Re: My 6yr old son is bit overweight

In article <vrs6k.37702$gc5.26723@pd7urf2no>, A Concerned Father says...

My DS had eating problems during his first two years of life. Basically
he did not want to wean, it was a struggle; he would not eat much during
the daytime then during the night time he wanted to be breastfed. He was
below the weight curve.
My DW was pregnant with our daughter around my DS second birthday, then
she somehow managed to wean him. Then we were trying various food, got
help from the pediatrician, dietitian, Usenet, Internet, you name it.
Well, first he started eating fruit, then he got hooked on to junk,
cheeseburger, pizza, fries and chips and fruit drinks.

Maybe the earlier worry about this eating enough led to a habit of eating him
whenever he wants it?


We are from the part of the world where rice is the staple food. Most
nights he would eat kale, lentils and some meat (mostly chicken or
lamb, but some time beef) with rice. So he would ask for an extra
drumstick (so two drumstick in total) or some little bit more meat.
Lunch is a hotdog or pasta with lentils, breakfast a sandwich (one
cheese slice and one thin slice of ham, or some pink salmon). But he
keep snacking with cheese or fruits, gummys etc. Pizza and cheeseburger
fries twice a week deal. When he eat pizza he would eat about 3.5
slices, fries he would even eat his sister's.

Since you mention a pediatrician, I'll assume he has confirmed that your son is
overweight and that there is no underlying medical problem like diabetes.

Get the snacks out of the house. Even the so-called healthy snacks. "Gummy's"
should never have crossed your threshold! Get him on a 3 main meal a day plan
with a snack after school, so 4 total meals. A meal means a single serving -
everything gets put away at the end of a meal.

Let him have the pizza and cheeseburgers - but only as a once-or-twice-a-month
special thing. Distinguish strongly between everyday foods and uncommon special
foods. Never reward with food though - do that food only as a part of a
pleasant outing that isn't a reward, just something families do. That will
allow him to enjoy and remove the danger of his craving it more as a forbidden
thing.

If he's drinking sodas or fruit juices, stop and replace it with water. No, not
even diet sodas. Fruit as part of his meals will take care of any nutrients he
would have been getting with fruit juices.

Just those measures will go a long way to normalizing his expectations of food,
and bring him back to eating in response to actual hunger. You probably won't
need to put him on an actual diet. Just get him into a healthy eating pattern
and get him active. At first, you'll probably need to have those activities to
distract him when he'd be otherwise snacking.

What goes on his plate should be a normal (not small) portion. I'm not good and
what that should be for a 6 year old. I've often recommended a registered
dietician - ask your pediatrician for a reference. He or she will not only know
the science and what the portions should be for your son at his current weight,
that person will be able to give practical suggestions and advice - that's part
of their job too. Others here with 6 year old can probably help you with that,
too - that was nine years ago for me and I've forgotten :-)


Now, he is in the 90th percentile of the weight curve and 50th
percentile in height curve. I am really sadened by
1) He can't run as fast as his class mates.
2) He is the second fattest kid in his swimmming class and soccer team
(but the fattest kids in both are girls and they could be older).
3) He has a potbelly (but I think, genetically we are more prone to have
pot bellies).

Pot bellies themselves isn't a big deal - people have different builds. I know
people with that tendancy. That's different from (athough some people like to
confuse the two) being at an unhealthy weight.


Our pediatrician has some opinions. Our summer plan is to get him out of
the house and make him as active as we can.

Good!


Now the thing is as a kid I had a voracious appetite, if I had grown up
in Canada I would bit be 100lb overweight (or perhaps a body builder ha
ha) by now instead of 10pounds. Food were not that plentiful.

So maybe it's a bit like the U.S. depression era raised people who encouraged
their kids to eat every bite, remembering their own privation, causing eating
problems thereby. It's an understandable human reaction. We *are* an over-fat
society overwhelmed with food.

Don't blame yourself, just put a plan into place.

Banty

.

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