GREAT activity for getting out & getting moving.
I lost 15 lbs myself just getting out with my kids this summer trying to catch Pokemon and what a sense of accomplishment they feel when they catch a rare one, wow! I know it sounds funny, but it's really done wonders for our whole families physical fitness & togetherness time. No longer do they want to be on their OWN devices, looking at their OWN screens, in their OWN rooms, now they want to Pokehunt TOGETHER as a family in their free time... I love it! Plus, you don't even realize how far you're going or how long you've been walking, because they're having fun playing, it truly kills 2 birds with 1 stone.
|
Anonymous
| Does he do a lot of physical activities? If you have him try to play outside, he might realize how much heavier he feels, and how uncomfortable it is to be over his normal/healthy weight. |
Anonymous
| 34 kg (75 pounds) for an 8 year old means nothing unless you tell us how tall he is. Does he play football ( meaning soccer with a found ball) or American football on the weekends. If he is playing American football maybe he wants to bulk up and that is why he is excited he is getting bigger. |
Anonymous
|
Just have to represent the giants among us; 74 pounds at 8 isn't ecessarily overwieght. My daughter is 8 and 70 pounds but she is taller than most 10 year old girls (4'7"). Just as I weigh 150 (omg!) but am a 5'11" woman.
Anyway, OP, I trust you that your son is in fact overweight. It seems far more likely that he's trying to put a good face on something he's unhappy about. Or is bothered by your attention and is trying to minimize it. All you can do is keep junk out of the house, model good eating, encourage exercise, and be open and kind about health. That's it. |
Anonymous
| Is there a grandparent from another culture who may be encouraging the weight gain? |