Is your child overweight?
By katsmeow1213
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
United States
August 25, 2010 9:55am CST
One of my Facebook friends who I met at my gym was asking on FB today about some healthy recipes. I start scrolling through the comments to her status and see her post numerous times that her daughter is overweight and she needs to "nip this s**t in the bud".
She goes on to say in her comments that the daughter is 7 and is 10 pounds overweight.
I've seen this little girl, she goes to my kids' school and is in dance with my daughter. She doesn't look overweight to me, she looks perfectly healthy. She doesn't even appear to be at all pudgy!
I don't know if any of my kids are "overweight", they're all slim and fit. I know the oldest is probably underweight, he's 5'2 and weighs just under 100 lbs. The twins are almost 8 yrs old and weigh around 60 lbs. The 4 year old weighs 40 lbs but he's a little tall for his age and he's not fat.. he's solid and muscular.. and the 2 year old weighs 25 lbs.
Even if they are "overweight" by today's standards.. I don't care. They look healthy and fit to me.. not to mention, THEY'RE JUST KIDS! It's okay for kids to have a little bit of pudge... they still have time to grow out of it. Even if they don't grow out of it, it's okay for adults to have a little bit of pudge... being too skinny isn't healthy and doesn't always look so good!
So I'm just completely floored that this woman is freaking out so much about her 7 year old being ever so slightly overweight to the point she's basically putting the child on a diet!! What makes it worse is that she's a nurse and her husband is a doctor.. they should know better than to worry about a measly 10 pounds on a child!
Are your kids "overweight"? Would you care at all if your child were 10 pounds overweight?
3 people like this
12 responses
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
25 Aug 10
7 to 10 lbs? Are you kidding? Sounds like this person is all caught up in the media's image of what people should look like. I bet the pediatrician would say the child is just fine. If the kid's within normal parameters, who cares? My children are all thin, but 7 - 10 lbs wouldn't concern me in the least.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
25 Aug 10
If she is saying thing to the child's face, yeah it's abuse.
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
25 Aug 10
I agree.. I don't know if she's saying this to her child or not.. but either way it's ridiculous. This child doesn't appear to be a pound overweight, she appears perfectly healthy, so I see no reason why anyone should be worrying about it. I don't think a 7 year old needs to have the body of a supermodel anyways.
1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
25 Aug 10
She herself is skinny as a twig, litterally. I don't think she's capable of gaining weight.. but she works out at the gym as much as I do. Obviously she's got some messed up idea about her own weight and now she's passing that on to her kids.
1 person likes this
@hardworkinggurl (37063)
• United States
25 Aug 10
Wow this is awful for a parent to be so disheartening this way. I sure hope she is measuring the words towards her daughter when not allowing her to eat certain things. Being concerned about possible future medical conditions is one thing but to consider this young of a child to be overweight is another.
Perhaps she wants her daughter to be a bit slimmer, oh gosh I hope this child does not becomes another eating disorder victim, she could include activities both she and her daughter could participate in to get her to exercise more.
What a shame.
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
25 Aug 10
No matter how she chooses to go about it, the whole situation is sad. This child does not need to lose weight.. she's not heavy! Even if she is technically 10 pounds overweight, so what? It's not a danger to her health!
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
26 Aug 10
I think the problem is these weight guidelines they set for us... children really shouldn't have them. I think it should go buy looks not weight or waist size. When I was in school someone would come into our gym class once a year, pinch a part of our legs and arms and measure the fat they were able to pinch, that is how they measured if we were normal, overweight, or fat. That was a more accurate test because they literally only measured fat, not muscle or anything else.
@hardworkinggurl (37063)
• United States
25 Aug 10
Absolutely, if the child was 50 lbs or more overweight that would be a concern or even 30 at that.
@GardenGerty (157552)
• United States
25 Aug 10
Mine were never overweight, except as infants, as they took after their dad. My son is solidly built, I think my daughter is a little on the thin side, but she is muscular and active. I would not talk about weight in front of the little girl, but I would make sure the entire household got enough fruit, veggies and fiber. I would not be surprised if the little girl took a sudden growth spurt and ended up just right. You need a little cushion for if you get sick. If she takes dance she is probably muxcular as well.
@GardenGerty (157552)
• United States
25 Aug 10
I quit talking about my weight when my skinny little eight year old poked out her rib cage and told me she was fat. I decided then that it was put up or shut up. She did not need that kind of focus around her.
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
26 Aug 10
Yes I've noticed my kids picking up on my fear of fat and carbs. Not so much that they'll refuse a cookie, but my oldest checks out the nutritional labels of everything he can.. and he's the one who's slightly underweight.
1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
25 Aug 10
I encourage my oldest to gain some weight by working on gaining muscle.. but aside from that I do not say anything to them about their weight, and whenever they start to mention something about their own weight I tell them they don't need to worry about it. I was always slightly chubby and was often told by my own parents that I was fat and that I was a pig. When I was 12 I weighed more than most of the adults in my family and was often reminded of it. I'd never want a child to feel the way I did, because that set me up to have weight issues my entire life and it will be a struggle for as long as I live.
1 person likes this
@sudiptacallingu (10879)
• India
26 Aug 10
‘THEY'RE JUST KIDS’… exactly, exactly exactly…just my exact feelings!
My son’s 5’ and weighs around 96lbs…the paediatrician says he should weigh around 80-85 lbs at his age and height and ever since he’s heard it, he’s become quite obsessed with what he’s eating and all that stuff! You know how sensitive kids are and I admit that he has some fat around his tummy are but he isn’t anywhere near his ‘growth’, he still has that baby fat on him which I’m just failing to make him understand. As it is he loves eating al the good kid stuff and I feel so sad seeing him trying to control his urge…I mean at his age, we were not even bothered about what we ate and neither should he. This is the time for kids to eat and digest all that they can…anyway, as of now I’ve told him that in a few years time, he’ll grow taller and all that fat should disappear so as of now, he can continue with eating all that he wants (I sure hope I’m correct) and if by 18, he still thinks he’s fat, I’ll send him to some gym.
@sudiptacallingu (10879)
• India
27 Aug 10
He's just crossed 11 and I'm not worried as of now and yes, genetically I think he'll be muscular, but you know how we mothers are...just sometimes I do have a nagging fear about juvenile diabetes, obesity...and all that
Thanks for assuring me
Thanks for assuring me@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
26 Aug 10
How old is he?
It's very aggravating that a doctor can make a child feel like that. The whole world is suddenly in an uproar about weight and BMI and waist size because of all the obesity rates... and yeah, obesity is a problem... but your son is not obese! I'm sure he's perfectly average. A little bit of a fat is necessary, we can't possibly not have any fat on our bodies at all. Like some other posters have said here.. what if he gets sick and starts losing a lot of weight.. that extra fat will come in handy then. Besides that, if he is muscular then he would weigh more than he should because muscles weighs more than fat. They should do away with these weight guidelines because according to that, any body builder would be obese even though they have less than 5% body fat.
@sacmom (14192)
• United States
25 Mar 11
Hi kats. Sorry for the late response (I'm trying to catch up on some old posts...again). No, my kids aren't overweight. They're actually underweight...especially my youngest. He's not just underweight, but shorter than most kids his age. My husband and I believe it has something to do with the antibiotics he had to take when he was a baby...although no doctor would ever admit it.
Anyway, I never understood why a parent would want to put a child on a diet...especially when it's just a little extra weight. A friend of mine had a mother that did that to her when we were growing up. It never made any sense, nor did it do any good.
I guess some parents, even those that are doctors, are just paranoid when it comes to weight. TV, magazines, and the like don't help matters either as they tend to promote thinness. It's sad that people make such a big deal out of something like this...because in the end the only one that suffers is the child.
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
25 Mar 11
I was a little chunky while growing up, and my family did make me feel self concious about it. It does lead to very low self esteem as an adult, so I fully understand what these kids are going through. I think, unless the child is on the verge of obesity, they should just be allowed to be kids and not worry about dieting.
1 person likes this
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
25 Aug 10
They both should know what damage they can do to their daughter's self esteem. 10 lbs is nothing to worry about. let the kids be kids and do not put them on a diet for 10 lbs.Perhaps all she needs is to be more active. So what? No none of mine were overweight as they did sport and had to work on the farm too during the holidays.Mt daughter put on weight this past year and that is emotional eating(like me) because she did not have a job. Now that she has a job she is losing it but I made no comment at all. In fact all I ever tell her is that she is beautiful and she does not have any self esteem issues.
Those parents really need to get a handle on their attitude as they can damage their daughter in so many ways.
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
25 Aug 10
My thoughts exactly.. 7 is way too young to be concerned about your weight. She'll probably grow up to be anorexic because her mother is making her feel fat already.
1 person likes this
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
25 Aug 10
You are so right about that. It is important for children to have good self esteem. Y
@ravinskye (8237)
• United States
25 Aug 10
Wow, when you started saying her child was overweight I expected you to say it was like 20 or 30 lbs. I think to worry about 7-10 lbs is silly. And geez, if she is a nurse and her husband a doctor shouldn't their family already be eating healthy? My kids are all at healthy weights. The are actually in the lower percentiles for their height and their weight. My oldest will be 8 next month and only weighs about 45 lbs but she is also one of the shorter kids in her class. My 5 year old weighs about 35 lbs. My 3 year old probably weighs about 30 lbs. I haven't weighed him in awhile. They take after their dad who can eat and eat and not put on a pound. (God I hate that lol) I wouldn't worry unless they were very obviously overweight and doing nothing but eating and watching tv. My kids are pretty active and they eat well.
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
25 Aug 10
You know, I always wondered why she came to the gym almost daily since she herself is skinny as a twig.. but I figured she was just trying to stay active since she is a nurse she realizes that exercise does a lot more than just helps with weight... but now I'm wondering if there's more to it than that. I mean she honestly can't weigh 100 lbs herself and she's at the gym as much as I am! Her poor kids are going to have so many issues when they get older thanks to her morbid body image she's passing on to them!
1 person likes this
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
25 Aug 10
What a good way to encourage a child to become bulimic! If they are a little overweight have them play outside a little more...and besides all kids go through stages where they have a bit of baby fat! Then they lose it! I think worrying about a seven years old is setting the kid on a whole lifetime of worrying about their weights.
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
25 Aug 10
Very true. I notice once in awhile my kids start to get a bit of a tummy.. then they grow a few inches in height overnight and their tummy is gone.. it's a natural process for kids. I wouldn't worry about my kid's weight unless they were on the verge of becoming obese!
@skysuccess (8858)
• Singapore
27 Aug 10
katsmeow1213,
I don't think we should be over-hyped with this overweight thing when we see a chubby child. Instead, we should sensible and knowledgeable, For a start, we need to know when the child is unhealthy like the diet or illness.
If he/she is healthy and eating well balanced diet with an extra helping, then I am sure it is alright. We just need them to be interested in some physical or sporting activities to burn those consumptions. Usually, weight increase is common amongst inactive or passive children so we just need to get them out of that couch or away from that computer into some football, baseball, swimming or even mountain trekking.
I believe that trends and lifestyles are both responsible for the passiveness amongst the old and young. As such we just need to be wary and motivate ourselves to motivate them that they can find enjoyment in sports or outdoor activities.
Take care.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
8 Sep 10
I don't think that either of my children are overweight. My seven year old (she's almost eight now) weighs about 67 pounds and she is absolutely solid, pure muscle, there is no place on her body that you are able to pinch an inch on her body. I attribute a big part of her weight to the fact that she has been involved in sports from the time she was very small and is now quite muscular. Then there is Paul who is going to be four next month and he is at 36 pounds now. He is actually eight pounds less at his age than Kathryn was when she was his age.
@atv818 (1980)
• United Arab Emirates
8 Sep 10
I thank God that my kids are not overweight since it is dangerous for them to be one. They can be sickly because of that. What I fear is that my 3 kids are thin. Not too thin. They eat a lot and tend to be very active. I just hope that their body and immune system will be strong enough to battle any diseases.
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
26 Aug 10
I've heard it's not good to put a child on a diet. There's nothing wrong with making sure he gets exercise, and of course you don't want him overeating.. but I wouldn't go too overboard with it as he is just a child.
