Anonymous wrote:He needs to get his butt out of the house and play like a normal eight year old boy. At the same time stop taking him to fast food joints every few days.

Wow, you seem to have conjured a whole scenario of OP's and her DS's lifestyle without her saying a word about it! Do you know her salary and social security number, too?

He needs to get his butt out of the house and play like a normal eight year old boy. At the same time stop taking him to fast food joints every few days.

My DD went through what I will describe now as a "pudgy" stage when she was about 9 years old. She was classified on the growth chart to be in the obese category. Looking at her you would not think obese but she was carrying extra weight. I remember the pediatrician recommending I make an appointment with the nutritionist. I never met with the nutritionist because DD had a growth spirt and grew 4 inches and the weight seemed to even itself out. She is almost 12 years old. DD is also super athletic and plays several spots so I think the sports coupled with the growth helped a lot. She also doesn't seem as hungry although she eats what she likes and I don't deprive her. Physical activity is key. My kids play a lot of sports all year round. At 9 your DS should be playing recreational or team sports.

I would call the Dr's office before appt and express my concerns. Ask Dr to bring up BMI,nutrition, healthy foods and together make a plan. Ask Dr for a follow up appt in 3 months to see how things are going. That will keep you on task.Asking a child to make good food choices is difficult. Remove all junk food from your house. You along with DS can plan a menu, healthy snacks etc.

Type 2 diabetes is increasing in kids, but is still pretty rare. Does your son have symptoms like excessive thirst, urination, fatigue, or frequent infections, or sores that heal slowly? If he had type 1 diabetes, he would probably be loosing weight and very tired. Type 1 is usually not linked to weight

High cholesterol in young kids is rare too.

I would have your son keep a food and exercise diary for a week before you go to the DR and show it to her. Aim to exercise at least an hour a day. Teach him about nutrition and how to cook some basic healthy dishes

Also, diabetes and obesity runs in my family. My son loves to watch the Biggest Loser, which can be a big eye opener. I watch with him and we talk about it.

It won't hurt to know as much as possible, and a blood draw is really not a big deal.

My 3 year old DD was anemic, and we found out with a blood draw.

Anonymous wrote:Have you been able to determine a cause for the extra weight? Eating habits? Sedentary?

both. dad side family has diabetic and heart history, though not weight issues.

You can, but in the case of our pediatrician, she didn't do blood draws. So if we wanted to check for thyroid, cholesterol, etc., we had to go to a separate clinic and have the blood drawn. We did it once when DC seemed anemic or potentially had a thyroid problem She was fine, of course. But if your ped. is willing to do it right there in the office and the costs are not prohibited, by all means.

cholesterol and diabetes tests would only tell you if the extra weight is causing a problem, it won't tell you what is causing the weight or what to do about it.

Have you been able to determine a cause for the extra weight? Eating habits? Sedentary?

My 7 and 9 year old just went to the dr 2 weeks ago and they both had bloodwork done and a cholesterol check. My older son is also a bit overweight and we are working on more exercise and better food choices. But having his cholesterol checked also made me feel better (it was normal).

Our pediatrician checked cholesterol every year with my not overweight kids. Glucose levels I think are pretty much a part of the routine physical labs. Thyroid definitely would not be on the usual list. Hypothyroid tends to occur in older females, but is not unheard of at all in younger males. My teen DS fell into this category, but it can easily be dismissed as a possibility for boys.

Thyroid?

Why is he overweight at 8?

you can ask. But what are you going to do? He needs to exercise more and eat less.

Do you think most peds would get these tests done or is that something I need to advocate for? The ped dismissed my concern about his weight for years until last year when his BMI reached 22 (105/57") at the 8-yo check up. She's a good doctor and we like her a lot. I think it is a reasonable request if she isn't going to order them on her own? Appointment is next month.