How do I get my daughter to lose some weight w/o emphasizing to her that she has to be skinny?

Question

My daughter is 7 years old and a bit on the heavy side. How do I get her to lose some weight without pushing her to think she has to take some extremes that some girls take now days?

Answer 1

Just teach her how to eat properly and be active leading by example. Do it in your every day interactions with her. Let her cook with you. Talk about foods that are good and bad for her health and why. Maybe your community or a local grocery store hosts a healthy cooking class of some sort that you could both participate in together. Go on bike rides together around your neighborhood. Go to the park and throw a frisbee or kick a soccerball around. Help her find a form of exercise she likes. The important thing is to not let her think SHE has to do it on her own. She's a child who is just beginning to learn about nutrition and physical activity. Don't use the word diet. Don't weigh her on a scale. Good luck and good health!

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Some children at that age do outgrow it as they get older. But I would talk to her about being "HEALTHY" and not bring up the part about weight itself. Its our job as the parent to keep good foods in the house and very little junk food, if any. They get use to eating what is available.

Of course there could be other factors as to why your child is a bit heavy. Not enough activity. It could also be a thyroid problem. If she has been checked out by a dr. and none of those problems are present, then sit down with her and have a talk. Stress the fact that she has to eat healthy now to be a healthy adult. Tell her you want to change how you eat too, this way she will know its a joint venture and she will not be alone in that.

Its a touchy subject and has to be dealt with tact and hopefully she will be convinced and on her way to be a healthy child.

Answer 4

Probably the best plan is to put the whole family on a "diet" without necessarily announcing it but simply saying we all need to eat better and start eliminating the soft drinks, refined carbs & sugars, and increasing whole grains and vegetables in all the food you provide for the family. Also think of things you can do together that are active, rather than things involving sitting around. Use weekends for family outings like hikes or bike rides, if you can make the time. You will all benefit and you don't have to get into discussions of what a girl is expected to look like by mass media or whatever.

Answer 5

Are you sure she's really too heavy? I grew up thinking I was fat; as an adult, I figured out I have the biggest bones probably ever seen on a woman. And I'm not that tall. Seriously, before you do anything, talk to her pediatrician and make sure her extra size is really excess weight. If it is, get her involved in some activity. I recommend swim team. It burns calories, keeps your kids too tired to get in trouble, and disinfects them once a day.

Answer 6

Here is what you need to do, if you are serious about losing weight and keeping it off. Eat 6 small meals a day about every 4 hours. Here what that will do for you, your metabolism will increase (i.e. Loose weight) and you will have more engry. If you go on a diet and eat less, your metabolism will slow down and store to fat. That is why diets dont work. Only the size of your fist, carbs (examples:baked potato, pasta, oatmeal, beans, corn, melon, apples, fat free yogurt, whole wheat breads)in one and protien (examples:chicken breast, swordfish, shrimp, turkey breast) in the other. You can also eat vegetables and salads with any meal, they dont have none or little fat). 30min cardo exercise every day. Any of these(examples: walking, jogging, swimming,running, biking, ect), Monday cardo, tues upper body (arms: curls, tricep extensions,pull ups, front press)(abdominals: leg pull crunch, leg raises), (chest: bench press, butterfly, pullover)(shoulders: front press, arm pullover, cross county skier machine)(back:seated row, lat pull downs, back extension)(YOU DONT HAVE TO DO IN ONE DAY, mix it up) wed cardo, thurs lower body (legs: leg pull,leg press, squats, lounges) fri cardo, sat upper. Sunday eat anything you want and dont exercising, you do this on sunday so your body doesnt go into starvation mode. YOU NEED TO TAKE SUNDAY OFF. If you stilck with this you will have a great body. also drink aleast 8oz of water daily! Stay away from Mcdonals, Wendys, ect because there is nothing good for you on the menu's even the salads are bad (beaon bits, cheeze, dressing, ect) Good Luck :)

Answer 7

If you are not exercising, than you might want to make it a family deal. A 7 year old should be getting most of her food after asking you so you might want to change the family diet. If you have cable, they have a new show called You are Killing Your Children. I have watched it a couple of times and they show parents that were allowing their children to over eat for their activity level. You might want to take up family walks or bike rides.

Answer 8

Teach her better eating habits by emphasizing her health not her weight. An example would be, to teach her to eat fruits and vegtables in place of junk food. If she is overeating all foods, then you can explain to her that it is unhealthly for her to have excess weight on her body because of the effects it will have on her health. Don't put the focus on the fact that she has to be skinny, but rather teach her to eat healthier and the benifits to her body if she does.

Answer 9

First of all I would probably have her checked over by the doctor for routine physical and see if they have any comments on weight.
I believe that kids go through pudgy stages before they have growth spurts.
I would not mention a thing about her weight!!! Just make sure that you offer healthy choices at home and that she is physically active.

Answer 10

Fill her life with healthy snacks instead of junk. Trade candy for an apple or carrots for chips. Don't have the bad stuff in the house and it won't get eaten. You don't need to say anything, at her age she is not buying her own food, you are in control of her eating habits, change them now before its too late. When she eats healthy foods like carrots don't add the dips, the dips are full of fat.