My child is becoming a bit overweight, what should I do to manage her weight?

She doesn’t like many vegetables and refuses to try too many new things. She’s a picky eater, but definitely enjoys snacking. She doesn’t eat out of control and she’s not lazy, but her weight is catching up to her. She is 8 years old. And 82 lbs 50 inches tall. I want to get a handle on things before it gets out of control and she starts being self conscious. I’d appreciate any help

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Help a mama out and respond anonymously on our forum. My child is becoming a bit overweight, what should I do to manage her weight?

Don’t worry about it. If you make a fuss of her weight she will become self conscious. If you tell her she has a problem with her weight she will worry about it.

Try using the term health. So this will keep you healthy and help you grow old etc.

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Blend vegetable into sauces, pasta dishes i use pasata and add some veg in and few herbs so just tastes of tomatoes, could try fruit smoothies too as a snack to make with her.
Have you tried involving her with preliminary food too she may be willing to try more if she’s helping make it , like chilling her own fruit up for a snack . Or prep a large fruit salad bowl in the fridge so she’s able to help herself to fruit for a snack but other treats have to be asked for ?
Hope you find something that works for you, if worried I’d maybe ask the school for some ideas too or look on the healthy start website I believe it’s called if your uk based x

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Buy a small cake stand
Bottom tier new foods, second tier what she likes, too tier a little treat but she has to start from bottom!

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Cut down on snacks - my kids have breakfast; lunch and dinner plus fruit at break time in school and an after school snack to tide them over until dinner time… Keep to set mealtimes where possible (this is also good for teeth as well). Put vegetables on dinner plate and put fruit with breakfast and/or lunch - maybe some salad veg with lunch instead. Also make sure you are eating the foods you want her to eat; if she sees you not eating them then it won’t encourage her to eat them herself. And like others said hide veg in sauces etc. Maybe consider her portion sizes too - if you cut down on her usual meal sizes but replace with fruit and veg she may find herself wanting to try as she needs more sustenance

I would not make it about her weight. I would make it a general family lifestyle change where we all tried to eat more nutritious foods and went on more food adventures, and were more active together. It’s better to make it the everyday norm to live an active lifestyle and and consciously eat yummy nutritious meals and snacks, than to teach her to obsess about how much she’s eating and how much she exercises.

There’s heaps of awesome recipes books out there that engage kids in food choices and tell them about nutrition.

Eating disorders in differing severities are common in my family and I would absolutely encourage you to approach this subject with caution, and frame it in a healthy and sustainable way.

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Can you try blending some vegetables into sauce mixes like bolognese etc ?
Make fruit salads with her ?
Buy a book or something on healthy eating ?
Go on walking days with picnic food that’s healthy, if she’s hungry will she eat it if it’s the only option ?

Don’t necessarily worry about what she eats just try get her to be abit more active maybe some sorts club netball football something like that or make it s thing we’re you.both go for a run together x

Buy her a bicycle and have her ride to school everyday instead of being upon the thousands of parents who activly encourage to walk from the front door to the car seat and back

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Cut down portion sizes I was feeding my daughter too big portions and now she is eating what she needs and not over indulging x

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Find an activity that you can do together a couple of times a week my family and I walk the dog every evening it’s nice exercise and we can do it together :green_heart:

Don’t let her snack , or snack healthier things and make sure they have to be asked for so she can’t help herself. Get her outside playing. Try making smoothies with “hidden” healthy stuff and cover the taste with something she does like, you can pack in her 5 a day in one go with that! Exercise is vital and kids can do so many things that are fun and won’t even know shes doing it :raised_hands::+1: