You’re an dbsnkrt OP

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BMI for kids is ridiculous. It's just a snapshot in time. My DD has been flagged for being overweight in the past, but she absolutely does not look overweight. She's VERY active and eats moderately. Now she's not a stick, don't get me wrong, but she looks just fine to me. She does have very muscular legs though, not sure if that's causing her to weight more than she "should"? We found a new pediatrician and they never bring up BMI to us. Not sure if they do to other families.

Some kids are denser than others. If asked the weight everyone would guess the child weighed much less than they do. Different body types

OP provided the actual stats for her child, PP. No child is that dense. The child is seriously overweight.

Yes, but we can see where the problem lies with how many posters on here are trying to normalize this. It sounds like OP's child is still active but I've seen kids literally lose the ability to run they were so obese. I work in an ES.

Wow, that is so sad.

Why do you say that

You don't think kids getting so fat they can't run anymore is sad? What is wrong with you?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BMI for kids is ridiculous. It's just a snapshot in time. My DD has been flagged for being overweight in the past, but she absolutely does not look overweight. She's VERY active and eats moderately. Now she's not a stick, don't get me wrong, but she looks just fine to me. She does have very muscular legs though, not sure if that's causing her to weight more than she "should"? We found a new pediatrician and they never bring up BMI to us. Not sure if they do to other families.

Some kids are denser than others. If asked the weight everyone would guess the child weighed much less than they do. Different body types

OP provided the actual stats for her child, PP. No child is that dense. The child is seriously overweight.

Yes, but we can see where the problem lies with how many posters on here are trying to normalize this. It sounds like OP's child is still active but I've seen kids literally lose the ability to run they were so obese. I work in an ES.

Wow, that is so sad.

Why do you say that

Consistent obesity would be concern, where does her BMI fall? I

https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=childrens-bmi-calculator-41-ChildBMICalc

Do you have a family history of obesity or diabetes, PP?

My daughter has also always been in the 97+ percentile for height and weight from babyhood on. Our pediatrician charted her weight and height every visit. When I raised concerns, the doctor would point to the chart and say that they are not concerned because of the consistency - she has remained in about the same percentile for all of her childhood. They would only be concerned if she suddenly dropped down or moved up significantly. She's 14 now and exactly in the same percentile as babyhood.

Anonymous wrote:My daughter (7) has always been in the 97+ percentile for height and weight. Right now she's 53.5 inches and 86 pounds. I've always served healthy food and followed her hunger cues. Dessert is a once in a while treat and we don't have junk food in the house. She does soccer, dance, and swimming. We go on walks. But her BMI is in the range for obesity and she's definitely visibly overweight. At every doctor's visit, I privately ask if we need to be worried and the doctor just says to serve healthy food and make sure she's active. I feel like they aren't taking this seriously. I don't know what to do and I feel like I've failed as a parent for letting her get to an unhealthy weight.

This may be useful, the resources were helpful to my family

https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/portions.html
https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/children/

We used to have oversized dinnerware, I bought something smaller and the younger kids use salad plates and smaller bowls. Without meaning to, I was using the dinnerware as a guide and serving adult+ portion sizes. I stopped cooking more than the needed number of servings, esp of starches. If I did it went right in the freezer. Some of my kids regulate satiety well, one did not and would just eat and eat, sometimes until she felt unwell. Since she likes volume, I tried to incorporate more volumetrics ideas into meals, salads, etc. Hopefully over time not feeling "stuffed" will feel like her normal. We also eat out less than before and don't eat using screens or in the car.

We go for family walks and bike rides and moved the stationary bike and a rebounder by the tv and encourage the kids using them. We play fitness video games together and just all try to be more active and have fun together. We got much more sedentary over covid and screens became a bigger go to habit. We walk or bike when possible on weekends or go to the pool. I figure these habits will be good for all of us for a lifetime. I've lost 5 pounds myself and sleep better without after dinner eating and with being more active.

Good luck, OP! What you have been doing may be healthy for some but it is not a good fit for your daughter's metabolism and the status quo has led to obesity. My kiddo's weight stabilized with changes above and she has "grown" out of obesity and is at an overweight BMI, with the next growth spurt she should be back in the normal weight category. The ped is very happy, esp with the family history of diabetes. She will always need to be more aware than sibs who are less interested in food, but now she has tools and experience with what works for her body. It's good you are on top of things, best to you both!

Are you pescetarian? The foods you listed are fairly starchy with a lot of sugar from fruit. Starches are chains of sugar. Both tend to drive insulin/glucose up and down and that can drive hunger.

Do you eat meat and chicken? Eggs are a great breakfast and will keep blood sugar more stable and hold off hunger more than a smoothie or oats. Can lunch be more protein focused than starchy like pasta? If you think of Thanksgiving, could you eat a steak or a burger or salmon after the meal? Not likely but we could all eat starchy rolls, sweet desserts, etc. We have satiety signals for protein and fat and stretch receptors for volume, there is not a similar built in "stop" signal for starch or sugar.

Since she is obese, I'd focus on whole food animal protein, leafy greens (lettuce cups or wraps or salads?), broccoli, cauli rice, etc. and healthy fat like some avocado, olives, eggs or salmon. It was what my ped advised and my heavier kiddo said she "didn't feel hungry all the time anymore." Her weight held steady instead of increasing, ped's goal. It's also really nutrient dense food and protein is great for growing kids, worked well for my leaner kids too.

We also shifted to eating was all at the table and no screens including tv while eating. It can be easy to spoon in a lot of oats, pasta or beans watching an ipad, having to use a knife and fork and no distractions changed the rhythm/pacing of eating. We go for a walk after dinner and have incorporated more activity into family life, in addition to their sports, etc.

Anonymous wrote:If the diet is indeed as healthy as OP is claiming, the it’s not the type of food, it’s the quantity.

Just try to gradually reduce portion sizes, OP. And let her grow into the weight that’s already there.

Some people don't do well with so much starch, esp if they tend to put on weight easily and have an easier time maintaining with a focus more on animal proteins (very satiating) and high fiber veg eaten first, less oats, beans, more veg than fruit, etc. It's true for me and for one of my kids. On a vegetarian diet, healthy for many, I had high fasting insulin and was diagnosed with PCOS, just too much starch for me.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have two kids and my skinny kid eats way more than my chubby kid and she is not more active. She was born with a fast metabolism (like my dh) and my other kid born with a slow one (like me). Don't just assume heavy kids are that way because of their choices.

This is actually unlikely. Studies show that people who seem to have a “fast
metabolism” actually eat less overall and move more (whether through a lot of activity or fidgeting throughout the day). We, as a society, have eschewed all personal responsibility. I say this as someone who was a chubby kid and teen. Trust me, I understand the struggle.

I read recently that the difference between a “fast” and “slow”metabolism is something like 150 calories per day. So not nothing, but not so much that it’s not easily adjusted for…

Anonymous wrote:My kid weighs 122 pounds. And is 5’6 now as an 12 year old.

She also weighed 120 pounds and was 5’1. As an 11 year old.

Weight is a really hard thing to gauge as parents when it comes to growth spurts. She looks totally different now. She went from having a big belly to breasts and hips and a flat stomach. It really is varied.

Her pediatrician freaked us out at the 11 year appointment and literally pretended she didn’t at the 12 year one.

Irrelevant. OP’s kid is obese at 7

Anonymous wrote:I have two kids and my skinny kid eats way more than my chubby kid and she is not more active. She was born with a fast metabolism (like my dh) and my other kid born with a slow one (like me). Don't just assume heavy kids are that way because of their choices.

This is actually unlikely. Studies show that people who seem to have a “fast
metabolism” actually eat less overall and move more (whether through a lot of activity or fidgeting throughout the day). We, as a society, have eschewed all personal responsibility. I say this as someone who was a chubby kid and teen. Trust me, I understand the struggle.

My kid weighs 122 pounds. And is 5’6 now as an 12 year old.

She also weighed 120 pounds and was 5’1. As an 11 year old.

Weight is a really hard thing to gauge as parents when it comes to growth spurts. She looks totally different now. She went from having a big belly to breasts and hips and a flat stomach. It really is varied.

Her pediatrician freaked us out at the 11 year appointment and literally pretended she didn’t at the 12 year one.

If the diet is indeed as healthy as OP is claiming, the it’s not the type of food, it’s the quantity.

Just try to gradually reduce portion sizes, OP. And let her grow into the weight that’s already there.

Anonymous wrote:OP. An average day would be:

Breakfast: smoothie (fruit, yogurt, milk, no added sugar), eggs, or overnight oats with peanut butter and half teaspoon of maple syrup
Lunch: whole wheat pasta with mushrooms, garlic, olive oil, and Parmesan or fish with a side of vegetables
Dinner: Tuscan bean soup with a sprinkle of Parmesan or homemade chili with guac and a sprinkle of cheddar

Snacks are almost always fruit or vegetables.

This does sound yummy! But be careful with smoothies. It's a lot of sugar (from the fruit) and because she is not chewing, she isn't getting proper feedback regarding satiation. Smoothies are actually a great food for people who *want* to gain weight.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BMI for kids is ridiculous. It's just a snapshot in time. My DD has been flagged for being overweight in the past, but she absolutely does not look overweight. She's VERY active and eats moderately. Now she's not a stick, don't get me wrong, but she looks just fine to me. She does have very muscular legs though, not sure if that's causing her to weight more than she "should"? We found a new pediatrician and they never bring up BMI to us. Not sure if they do to other families.

Some kids are denser than others. If asked the weight everyone would guess the child weighed much less than they do. Different body types

OP provided the actual stats for her child, PP. No child is that dense. The child is seriously overweight.

Yes, but we can see where the problem lies with how many posters on here are trying to normalize this. It sounds like OP's child is still active but I've seen kids literally lose the ability to run they were so obese. I work in an ES.

Wow, that is so sad.