Obesity Support Group

What a lot of parents find is that kids are eating more than they realize. A lot of schools have vending machines....etc. etc.

Sometimes it is very hard to know what "normal" eating is. Even eating one apple a day more than your body requires can put on over 10 lbs in a year!

You have already said your boy is getting a lot of active play/exercise.... So many kids are into spending hrs with the video games, it can be a factor with the weight gain.

So....this is a tough one, and my sympathy is with you! Seeing a nutritionist was a good start...but maybe you need to see another one who you don't think is a joke!

Setting up exercise/martial arts/ other physical activities might help.

Attempting to control extra food eaten during the day by limiting "spending money" and prepaying lunch, sending homemade lunch, etc could help.

My friend found that when she stopped buying fast food and cooking more, her very overweight little boy lost weight and got healthier....a lot of us (like me) have gained weight on the fast food daily diet. I still struggle with this one!

Good luck on finding a solution and being able to help your son. You will probably have to enforce whatever changes need to be made...(parenting is tough!)

I agree with truthseeker! I think that you should seek a different doctor and maybe a get a second opinion. Hopefully they can give you some tools that we haven't thought of. Is he an emotional eater? Hopefully no one is putting pressure on him because I know that makes me feel worse and therefor I eat even more. There may be something else going on with him (deep inside) that is causing this to happen. I would go with a second opinion though first and for most. Good luck and keep us posted:)

I agree with Truth and Kate, but I would also like to suggest counseling. Maybe not approach it as being because of his weight just as a person he can talk to. Other than that it seems like you are doing a pretty good job of covering the bases. Don't give up keep trying til something works. I also want to say God bless you for trying to help him while he's young. I so wish my parents would have done something positive for me (besides making sure I cleaned my plate).

This is tough, and I can relate. My youngest son began emotionally overeating in the 3rd grade. We did our best during the day to manage portions/type of food, but Nathan would actually wait until we were sleeping, get up and start cooking! He'd go through a loaf of bread and several eggs, cheese, bacon, leftovers, in the middle of the night. Short of locking food away, which didn't seem right somehow, I just didn't know what to do. By 15 he reached his heaviest, 302. But by then he'd also gone through lots of therapy...he learned coping skills and slowly-so-slowly began to actually implement them. He still eats bigger than recommended portions, loves fast food when we get it, but he no longer emotionally eats. It shows on the scale...he's down to 238 and still motivated to keep losing:) So for us, I'd say therapy and time were most beneficial. Also we are still working on the things others have mentioned here, like limiting convenience foods. What's helped me the most here is ironic...I lost my job a month ago, so a tighter budget is keeping us on track:)

But also I'm wondering how tall he is? Could this be a growth disorder? I'd suggest keeping a very accurate food and activity record for a few weeks, schedule a physical with your doctor, and take that info in for her to review. Good luck to you and a big high five for your efforts!

First of all, I agree with getting a new doctor. Even if you have to travel to a bigger city to find a good specialist, your son is worth the effort. As far as his legs hurting with exercise, try and get him involved with the YMCA and he can do water exercizes. Baby steps.... Portion control is a big thing too, and he is a growing boy so be sure he has enough PROTEIN and very little carbs in his diet. Protein layers in your stomach and keeps you full longer. Give him compliments and acknowledge what he does well, because his self esteem is probably lacking. He may enjoy some one on one time with someone special in his life to make him feel important and fill the void that food fills. If you knip this in the bud, he will be a happy young man! And, a growth spurt may come also and will help.

If there is no medical reason for his weight problem, then the problem is still what you are feeding him. 6 diet cookies isn't better than 3 regular ones. His food intake at home and in school needs to be reduced. Do you pack his lunch or give him money to buy? Start packing it if you don't. There is no reason for a child of 10 to have elevated cholesterol. I'm very passionate about this. My parents didn't do enough to help me control my weight and here I am today. Head it off now. Get him a nutritionist, and one for yourself. If you are obese, your child's chances of being obese in childhood and adulthood are very high.