My son asked for help losing weight. Recommendation of diet.

amother

Sun, Jul 12 2020, 1:04 am

My 11 year old son is very overweight. I have tried to encourage healthy eating, but I'm not exactly the best role model. I have struggled with weight issues my whole life, my mother took me to a diet group when I was 9 years old. I have lost and gained 1000 times..... one thing I really work hard on myself is not to comment and make food an issue with my kids. This actually worked with my kids... and most of them are at healthy normal weights for their age. Except for my son, hes really overweight, and loves to eat!!!! He thinks about food all the time, asks me in the morning whsts for supper, if we go out is always concerned that we have snacks etc....
Recently he came to me on his own that he wants to go on a diet. I want to help him in a positive way.
Does anyone have a recommendation for a dietitian or nutritionist that deals with children. I'm not in the tri state area so I need someone that can work with him remotely either by phone or video call...

amother

Pink

Sun, Jul 12 2020, 1:51 am

Start with making sure there's no underlying issue that might slow down his progress (thyroid, etc). If that's ok, then hopefully your doctor can suggest someone, though I have to warn you that some of these specialists can make the kid feel over aware of their weight, so make sure to keep an eye on how he is feeling post the appointments (and maybe go along to listen in as well).

In the meantime...

Got a health nut in the family? Can he or she sit down with him and have a basic conversation about which foods are healthier, which foods are treats/empty calories, and what a normal portion size should look like?

Try to get him to drink more water - something as simple as a glass before each meal or snack might help him feel more full so he'll eat less. Plus if he's more hydrated his body will function better.

Are there fruits or veggies he likes? Having more of those on hand might help.

Is there a simple change he can make that might make him feel good about himself and his efforts? For example, if he drinks soda every day, maybe he can swap it out for water or seltzer and save soda just for Shabbos.

Is there a fun activity that would get him moving that he wouldn't think of as exercise? Maybe bike riding or basketball?

If I had a name I'd happily pass it along but the nutritionist we tried for one of our crew made my child's attitude worse, so we dropped her. When I spoke to our pediatrician about it afterwards, he said that some of them can have that effect on some kids.

Rappel

Sun, Jul 12 2020, 2:03 am

No idea about dietitians, but I agree with the suggestion to get him involved in a sport/activity which he loves!

It's great for mental health and confidence - very empowering to know that he can achieve health by doing something fun and invigorating, instead of just a diet, which often feels like self-punishment. Also, odds are good that if his body gets fat easily, then he has a lot of potential strength that he can train into it. Being that strong is a special gift, and he can use that for his and everyone's betterment

momX4

Sun, Jul 12 2020, 2:05 am

Take him to a nutritionist. I did that with my son. We got menu options for food he likes and was encouraged to try new foods

Ds lost weight. I also learned that he can eat starch, but got advice how to make it healthier for him.

Ds also started working out. He runs on the treadmill almost daily.

amother

Sun, Jul 12 2020, 3:48 am

momX4 wrote:

Can you recommend who you took your son to?

amother

Peach

Sun, Jul 12 2020, 6:08 am

My son also just began with a nutritionist from one of the local hospitals (oot). She recommended a few goals to start.
- strongly encouraged trying out and eating new fruits and vegetables
- making sure to get in at least an hour of movement each day
Watching potion sizes - reading the nutrition label on foods to get an idea of serving sizes
- cutting sugary drinks
- eating slower - should take 15 minutes to eat his first plate or at least wait before taking seconds
- meal should include two or three food groups on plate
She did not even ask his weight (remote appointment) until he asked how many calories he should be eating. Did not encourage counting calories.

amother

Brown

Sun, Jul 12 2020, 8:36 am

My ds is now 12. At 10 I spoke to my dh nutritionist meet with him. She refused. She said rarely is it healthy for young kids to watch themselves.
What is interesting during covid my son lost a tremendous amount of weight. (To the extant none of his clothing fit and his suit pants had to be taken in because even with a belt he looked ridiculous)
- he became way more active when there was no school. He finally used his bike a LOT. Like he biked 10 miles daily.
- he was no longer eating school lunches and the multitude of sodas and Nosh and cookies served there. I had bowls of peaches and apples put an He was eating a lot of that naturally.
Also he was home so started making salads for lunch with me so it was a fun activity.
- he got braces with rubber bands and a retainer. . I can’t be sure if this alone was it. He can’t eat any chewy candy. And he has to remove appliances before eating. I think this act mad him think before eating and he wasn’t just grazing through the day.
- he also has a growth spurt.

momX4

Sun, Jul 12 2020, 8:38 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Can you recommend who you took your son to?

I live in Monsey. I took ds to Angela Bencivengo (845) 357-0166. She is very familiar with kosher. She had labels of various products and showed us the hechsher.

I went to her after my pediatrician took bloodwork. I took along the results. Ds cholesterol was a bit high, since he is young it wasnt a concern. But his dr wanted him to get used to eating healthier food. Dss BMI was also high.

Ds was already reading labels of snacks , checking the calorie count and portion number on the snack bag.

Ds was also the one that wanted to make changes so that he can be healthier. I dont tell him what to eat. I have his bread, wraps, cheese, yogurts.... always available in the house.

Edit to add that I took ds to a nutritionist at age 13. He was definitely not to young.

amother

Ecru

Sun, Aug 02 2020, 10:24 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

If you have a phone or tablet for him kurbo is An amazing app that my daughter became very healthy on. You meet with a dietician once a week on FaceTime and the app teaches the kids what are red , yellow, and green foods and tells them how much of each type they should eat per day. They really learn how to balance their meals and calories and it’s very successful for the child who is self motivated. The parents doesn’t have to be involved at all.

Scotty

Sun, Aug 02 2020, 10:31 pm

Intuitive eating!!! Please don’t start him on yo-yo dieting for life!!!! Intuitive eating will give him the tools to eat what his body needs instead of what his brain thinks he wants (or tells him to eat because of underlying emotions.)
Dena Cohen of Eat Well Soon is fabulous with kids. Recommend her highly - every cent is money for your son’s future. Please please please save him the Agmas nefesh!!!

HeartyAppetite

Sun, Aug 02 2020, 11:55 pm

I would say find a nutritionist who teaches intuitive eating. Where he will learn to follow his bodies cues, when to stop eating. And which foods make him feel physically good. Don’t make weight loss the focus, make being healthy and feeling good the focus.
I follow intuitive eating dietician Rachel Goodman on Instagram, maybe she could have some names for you.

amother

Linen

Mon, Aug 03 2020, 9:22 am

I can so relate to this post (including your own journey).

I really wish that when I was younger, someone had explained to me what a normal portion size is. I didn't understand why some people were super skinny and some weren't. I realize that there isn't a direct correlation between eating less and weighing less,but for me it definitely is true. No one ever told me to put down my fork.

I try to focus on healthy portion size, healthier foods like fruits and vegetables and not saying yes to every food request that my kids ask for.

I also try to have them go out and bike. But with COVID, we are definitely less active and their clothing shows that.

Mon, Aug 03 2020, 10:35 am

You mentioned that he loves eating and thinks about food a lot, asks in the morning what is for supper, etc.

My nature is like that too, I viewed food as fun and interesting and a reward for hard work.

That was fine when I was younger, but when I got older and started started gaining weight, I decided to give myself other rewards instead of food and take my focus off of food.

Now I view food as fuel and only eat natural, healthy, and small portions.

But humans need pleasure and rewards, so I replaced the food rewards with taking breaks to go for runs outside while listening to my favorite music on full blast through headphones, reading, playing with my kids in the backyard, swinging on the monkey bars, dancing, etc.

The basic idea is to replace food fun with other (active if possible) fun.

amother

Pearl

Mon, Aug 03 2020, 1:36 pm

Cut all gluten, sugar, potatoes and rice.
They are addictive and cause an endless cycle of hunger.
I know it sounds extreme but it's actually more extreme to eat all that junk.
Most of our wheat products are artificially genetically engineered. Did you know that?

Takes more time in the kitchen to plan things but so worth it.

amother

Pumpkin

Mon, Aug 03 2020, 3:41 pm

amother [ Pearl ] wrote:

corn, soy and dairy too.