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My daughter is 5yrs old and weighs 72lbs, I dont want her to have a weight problem growing up, is it wrong to put her on a diet and excercise program

Eleanor Taylor Replied: It's wonderful that you are willing to take action to help your daughter have a happy and healthy future! It is always helpful to talk with your health care provider if you are worried about your child's weight. However, you'll be happy to know that you probably won't need to place your daughter on a special diet or exercise program. Instead, your whole family can work together to find healthy choices that you all enjoy. Instead of drawing any attention to her weight, create opportunities for active play, fun family outings, and exposure to plenty of healthy food choices with junk food saved for the occasional treat. It takes time and experience to make new choices, so be patient with yourself, involve everyone in making suggestions, and understand that it is okay for family members to reject foods they don't like. Here are some fun ideas to consider: • Offer everyone some raw vegetables with a dip, like ranch dressing, before dinner. It makes waiting for dinner easier and provides a healthy dose of veggies even before sitting down for a meal. • Watch drinking higher calorie beverages. Buy everyone a special water bottle that they can use for outings or when thirsty at home. • Eat at home as much as possible. Food in restaurants is often less healthy, and usually higher in hidden calories. Even a jar of spaghetti sauce combined with whole wheat pasta and a bag of baby carrots is healthier than most restaurant meals!
Posted On 2007-11-27 13:56:01

debbie mandel Replied: It is vital to be concerned about your child's possible obesity problem for health reasons, however, do not make eating and exercising an issue! Every family member should be on the same "meal plan." This means lean protein sources, low-fat milk and dairy, a rainbow array of fruits and vegetables and a low-calorie sweet treat for dessert. Get rid of the junk food at home. Make exercise a family affair consisting of fun movement. Just put on the music and move. Perhaps, your daughter might enjoy dancing, taking a walk with you and talking, playing catch and basket ball. Find an activity she enjoys and promote it. Don't forget to shut the TV! Your child is on a journey of self-discovery. Above all, don't make her feel invalid and uanttractive because she is a bit overweight. This means being diplomatic and controlling your body language. We all come in different shapes, sizes and abilities. True beauty means vitality, good energy, kindness and intellect. Help her to tap into her creativity and the rest will follow. Make her feel loved and she will not eat to fill up as an adult.
Posted On 2007-11-26 16:41:21

Maureen Whitehouse Replied: You asked, "… is it wrong to put her on a diet and exercise program?" I feel the more effective question to ask yourself here is what feels "right" or "wrong" to you. And I‘d like you to consider that question, with something very important in mind; on the deepest level there really is no right or wrong - only are we moving closer to love (feels right!) or further away from love (feels "wrong" - i.e. -unpeaceful, disconnected, empty, or bad). It's really the feelings of lack of love that so often compel people to overeat, in an unconscious effort to fill the void of feeling unloved. So if I am interpreting your real question correctly - you are asking, "How can I best help my daughter to feel, happy, accepted, safe, cared-for and loved." Well you know, that doesn't have to be a "some day in the future experience for her (or you!) and you certainly don't need to diet your way there! You can offer feelings of deep fulfillment to her right now, or with her next meal in fact. Share with her the most effective "diet" there is - the only one that can bring the truest, most easily shared and enjoyable experience… Eat with love, what's grown with love, prepared with love and served with love. Simple 'eh? That's the entire "diet" to share with her. And all you have to do is ask yourself, "Is this food a symbol of my love?" If so, offer it joyously. Do you realize that your daughter sees you as the most amazing, powerful, beautiful being on the planet? Therefore whatever you see in her, she subconsciously desires to become. To our children all parents are the authority - they feel we know best. What a powerful opportunity that presents for you. See only her perfection, her beauty, and most importantly her strength and unique individuality and then just step back and watch! Believe me you won't be able to fear for her well-being any longer. The only reason any of us parents are ever overly concerned for the well-being of our children is if we mistrust ourselves! While all the while, we hold within us such wisdom - because that is the gift that comes along with parenthood - the wisdom of love. It sounds to me like you just forgot how to access your own truest mother-lovin' wisdom for a brief moment in time. (Fear does that to us by the way :) There is a way for you to discern whether or not your consideration of putting your daughter on a diet is fear-based or love-based, here's how: Just sit still for a moment, and completely divorce yourself from the good or bad opinions of other people. Now, consider the same question you asked imagining that the two of you in a vacuum of sorts-there's no one else on the planet to judge either one of you - there's only, you, your daughter and love. Now you tell me, do you need to do anything… let alone put your daughter on a diet!? It's the fear (most often of both the good or bad opinions of other people) that begets the emptiness that leads to guilt and excess weight. Show her she's unconditionally loved, just as she already loves you! What beautiful mirrors you'll be to one another then. You just relax and love yourself for being such a caring, amazing mother who now realizes it's only the love that fulfills us all - it's our deepest craving and at the very same time, who we really are! And then just enjoy her- and every meal you have the grace to share together - she's perfect and so are you!! Read- Soul-Full Eating: A (Delicious!) Path to Higher Consciousness visit www.eatwithsoul.com
Posted On 2007-11-16 11:44:25

Lexi Welanetz, Psy.D. Replied: As long as you have ruled out any medical condition that would cause any weight concerns, then it would be wrong not to help her manage her weight. She is a young and as she gets older she is more prone to unnecessary negative attention from peers. Certainly being teased can be very damaging to her self-esteem. Bad habits with time can turn into addictions. While there may be challenges in addressing the concern now, it will only get harder as it becomes more deeply engrained. Also, it may be important to make her more aware of when she is over-eating to cope with feelings and encourage her to find other outlets for self-expression. Some suggestions would be talking, drawing, dancing or exercising. Be careful about how you approach the changes with her. You want to convey excitement about working on this with her, not dread. Be sure to consult with her pediatrician or a nutritionist about an appropriate diet and exercise plan. Consider getting the family involved in the physical activity and find ways to make it seem less like work. As with any five year old, she may protest the changes you make for her in her daily routine. It's important that you are clear that you are not hurting her, but rather helping her. As a parent, you are helping her to develop better coping skills and avoid long term health problems associated with obesity.
Posted On 2007-11-14 00:01:53