Help!!! How can my 11 year old DAUGHTER get stronger and lose a LITTLE bit of weight? Really.................

Question

She is not overweight but, she weighs 65 pounds and she has a big belly and she wants to starve herself. I want her to be stronger and lose that belly WITHOUT starving herself. She runs a mile 1 day a week and eats healthy. Is thier a kid safe way for her to lose weight and become strong in the arms and she runs for her leg strongness. How can she lose weight safely? She is really self-concious about herself , (she is going through puberty)

Answer 1

Please be mindful of what you are conveying to her. You don't want an anorexic later. In the first place, lots of 11 year olds have a bit of a tummy-she may be about to enter a growh spurt. She may be picking up anxiety from you! Praise her and start taking her for some pampering-like a pedicure. Her figure will litterly fall into place later.

Answer 2

The first thing to address is the starving part. Explain to her that you cant starve your body. Your body will fight that. When your body goes into starvation mode, it stores everything you eat. "it" is not sure when the next meal is coming, that is why drs say, eat a breakfast. If you dont then you store your lunch because your body has had to go so long without food.As far as her "belly", ALL kids get that. it is her hormones changing and she will loose that. If she still wants to loose weight, then here is what I recommend. Since she runs a mile a week, have her keep that up or increase that. Maybe take the dog for a run, or if you dont have one, I am sure there is someone close by that would love to have their dog ran. (I know I would) Drink water.. no soda. I dont think people understand the empty calories in soda. The syrup in it is bad for your kidneys, and can cause kidney stones and many other problems. When you feel sluggish, that is why.. that is when most people grab for a soda.. for a "pick me up".. eat healthy.. and again, drink lots of water.. maybe you both can start to work out a local gym.. that can be a bonding time for the two of you also. Getting into the habit now will show her how to take care of her body later. Good Job for showing her how important it is! Good Luck!

Answer 3

11 and 12 are the ages when girls may thicken up some before they grow taller and thin back out. If she's a small girl without "athletic-type" muscles any extra weight she has will be in the form of fat and will go on her in traditionally "feminine" places.

Can she ride a bike or dance or skate more? Running one mile only one day a week is better than nothing, but it probably isn't enough. She'd be better off riding a bike, jumping rope, skating, dancing, swimming, or anything that would involve daily activity.

As you know, building arm strength requires special exercises. Bike riding will help her with building strength in her legs.

A safe way to lose weight is to limit carbohydrates to one serving a day, eating no sugar or sugary foods or drinks, but making sure she gets plenty of protein, vegetables, and fruits. Fruit juice is high in calories, so she should watch how much of that she drinks.

She's essentially still just a little girl. She probably isn't going to build up "big strength" until she gets a little older and unless she wants to. Give her some exercise tips, buy her a jumprope that she can use in the backyard or basement (tell her to put music on), and support her efforts to eat healthy foods. Helping her find clothes that hide the belly a little and may be flattering on her would help while she works on the weight or else waits out her thicken-up phase of development

If she could put on some fast and happy dance music for a half hour a day and dance in her bedroom that would help too.

Answer 4

Consult her doctor about this. 11 year old girls should weigh about 65-75 pounds, depending on height. I wonder if she's been reading those teen and pre-teen magazines, and letting the "Hollywood Syndrome" start to affect her-you know the type, slim bodies and "beautiful" looks? She needs to play and just be an 11-year old girl, not try to look like a pint-sized supermodel. This could be an early warning signal for anorexia, especially if she's trying to starve herself. Again--See the Doctor PRONTO!

Answer 5

i'd work out with her, it would be a good time with her- I love doing tae-bo- it's a lot of fun... and it works everything-legs, arms, tummy, etc. If you can do that every other day- or every day with her, it would give her motivation, and give you both extra energy. Other things, have her play outdoors- I think a lot of ppl allow their children to watch too much tv and play video games... when I was young, we always were outside...bundled up if it was colder. Try to have fun activities outside... such as kick ball, baseball, playing on swing set, etc. The more active she is, the more in shape she'll be. I think running a mile once a week is good, but add to that- if she can get her heart rate up for 30 min. every day, it would really help. Eating healthy is also good... so make sure she keeps eating, not too much, but enough so she's not starving- let her know the consequences of starving herself so she doesn't do it.

Goodluck, she sounds like she's on the right track.

Answer 6

65 pounds?!!!!! That is NOT overweight. If you are concerned about her becoming more physically healthy, then jump rope, crunches, get her into some swimming (YMCA or rec center), gymnastics is great for that as well. find something she enjoys and let her be in it. That is all you have to worry about and make sure she is eating a well balanced diet. However, at 11 years old and 65 pounds, I would so not worry. For one thing, she is growing, she may have grown out a little now, but in a month or two, she will be growing "up" too, adding to her height. Remember, she will have a "pudge", she is a girl, and "Mother Nature" gives us all a little ponch for later in life to accomodate having a child.

Answer 7

65 lbs at 11 seems really underweight to me but that depends on her height. My daughter was about 4 feet 11 inches at 11 years old and weighed about 85 lbs and is thin as a rail.

Answer 8

I know it won't help much now-- but most kids 'grow out of it'.. it's still "baby fat" once she is almost done or finished with pueberty it should go away and she will slim down...

Also 65 for an 11 year old is not fat at all. What the heck are you worried about it. Is she the one worried about it or are you?????????? Just encourage her and take her to do special things- ie go get pedicures together or manicures... Keep saying positive things to her about how beautiful she looks etc etc... Dont try to help her diet. She doesnt need it and as much as people think its going to help- it only makes you feeel more like an outcast. trust me i know-- i was an overweight child... and i dont mean 10 lbs overweight--- and as much as my family was trying to be nice and help me with diets and such- it just backfired and made me feel worse about myself.

Answer 9

I got my son involved in hiking and swiming when he was severly self-concious about his appearence. I attended swiming with him and made a game out of the whole time in the water he loved it and he got his arms and torso well toned. I also enlisted in a cooking class it tought healthy choices and called attention to the empty calories that sneak up on us . I try to have my kids do some kind of physical activity everyday in order to keep a balance

Answer 10

11 and 65? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? She's skinny! When I was 11 I weighed about 75 pounds and I never had a large belly. I was pretty skinny. WOW. Seriously it doesn't sound to me like she needs to loose weight. And if you want for her to get stronger sign her up for swim class or something.