Re: 8 year olds weight.

Posted By JR on July 05, 1999 at 20:08:25
What is the average weight for an 8 Year old girl?  And how do you limit food consumption when the child says she is still hungry?  She seems a bit overweight for her age but her mother said the doctor says "she is fine".

[HVM Ph.D. - KDK]

Posted By HVM Ph.D. - KDK on July 06, 1999 at 09:53:09
Dear JR,
There is no ideal weight for a child of any particular age. It depends in part on height and body type. Having said this, the median weight for a girl of 8 years is approximately 55 pounds. The weight at the 75% is 61 pounds, and the weight at the 95% is 76 pounds.
It sounds like you need some guidance about what this girl can eat at particular times. In between meals, too much weight can result from snacking on foods that aren't healthful. On the other hand, eating fruit, carrot sticks, celery sticks, etc. can satisfy the child's need to eat without risking unusual weight gain. It might be useful to discuss this issue in more detail with the girl's pediatrician, or to consult with a nutritionist.

[jr__0]

Posted By jr on July 06, 1999 at 20:03:43
Thank you for your comments.  The overeating is not occuring between meals, but
during meals.  She eats everything on her plate very quickly almost to ensure that she will be able to have a second helping.  Unfortunately she is from divorced parents.  One parent eats healthy and the other does not.  The majority of her time is spent with the parent that does not cook healthy meals.
Any advice on how to limit portions, without feeling like she is being deprived
if she claims she is still hungry?

[HVM Ph.D. - KDK]

Posted By HVMA Ph.D. - KDK on July 07, 1999 at 06:48:15
Re: the issue of servings during a meal, make sure you have plenty of 'side dishes' (e.g., vegetables, salad), so that she can have extras without having to worry about excess calories. Also, try to teach her the practice of taking a spoonful of food, putting down her spoon or fork, chewing and swallowing the food, and only then picking up her utensil again. This promotes a slower pace of eating, allowing her brain to 'catch up' with her stomach and send accurate messages about her degree of hunger. It's good to see that you are sensitive to her perception of deprivation. It's often the context in which food is experienced that is at the heart of the matter. The 'emotional meaning' of food can't be ignored.
*Keyword: Eating, Mealtimes










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