Overweight kids

[MoonStarFalling]

I'm curious about TF and children's weights. I believe in NT she talks about kids shouldn't be thin and I agree but at what point would you see a child thin out or at what point does it become a problem? Have any of you struggled with your child being overweight and what can I do from a TF perspective to ensure my child is healthy and not exessively overweight?

DS has always been 20 or more pounds overweight (30 pounds at 1, 40 pounds at 3, now 87 pounds at 8). At times his BMI classified him as obese. We have always had him on a strict no processed foods, tons of veggies, stocks, soaked oats, lots of kefir, free range eggs, sea veggies. He eats a lot of shrimp now. I use a lot more butter now than I used to and I use whole organic milk (no raw here now) but I'm second guessing all of that.

[tanyalynn]

Both my kids' body shapes changed when I cut out their allergens and started TF--it was at the same time, so I don't know how to determine which was the major factor, or if it really needed both. My kids (ages 16mos and 3.5 yrs, so very different stages of growth) both went from relatively tall/thin to height-weight proportionate (on the growth charts) during this food transition.

Is it possible that there's a food intolerance lurking? Since I've seen my own weight change, as an adult, when I cut out my allergens, or cheat for a while, it can be a factor for adults--harder to say exactly how that translates to a child.

[tinuviel_k]

Hmmm... I can't really help here. My kiddo was in the 90% until she was a little over 1 years old, and she's been dead on at 50% for weight and height since.

How does your son look as far a body tone goes? I've seen several kids at that age and weight. Some of them are stocky and muscular: they look and feel densely built, but there isn't a lot of extra body fat.
And I've seen other kids of the same age/weight that have quite a lot of extra body fat, especially in the abdomen and chest area.
I think the first type is healthy in children, but the second might need to do some evaluating.

[425lisamarie]

Does he look chubby? My kids botht went through the chubby thing, DS around 3-4 for a very short time, and DD around 2 which is more "normal." Now he is 6 in june, and weighs 61 pounds. He is very tall, and looks big and strong but not chubby at all. He does gymnastics which I think made him look slightly thinner recently, but he weighs the same. He wears a size 7 i don't know how tall exactly he is. Maybe that gives you something to compare with.

[bobandjess99]

If it has been an issue since birth, I would be concerned that genetics are playnig a significant role. Has he just inherited that body type? I struggle with his, because whilel i believe TF is a healthy way to eat, I do NOT believe that being fat is good/healthy for you. i also don't believe it's is a healthy body's natural state of being to make itself overly fat when consuming a healthy diet and getting an appropriate amount of exercise, so I guess i woudl assume that something about the diet is not working for that child. Or else the exercise portion needs ot be increased. Possibly both. Or, i might be concerned something else is an issue...like thyroid hormone or something.

[weliveintheforest]

From your description I would not think diet is the issue, and I also wonder if there is a food sensitivity or other issue.

[RunningMomTegan]

My first question would be how he looks and FEELS. Muscle is totally different than fat. And I would add to that that different kinds of fat feel different, too. How fat is stored matters.

How much activity is your child getting? A traditional foods diet fed a traditional foods family that worked outside, hauled wood, hunted for food, etc.

[Elizabeth2008]

How active is your DS? I think sometimes we forget that traditional cultures, while they may have eaten a healthy amount of fat and protein, were very active, particularly children who may have been engaged in physical activity for as much as 8-10 hours of the day. I do think it's appropriate to ease up on calorie consumption (although not necessarily fat %) if you're not able to burn off the calories you consume.

[organicmidwestmama]

everyone's had good suggestions. were you by chance diabetic or gestationally diabetic while pregnant with ds/ this can greatly increase a childs chance of having weight/blood sugar problems. 87lbs at 8, depending on hieght, does sound on the high end. my son is almost 9 and weighs 60lbs and is very ave. in height. id take my kid to an endochrinologist who specializes in pediatrics. also, i second the advice on allergens as a possible cause for abnormal weight. allergens could be a number of things but especially wheat, dairy, eggs, corn. and ige testing, like an md might do, isnt neccessarily definitive here.

personally, if it were my child, id try to encourage a lower carb intake and med-high fat intake. id discourage any drinks besides water and whole milk, and even whole milk keep to maybe one glass a day if you are sure, of course, that dairy is not the issue. id greatly limit gluten grains, and other grains too. lentils are lower-carb then say, brown rice or even quinua. i would also have fruit only as a dessert and stick to low sugar fruits like berries. veggies are good but id nbe sure to serve them only with a good fat like butter or coconut oil.

[MoonStarFalling]

Thanks for all the suggestions. He is just a very solid kid but he has a belly too. He's turning 8 next month and wears a size 10/12. He looks much more overweight now than he used to. Since we started traveling I think his activity went down so I'm trying to fix that.

I've always wondered about food intolerance with him. He has no other physical symptoms but does have behavior issues. I've tried elimination diets with no change. I'm going to try the muscle testing with him. Going completely wheat free is one of my goals.

I am a little concerned about thyroid or blood sugar issues. I was OK when I was pg with him but now I am borderline hyperthyroid and diabetic. He gets extremely irritable when he gets hungry which strikes me as odd.

[tanyalynn]

Originally Posted by MoonStarFalling

He gets extremely irritable when he gets hungry which strikes me as odd.

I thought that was normal... probably says more about me than you...

[organicmidwestmama]

Originally Posted by MoonStarFalling

Thanks for all the suggestions. He is just a very solid kid but he has a belly too. He's turning 8 next month and wears a size 10/12. He looks much more overweight now than he used to. Since we started traveling I think his activity went down so I'm trying to fix that.

I've always wondered about food intolerance with him. He has no other physical symptoms but does have behavior issues. I've tried elimination diets with no change. I'm going to try the muscle testing with him. Going completely wheat free is one of my goals.

I am a little concerned about thyroid or blood sugar issues. I was OK when I was pg with him but now I am borderline hyperthyroid and diabetic. He gets extremely irritable when he gets hungry which strikes me as odd.

if you are now pre-diabetic/diabetic, chances are you were becoming so 8 years ago, during his pregnancy. i would suggest cutting down all sugars and carbs and seeing if his behavior and weight improve. excersize generally hasn't been shown to help people lose weight. it actually can make a person eat more, to make up for the energy expenditure. not that excersize doesnt hae its many merits for mood and heart health, im just saying, as far as i understand the excersize more, weigh less mantra we hear in the media may be a myth.

[Magelet]

Originally Posted by TanyaLopez

I thought that was normal... probably says more about me than you...

it's normal for me too

[MoonStarFalling]

Well by irritable what I should have said was hysterical screaming and combativeness if I can't locate food right away. The only time I felt kinda like that was pregnancy.

[Magelet]

Well by irritable what I should have said was hysterical screaming and combativeness if I can't locate food right away.

yeah, that's me. It's gotten better over the last few months, and of course as an adult I can control it and appear moderately well behaved, but I get whiny and panicky and freaking out. (and yet I can't make myself eat like whitebread if its the only thing around). When I get really really hungry, (and its usually not around mealtime but midday out and about,) if I weren't an adult who "knows better" I'd totally be hysterically screaming for food in those moments.

Don't know that it's normal or good, but he's not alone.

[ambereva]

Originally Posted by organicmidwestmama

excersize generally hasn't been shown to help people lose weight. it actually can make a person eat more, to make up for the energy expenditure. not that excersize doesnt hae its many merits for mood and heart health, im just saying, as far as i understand the excersize more, weigh less mantra we hear in the media may be a myth.

Unfortunately as this gets around I'm hearing more and more people use it as an excuse for not exercising.

OP, make sure your son is getting 60+ minutes of hard play or organized sports/activity a day, and help him learn portion control.

[425lisamarie]

Originally Posted by ambereva

Unfortunately as this gets around I'm hearing more and more people use it as an excuse for not exercising.

OP, make sure your son is getting 60+ minutes of hard play or organized sports/activity a day, and help him learn portion control.

I jsut don't understand HOW there could be research surrounding this angle of weight and exercise. I think there is a HUGE difference, between exercise not necessarily making you LOSE weight, and exercise being a HUGE key factor in MAINTAINING a healthy weight. You can't JUST diet, or JUST exercise. I don't know why people would want to research and prove that exercise doesn't matter. People were meant to be active, lean, strong, agile. I think keeping kids active is key, and understanding portion control, being full, hungry, etc.

If you are busy, and active all the day long you will likely just eat a couple decent meals, and a couple smaller snacks between activities. If I sat too much, or didn't have enough to do I'd probably find myself eating more. I have to many activities between the kids and myself, and I cannot very well exercise or be involved with their physical activities with an overly full stomach, so it keeps my portions in check. I eat 2 good meals and the rest are snacks

[PlayaMama]

i'm really surprised to find exercise being doubted in the tf forum?

i mean, traditionally, people walked just about everywhere and were active most of the day, right? the idea is to emulate a traditional diet so why not try to emulate traditional activity levels?

i don't have much advice as my kiddos are very adept at their own portioning. i think activity is probably key.

[Koalamom]

Ditto on the food allergy thing. My dd is a chunky girl, almost 3 and some days she looks huge if she eats allergens.

Also how is portions for your child. I find TF's are so yummy, we eat a ton of food. I found that I was feeding my dd the same amount as me.

[organicmidwestmama]

Originally Posted by PlayaMama

i'm really surprised to find exercise being doubted in the tf forum?

i mean, traditionally, people walked just about everywhere and were active most of the day, right? the idea is to emulate a traditional diet so why not try to emulate traditional activity levels?

i don't have much advice as my kiddos are very adept at their own portioning. i think activity is probably key.

not doubting excersize per sey, just personally, at least in adult studies i have read, it doesnt help epople lose weight to the extent it has been promoted. clearly, living a sit on the couch lifestyle is bad news for numerous reasons social, psychological, physical etc. but the facts as i know them are that generally people eat more to make up for energy expended during excersize. of course a kid should just be outside, enjoyoing life, riding bikes and all that. i dont allow any tv or movies on weekdays and my kids have to be outside, rain or shine, for at least an hour per day. i believe its good for thier bodies and souls.

here is a time mag article related to this discussion called why excersize wont make you thin

http://www.time.com/time/health/arti...4857-1,00.html