Overweight kids

[pamjsa]

Since so many of you were incredibly helpful and supportive when I started this thread, I thought I'd check in and give all interested parties an update.

The convergence of my son's weight issues and his diagnosis of ADD turned out to be a disguised blessing. After one round of medication that didn't work at all, he's now taking Adderall--and it has worked wonders. His grades are up (waaaay up), which has really contributed to his self-esteem. As a result, he's become much more social and more physically active. He's still not a big sports guy, but he's much more likely to agree to take a walk around the neighborhood or to get on the treadmill while he's watching cartoons.

One of the side effects of Adderall is decreased appetite. I worried that my son would become an even pickier eater, but precisely the opposite has happened: perhaps because because his mind is better able to negotiate the middle ground between "Gross! No way! Never!" and "You betcha! Yum! I love it!", he's become much less obstinate when it comes to trying new things. Perhaps this is also due to the fact that he's less hungry, and therefore eating about half of what he used to eat at any given meal--so conceding to try something new doesn't seem like such a big commitment. Also, because he's able to really focus on the things that interest him (or the things he needs to do, like homework), he doesn't snack out of boredom. In fact, most days he comes home from school and sits down to do his homework without even asking about a snack.

Our whole family has learned a lot by going through this process. Perhaps most importantly, we've learned to note the sometimes-not-so-obvious connections between our mental state and our eating patterns. Watching my son taper off on his snacking has encouraged the rest of us to be more intentional about what we're eating as well. When I ask my son whether he wants a snack, he actually takes a minute to think about it before saying "No thanks, I'm not really hungry." This is something he never would have done six months ago, something the rest of us reming ourselves to do now. We're trying to follow his example, and of course giving him all the credit for being a good role model.

We've also incorporated a new, more methodical approach to mealtimes: we now have a four-week rotation of dinner menus, parallel to the kids' school lunch menus. (We did this to avoid situations where, for example, the kids would end up having pasta for lunch and dinner on any given day.) This has simplified grocery shopping, and we renegotiate the menu after four weeks, so everyone has a chance to request their favorites and I have a chance to add in new recipes. We've even implemented an entree "waiting list," to which the kids add their suggestions whenever they think of something we haven't had in awhile. I did have to adapt to cooking on a schedule, rather than cooking whatever I felt like making, but this system really does work better in many ways. There's rarely a battle about what we're having for dinner because my son can look at the menu, know what's coming up, and make his peace with it if it isn't a favorite.

The skinny (pun intended): my son has lost six pounds since the start of the year. He was well off the charts before that, and he continues to grow like a weed, so this isn't a cause for alarm. Meanwhile, after introducing the treadmill into our lives at Christmas, the rest of the family has started a running program. I'm proud to report that, at the ripe old age of 42, I can run three miles. (This from a woman who had never, ever run so much as a city block in her entire life.) We're all much healthier, happier, and organized than ever before.

[prasantrin]

The skinny (pun intended):  my son has lost six pounds since the start of the year.  He was well off the charts before that, and he continues to grow like a weed, so this isn't a cause for alarm.  Meanwhile, after introducing the treadmill into our lives at Christmas, the rest of the family has started a running program.  I'm proud to report that, at the ripe old age of 42, I can run three miles.  (This from a woman who had never, ever run so much as a city block in her entire life.)  We're all much healthier, happier, and organized than ever before.

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I was actually thinking of you and your family recently, and was wondering how y'all were doing.

Congratulations on all of your (plural your) successes! You have a wonderful family to be able to work together to change your eating habits and attitudes towards exercise. I'm glad to read that you also recognize the importance of your achievements, and take pride in them. It really is important to pat yourself on the back when you've done something good...so few people take the time to do that and never really enjoy their successes. I hope give us more updates, as you and your family's experiences have been inspirational (to me, at least).

[helenjp]

Wow, Pam, I think you and your son and the rest of your family really went for it - I'm glad you're all getting the results you deserve!

I think teaching kids to think about what they eat is the whole point, and the most useful thing you can do. So impressed!

My son1 has grown a lot recently too, looking tall, broad-shouldered, and slim at 14. And son2, who was always skinny, is beefing up now that he's just turned 12, as he gets ready to start growing.

I found this site has both BMI and the BMI-for-age charts:

BMI-for-age