hi there everyone, well good news my son is doing good he has kept the weight off. I also found a new activity that is fun and makes out hearts pump fast, we started flying our kites. Running back and fourth is exhausting but we all have fun even my 1year old runs with us. Thank everyone for all your support!

Find an activity for you and your whole family to do that is fun and does involve a lot of moving and that keeps the heart rate up.

Not sure about your situation, but every adult friend that i personally have with an overweight child is overweight too. Without a healthy change in diet and exercise for the parents too, it is unlikely that there will be any lasting change for the child, sadly. I've seen my friend's son lose and gain back the same 20-30 pounds many times, but she doesn't make any effort to set a good example for him, which breaks my heart. Just as with drugs, alcohol and anything else harmful to our kid's health, we parents must take the lead and set the example for our kids to have a happy and healthy life. Best of luck to you, you can do it!!!

keep up the great job maggie

Congrats!!! We are so happy for you and for your son.
Keep up good work. :)

Congratulations to you and your son Maggie93215! That's great news.

hello eveyone, good news took my son to the doctor and he has lost 10 pounds and is very proud of himself. He really took getting healthy to seriously. I am very proud of him and he has said that he want to keep up the new way of eating and exercising.

My children are extremely tall (in the 95 percentile). They get their height from my husband who is 6'4" tall. I am petite and slim, my husband is tall and slim, my son is tall and medium build and my daughter is tall and think (kinda chunky).

They are very active children. They are involved in all sorts of activities from football, to karate, to dance. On weekends we go out to the park and the kids play and ride their bikes when the weather is nice. On cool days and cold seasons we go to the mall and let them play in the indoor play area there.

Their eating habits could be better but I'm satisfied with the way they eat. Both love fruits and veggies. I cook Sundays through Thursdays. We order in on Fridays and we eat out on Saturdays. I allow them to eat junk food, candy, whatever. Its all about moderation.

Snack time is simple...they can each have a small bag of chips or they can have 2 fruit cups each. They may want ice cream, which we keep in the house often. Some times they opt for the dreaded fruit roll-up candies and I don't fret because they will brush their teeth directly after.

My daughter is over-weight so I push her towards fruit and veggies for snack time. I have spoken to her pediatrician and expressed my concerns about her weight. She said that I should not worry because she is eating properly and food/junk is not being abrused, meaning they eat small portions and when they are full, I make sure they stop eating...unlike our generation when parents would make you eat everything on your plate.

With her being so active, I can't understand why food just sticks to her. It must be genetic because my husbands sisters are all tall and thick (not fat). Everyone says that as she gets older and taller, she'll slim down. I don't stress about her being slightly overweight because I was a chunky child and now I'm 39 years old, 5'3" weighing 120 lbs. I'll just keep an eye on it and make sure that it doesn't get out of control. I do believe that children can have a healthy childhood that includes junk food on occasion as long as it is done in moderation. Eliminating fun snacks (cakes, cookies, candy, etc) is just ridiculous I think...just make sure they don't eat too much of it and brush afterwards.

My husband and me aren't friends of the exercises and outdoors plays,but sometimes we play basketball outside of the house,my son is very happy to play with his dad,from all the family only my husband is obese,but I'm fighting with him to lose weight.We like to eat outside but in my house we buy a lot o fruit of all kind,I like to put in a big bowel like centerpiece in my table and the kids take alone what they want to eat,this idea came to my mind because a saw like my daughters can't reach the big bowel so was in the kitchen and they prefered to take something more so was in the fridge or the pantry because they found ways to reach more easy.Today they are happy eating all the fruit of the table and now I'm spending more money buying it again,but at least is best for the health of my family.If you don't like to do exercise or are very sedentary at least eat very well.

sbozarth23,
Are you asking if I talk with my son about his weight?
Yes, we are currently doing more exercise, less junk food, no going out to eat and the times that we have gone out its been to subway! (healthy sandwiches) my son has really taken this serious. He has more energy and tells me that he is feeling better about his self. I know have a bowl of furits, appples, bananans, oranges, and for me mangos. I bought this fruit piler, slicer thing (kid safe) and my kids love to use it to cut their fruits. The best part is that last summer we (My son andI)went shopping last summer and he picked out some nice shorts that he really liked and he tried them on and they didn't fit, but I took him shopping last week and he found the shorts that he had liked and guess what they fit him! he was so happy and I was very proud that his hard work and self control had paid off and he, himself could see the results. Thanks for all the advice and please keep all advice coming!

I also had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant with my two children long, long ago, but I didn't know the risk of developing Type-2 diabetes grew as a result later on. Thanks for the heads up, TJ!

Many times, my 12 year-old son becomes irritable both during and after playing video games. It could be the stress and pressure of time limits to accomplish levels in order to advance to the next level. Interestingly, many times he claims the "game is cheating." ?? We usually don't let him play his games during the week, and only for an hour each on Saturday and Sunday.

Usually my husband and son will play basketball on the weekend, so both of them get some exercise (and I get to clean the house; that's MY exercise!)

I do notice behavior changes in my son when he plays video games or watches television. He gets irritable and demanding and when it time to turn off whatever it is he gets really whiny. What my husband and I have done is limit his television time to once or twice a week and he no longer plays any video games. It's been almost three months since we've instituted this rule and we have not only noticed behavior changes at home but at school as well.

Another positive change that we weren't expecting to happen was his imagination just taking off! I always felt that he was really lacking in that area, he always had trouble entertaining himself. We feel like limiting his access to television and banning video games has really had nothing but positive effects on him.

A serious side effect of being overweight or obese is that more and more kids (and adults) are being diagnosed with Type-2 diabetes, formerly known as adult onset diabetes but they had to change the name because it's now become prevalent among overweight kids.

I became tuned into this when I was pregnant and tested positive for gestational diabetes, which is basically the same thing (except it usually goes away once your baby is born). However, because I had it when I was pregnant, I'm now at a greater risk for developing Type-2 diabetes permanently.

The good news is that Type-2 diabetes and obesity are completely preventable.
Here are some things I *try* to do:
Cutting down sugar intake, (sugar isn't limited to sweets) and finding healthy alternatives to favorite junky snacks are two easy ways to stay on track. If I want chips, grab an apple.

Also eat foods with lots of fiber (broccoli and cauliflower are two good ones) and choose whole grains- brown rice instead of white rice, whole wheat or rice pasta instead of regular.

I love the family exercise ideas. Get out and walk together! Limit TV time (hard when both parents are TV junkies, like my husband and myself but worth it).

Oh, I've also noticed that my daughter becomes extra bratty, for lack of a better word, the more TV she watches- has anyone else seen behavior changes in their kids from watching too much TV?

Here's a link to more about Type 2 diabetes:
www.mayoclinic.com/health/type-2-diabetes/DS00585

I think we need to start by educating parents. We know that children learn behaviors by modeling their parents. Currently, 78.2 percent of men aged 40 to 59 in the U.S. are overweight or obese. We are teaching our children to become obese! We also need to limit screуn time.

My family does a variety of things to fight "couch potato" syndrome not just exercise. My suggestions and things that work with my family are:

Buy a lot of zip lock bags and bag junk foods (if you buy any) down to ONE serving. It helps to keep you from over eating the "bottomless bag."
Use smaller plates (keeps you from putting to much on the plate) Also a little mind trick blue plates are an appetite suppressing color! Very strict portion control-size of a fist This also comes into cooking-unless the budget is tight I never make enough for seconds.

We have a habit of going to the park every Sunday after church for about two hours. My husband and I really push ourselves to not just sit and watch. Playing tag with a bunch of kids will make your lungs burn! We take night walks as often as possible. This is something our son really likes because he has our undivided attention-he loves to chatter.No more than four hours of television a day for anyone (two for our son).

The above mentioned combined with healthy eating habits and we've managed to keep our weight down. Though I still struggle with it especially now that I stay home. I force myself to the gym at least twice a week...sigh..

maggie93215,

How old is your son? I am curious, have you ever brought up your concerns for his weight problem?

My son participates in P.E. at school every day. In addition, the kids are allowed to use the school gym after school to play basketball, or they can participate in other active sports outside (weather permitting, of course). On weekends, he goes to the Y with his stepfather to play basketball, and then out to throw a football around. My son stays pretty active.

I have three boys and the oldest so far is my big eater kid. He loves to eat and just this year he has gotten a belly that would be considered overweight. I let him go play outside as much as he wants with the exception that once its dark you need to be inside. I recently put our exercise bike in the back patio and we both started writing it and then we stopped, I don't know I need some ideas. I can do the walking thing some days because I do have a 7month old and a 4 yr old and my husband works mon. - wed. I wold love to read how others incorporate excersise in their daily lives. something that should start with me doing it as well!