My son is only nine and weighs about 109 pounds. He is about 4 foot 2 inches tall. I am worried. Should I put him on a diet?
By Shawty
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Let him eat what the rest of the family eats, only don't let him "pig out." For snacks limit them to fresh fruit and veggies. Also make sure he does plenty of active play, instead of watching TV, playing video games, etc. I have a grandson that was overweight in elementary school, but when he reached middle school age, he went on a growth spurt and at that time his weight matched his height. He is a sophomore now and is 6'3" and isn't at all overweight, with a 34-36 inch waist.
This actually is a medical question and we, unless we are doctors and are treating the child we have no way to answer. I do know of a similar situation where the doctor sent the child to a nutritionist. Children have certain protien and carb needs that are different from adults.
Most normal weight children have a sense of that balance but some children are not offered or don't like the right things. The good thing about seeing the nutritionist is that she will sit with the child and explain things in such a way as to convince the child that he can truly be a right size within a year.
By combining the growth and amount of food the weight will come off and the child will see results. He will see the nutritionist about once a month, will see the change and will learn to trust her. He can choose from foods he likes and be encouraged to stay away from sweets. First he needs to see hos doctor to rule out diabetes or some other condition.
Please don't make an issue of this for someone who is only nine. I agree with the previous poster - except - make sure the rest of the family is eating properly. If the nine year old is not getting junk food, than there shouldn't be junk food in the house. Do not make rules for him that don't apply to everyone else with regard to food.
Exercise is very important for kids. Make sure he is doing something active - running, riding bike, skating, jazz dancing, swimming, climbing, playing street hockey, playing soccer, for a hour a day, besides what he is doing at school. If he is a child who doesn't like to do active things, find an organized activity that he will enjoy and wants to do that is active, and start with that. Go and do activities with him yourself, like biking or going to a pool, and get his dad to do stuff with him like playing basketball or football.
If you can encourage an active lifestyle, boys often stretch out and lose any "baby fat" they had as a little boy when they get to be teens.
It might also be a good idea to visit a dietician and discuss your son's diet, and the diet of the whole family.
I'm not an expert, but I don't think you should put a nine year old on a diet without a doctor prescribing it. Diets can be harmful for growing children, so if you have concerns, I would speak to a doctor privately so you don't hurt your sons feelings.
I agree, you shouldn't put a kid on a diet. It singles him out and can be humiliating. It also won't work because diets by nature don't work.
Childhood obesity rarely happens spontaneously. When it does it's a medical problem and only a doctor can treat it. Usually, though, the family is eating poorly. Maybe not everybody is overweight, but everyone will be at risk for health problems like hardening of the arteries or insulin resistance.
If your family seems to be eating a lot of packaged foods, frozen foods, microwave foods, pre-made dinners, takeout, fast food, or bottled drinks, changing the way you all eat will probably solve the problem. Since it's hard for Americans to tell how much is a lot (it's our culture), actually look in your pantry, fridge and freezer. You can also write down what you eat for a week. Especially be wary of foods that high amounts of sugar, carbohydrates, fat, any trans fat at all, or artificial ingredients. And dump foods that have long lists of ingredients.
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