Overweight child who eats good food and exercises loads but never gets slimmer - where do I start?

Dee_licious1 said:

I agree with Totto, my initial thought was hypothyroidism and its still worth insisting on getting her thyroid checked even if she isn't showing all the classic symptoms. We knew my daughter had it by the time she was age 7 as she was short for her age and overweight for her age (add the two together and she was very overweight) but the docs would not do anything unless they could get blood from her and she wouldn't let them. Two years later we moved back to UK from Germany (although using british military docs) and she was referred to hospital within two weeks where they were going to take bloods even if she said no. 4 hrs later we had a doctor at the door with tablets and a discussion on what was wrong and how to treat it. I must state that by the time she was 9 and diagnosed she was in a very bad way but at the beginning there were no other signs except being overweight and shorter than others of her age. By the time of diagnosis she was sleeping 18hrs a day, it took over 6 weeks to start to see the improvements (she is now 26).

Ask for blood test and insist on it if you have too, but in my mind its always best to get things checked.

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I agree with this. My son had no symptoms apart from being short and overweight. He wasn't lacking in energy. I would ask for a blood test to get things checked as symptoms aren't always apparent.

totto both my boys (they have the same condition) see a paediatric endocrinologist but we have to go to Newcastle from Durham to see him (20 miles)

My nephew has got the same problem. He is very tall and obese. And his mother don´t know why.
Is your daughter sad about being obese? Then it will be easier. She should eat less fatty things. No Mac and cheese. Try to give her whole grain noodles with tomatoes. Same with Pizza. Use less cheese and a lot of whole grain Products.
Do you eat a lot of meat? Because the animals gets hormones to get fat and grow fast. So if you eat a lot of meat you eat these hormones. Maybe you can try biological meat if your daughter likes it a lot. But it´s more expensive.
What does she use to drink? Try to give her water. If she does´t like it give her juice without sugar.

Hope something of this is useful for you.

sunday said:

She should eat less fatty things. No Mac and cheese. Try to give her whole grain noodles with tomatoes. Same with Pizza. Use less cheese and a lot of whole grain Products.

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With respect, many of us actually do the opposite to this and think it's the carbohydrate diet and the low fat that causes the major issues.

edited:

For an alternative opinion, you may have heard of Dr R Lustig . Apart from making viral you tube videos, he is a childhood a paediatric endocrinologist with a special interest in childhood obesity. Working with these children is his major research field.
Here is the advice from the hospital he works in. (lots of other linked pages from the sidebar). It is not a high fat diet, it does include lots of unprocessed fruit/veg, real whole grains, lean protein and sufficient calcium from low fat dairy.

http://www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org/education/healthy_diet_tips/index.html

phoenix said:

For an alternative opinion, you may have heard of Dr R Lustig . Apart from making viral you tube videos, he is a childhood a paediatric endocrinologist with a special interest in childhood obesity. Working with these children is his major research field.
Here is the advice from the hospital he works in. (lots of other linked pages from the sidebar). It is not a high fat diet, it does include lots of unprocessed fruit/veg, real whole grains, lean protein and sufficient calcium from low fat dairy.

http://www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org/education/healthy_diet_tips/index.html

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Like his book a lot (Fat Chance), he advocates lots of fibre, but some feel that fibre is overrated in terms of diabtes etc. Can't see it doing any harm.

BUT carbs = starch = sugar = increased blood glucose levels - simples!

I wouldn't do low fat with a kid, fat fills in the lost carbs and it also triggers fullness
You can't do low carb and low fat....it's a seesaw. You take from one side, you add to the other



I hate iPhone apps

Don't forget the jelly and cream .... that'll put a smile on her face

How are you going finding a supportive dr, I wouldn't do it without medical overview. Kids are too unknown and any underlying issues. Even though it's getting back to the meat and 3veg
Dieting adults are simple in comparison

georgiak said:

Hello. I'm feel as if I'm banging my head against a brick wall with finding help with this so I hoped that maybe some people here might have some insight as to where I start looking for help. My oldest daughter is 7 and has been 98th centile for size since she was born at 10lb 1oz. (Incidentally I had pre-eclampsia with her and was diagnosed with gestational diabetes with my second, so I suspect I may have had undiagnosed gestational diabetes with the first too. My husband and all his family are obese.) She was classified as clinically obese when weighed at school in reception year. She has a huge appetite, but I feed her good food in line with all the advice we are always given about feeding children and I restrict portion sizes and don't let her have seconds. She is also extremely active, doing generally 2 sessions of sport most days and she moves a lot at home and in playtime at school. However she continues to be really chunky with rolls of fat round her tummy and a double chin. I've been to the doctor for advice and she just reiterated the diet and exercise advice. There's very little more I can do on the diet. I can restrict carbs further, which would help all of us eat more veg, but that is about it.

Does anyone have any ideas about where I can go for help - good websites, any particular type of nutritionist, charities who offer advice on this? Or even the right things to ask my doctor to try to get some help from them? Or, is there little I can do anyway, other than modify diet? Any ideas really appreciated.

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Hi Georgia! I came across your post from 3 years ago while researching tirelessly (again) for other individuals with similar cases like my little sister's. I was hoping that perhaps yourself or any other lovely people on this website could provide another avenue to try as we feel we have exhausted so many options. Just like yourself, my mother is beside herself with worry and doctors cannot seem to find a cause for her being overweight.
My sister is currently 4 years of age and in the highest percentile of weight for her age group. She was born 4kg and there were no complications with her pregnancy. She is very active and has always been active. She is quick thinking and has no current medical conditions. We are in Australia and she has been to see doctors, pediatricians, has had numerous blood tests, has had hydrogen breath tests, has had her thyroid checked twice and has had her bowels checked - but all results have come back perfectly normal. In regards to her diet, she is very fussy and will only eat specific foods, if anything at all. She can go for days without eating even if her "tummy is hurting". She has been underfed since she went onto solids. In the last 8 months her eating has picked up as she is now off an age where she can understand that eating is healthy. Mum is doing an amazing job talking to her in a way she can understand and my sister is now eating more foods, but still remains very overweight. Occassionally she will still have days she does not eat. A typical food diary for her looks something like this: 2 boiled eggs for breakfast. Bread and butter for snack. Vegetable based bowl of soup such as minestrone or tomato soup. Fruit smoothie for Dinner. She does like her chocolate but will only be given chocolate every other day.
The question my mum keeps asking doctors is "how can my child be so overweight when she doesnt eat much food and uses more energy than she puts into her body?".
I am not sure if this forum is the right place to post this story, but I was just really hoping that somebody out there could point us in a right direction - any direction. Mum and dad want to try anything, especially since she is going to start school in the coming year and we don't want her to feel different to other children. I was wondering if you every found any solutions or help for your beautiful daughter? Thank you so much for reading this and again, I hope that it's Okay to post this!