5 year old daughte gained 19 lbs in 1 year

[Arianasmom55]

My Daughter will be 6 in one month. In one year she has gained 19 pounds. She  is currently 48 inches in height and 64 pounds. One year ago, she was 42 inches tall and 45 pounds. Ever since she was an infant she has been in the 90+ % for both height and weight, but this recent weight gain seems excessive and has me very concerned. Although she does not get alot of physical excercise she plays outside often and watches almost no television, nor does she play video games. I do not give her alot of sweets or junkfood, she does not drink juice, prefers water, and does not drink soda. She is frequently and excessively hungry, and I have noticed this more when she is bored. How many calories should a six year old girl have per day. Summer is coming and she tends to me more active swimming, etc, so maybe this will help. Should I be concerned? Could there be underlying health problems that could cause this amount of weight gain? Any feedback would be really helpfull.....Thanks!

[Renee Radenberg]

Her weight is just above the 95th percentile and her height is between the 95 -90th percentiles for her age. You seem to know that it is recommend increasing children's physical activities (play, dance, sports) to lose weight, and not lower calorie intake due to the need of calories for growth. Limit time in front of the TV or non-active-video games. There have been studies showing the longer the length of time a child sit in front of the TV, the greater the weight gain. Glad to hear you are limiting high sugar drinks/snacks and try replacing with milk/yogurt or fruit/popcorn/cheese. The calorie intake for a growing 6 year old is approximately 1800 calories a day that are eaten three meals and snacks between meals. She may have gained the weight from less exercise from the winter. Additional suggestions: cook only low fat meats (chicken, fish, loin of pork) or non-meat sources (soy products, nuts), low fat vegetarian combinations (rice & beans, pasta & beans, low fat cheese & pasta), fat free or low fat dairy products (skim milk, 1% milk, low fat cheese, low fat yogurts, low fat soy milk/yogurt), use plant oils, non trans-fat margarines, and eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. Eat daily high fiber breads and cereals (oatmeal) and limit ‘junk’ foods. Thank you for your question.