Overweight children

my daughter is going to be 4 years old and she is about 40-45 lbs wich the doc says is over average weight for her age but shes always been chunky. i fallow a chart that the doc gave me that says how much of what she should eat a day. i fallow it to the best i can but she still tells me shes hungry. and out at her dads its kind of a whatever you want you can have deal. so i gave them the chart but i doubt they fallow it. my question is, does anyone else deal with this? if so how?

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Asked by radtasticbritt at 9:25 AM on Aug. 18, 2011 in General Parenting

5 Level 2

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My 6 yr old loves to eat. She has always been on the chunky side but I am not stressing myself out about it. I really dont want her to have a bad image of herself and worry that she is fat when she is so young. My kids all went through the same phases and outgrew it. I keep them in sports and after school things as well. At 4 it really is too young to worry about her being fat. Just keep an eye on what you feed her like you would any child. Make sure she is getting all the vitamins she is supposed to. And keep her active.

Answer by gemgem at 9:28 AM on Aug. 18, 2011
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Dont know how much time she spends at dad's but it's in her best interest, health wise & emotionally wise, that he follow what the Dr. suggested. It's hard when they give you that look & say they're hungry. When I think my child is eating out of boredom, I will tell her to have a piece of sf gum & get her distracted with an activity- and magically the "hunger" goes away! This whole issue has to be handled carefully so that no one ruins her self esteem or causes her to have a poor body image. GL! :)

Answer by mrsmom110 at 9:32 AM on Aug. 18, 2011
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My 7 yr olds doctor tried to put him on a diet because he's 5 lbs over weight. Told me he needs to be more active. I just smh at her, He plays soccer practices 3xs a week and 1 game a week. He's rarely "just sitting down" and for his height he is on target weight, For his age he is not. I think at 4 its ridiculous to be that concerned with weight, Just make sure she's active & healthy!

Answer by Mrs_Harsh at 9:32 AM on Aug. 18, 2011
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I used to follow it but my kids like to eat through the day so I make sure we have healthy snacks on hand and that they actually sit down to eat their meals and snacks.

Answer by Anonymous at 9:36 AM on Aug. 18, 2011

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My kid have never been overweight, but if they are hungry, I let them eat - but it's a choice of fresh fruit or veggies. I keep carrot and celery sticks in the fridge and offer them low fat ranch to dip it in or they can have apples or grapes (and berries in season). As long as the snacks are healthy, there is very little chance of them actually gaining weight from it.

Answer by missanc at 9:46 AM on Aug. 18, 2011
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if she tells me shes hungry when its not meal time or when shes already had a snack ill let her get a few grapes out of the fridge or some fresh green beans.

Comment by radtasticbritt (original poster) at 9:50 AM on Aug. 18, 2011
Credits: 5 Level 2
I have the opposite problem. My 8 year old only weighs 48 lbs and has to wear a belt with 7slims. Altering her diet to include more calories hasn't helped at all. I follow the recommendations of the doctor and she eats all the time and always finishes her meals. There is only so much you can do. I would rather have my kid a little chunky then so skinny that it hurts to cuddle with them.

Answer by ashisamom at 9:50 AM on Aug. 18, 2011
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This is really a tough issue. On the one hand, you don't want to over think or overreact. On the other, a lifetime of healthy eating habits should start now.

Just cutting out processed snacks (cookies, chips, etc) and removing or significantly decreasing juice from her diet would likely be enough to keep her on track. Missanc is absolutely spot on; eat whenever you want and here are your choices; fresh fruit, veggies, hard cheeses, whole grains.

Answer by Brawnwyn at 9:52 AM on Aug. 18, 2011
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aggreeing with ashisamom my sd barely eats! i give her the same doc recomendations for eating for her age and she literally takes 2 bites and says shes done and dh says w.e. ok where i try to make her eat. she only weighs like 30 lbs if that at 3 going to be 4.

Comment by radtasticbritt (original poster) at 10:06 AM on Aug. 18, 2011
Credits: 5 Level 2
Get her outside playing and running hard. My sister started out "chunky" and now she weighs 300lb as an adult. Get her out walking and stuff just tell her it is healthy to do it. My almost 7y/o weighs 45 pounds. And I agree with missanc as far as the food and snacking goes.

Answer by matthewscandi at 10:30 AM on Aug. 18, 2011
Credits: 27814 Level 26 General Parenting Major

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