What Should She Weigh?

[puprock97]

My niece is 11 and half years old and she is around 110lbs. She is pretty tall for her age, she is about 5ft.-5ft 1in. tall. She has very, very muscular legs and when she is flexing them, they are rock hard, especially in the upper part. Her arm muscles aren't too bad either.
When she was younger, she was a little underweight, and she was VERY active. Now she is a little bit lazy and she isn't as energetic. She eats tons and tons of fruit and vegetables and loves them, especially raw celery and broccoli and steamed brussel sprouts with a little sprinkle of salt on them. She drinks a lot of pop, especially Pepsi, but she drinks a little orange juice and a ton of milk. She drinks some water here and there. She is really cutting down on her pop and sugary things. She eats lean meats and she has no snacks anymore, just her basic breakfast(sometimes skips), lunch(sometimes skips) and dinner(never skips). She is usually never asleep before midnight to 1am. Her belly sticks out by 2-4in. and she looks like she might be getting a second chin started.
I want to know what her weight should be for her age and height and if she is overweight, what can she do to get rid of the extra?

[Renee Radenberg]

Her weight is between the 90-95th percentile and her height is just above the 75th percentile for her age. She is still within the Growth Chart, so she is not overweight. 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. Suggest dancing which is fun and will help to maintain/lose weight. Limit time in front of the TV/DVD 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. She is 3 years old and her brain is developed so she can have low fat dairy products. Suggest limiting high sugar drinks/snacks and try replacing with low fat milk/yogurt or fruit/popcorn. 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. Make exercises fun for her and do not punish so she stays with it. Have her help you cook simple healthy foods so she learns how to eat right. Thank you for your question

[puprock97]

Ok, I checked her weight today, she is actually 120lbs.