Mom Puts Overweight Daughter, 7, on Diet. Would You Put Your Own Child on Diet?

As a single parent of two, from the time they were 17 months and 5 months, I never would ever consider letting my children ever get to the point that they needed to diet. Well balanced healthy meals and a lot of activity, is all it takes. In my opinion negligence is a form of child abuse.

No child should be that large. There was a girl, Jessica, I don't remember her last name but she was the fattest child and she had to literally scoot herself along the floor to move around. It's not only sad but sickening any parent would allow their child to become that big and not do anything about it.
DIET isn't the only thing needed when losing weight. EXORCISE is needed as well. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn even while sitting. If you only diet, don't exorcise, and expect rapid weight loss, you're sadly mistaken. To lose weight you must burn off more calories than you take in, and diet alone will not always get you where you wanna be.

It's not WHAT you eat. It's HOW MUCH of it you eat.

I'll never understand why someone won't take the stairs or walk to the store, but they'll use this:

It's a parent's responsibility to educae & take care of their children. They should be concerned about the health & welfare of those they brought into this world & love!

This is assuming that the child IS overweight.

Yes, I would. But I wouldn't call it a DIET and I wouldn't use the word DIET. I wouldn't talk about WEIGHT or CALORIES or anything that would sound like punishment.

I would tell my seven year old that I have been learning that most of the foods we have been eating appear not to be healthful and that I wasn't aware of that. I'd tell the child that I was going to start buying and preparing only those foods that were beneficial. I'd act all excited about it.........

Then I would stop buying calorie laden foods and would begin to cook nutritious meals. After dishes were done, I would ask my child to walk with me or do some kind of calorie burning activity just because "we want to".

And I would force myself to NOT freak out if my child got hold of something that I didn't want her to have.

But only a pediatrician approved one and under his supervision.

This should not even be an issue. The parent(s) should be controlling the child's diet anyway.

Although it would really depend on what kind of diet your talking about. I wouldnt force them into programs like weight watchers, etc. What I would do is fix just enough for meals that everyone would have healthy sized portions, stop buying junk food and drinks, make sure they ate at least 3 meals a day. Do family activities that encouraged physical fitness. Encourage them to join activities that had physical activities.

There are a lot of ways to encourage weight loss without saying hey your going on a diet.

I think the earlier you teach a child to eat properly and healthily, the better. It's much harder if you wait til they're older.

Absolutely! I would do what's best for my kid!

Young children are usually so active that they can easily lose any extra weight they are carrying around. I would never actually put them on a diet, but I would instill healthy eating habits and follow the same rules myself that I set for them.

my youngest was a big boy so I kept him active with me, playing tennis, swimming, mountain biking etc etc. and I would also limit what he would eat as best i could. I would not put my children on diets though. they aren't all healthy. Some do harm actually.

If their child is over weight it's responsible to put the child on a diet.
Why would I say no? Just for the simple fact my kid is going to be eating healthy foods and being active. Basically my kid is going to be healthy, just saying

HOLY CRAP! I've never seen so many votes! hahaha! It really depends on how weighty she was, but if i saw an increasing trend, then of course! I was a chubby kids when i was young so my parents made me start running...now i cant stop running! It's too fun!

Is the girl out doing her own food shopping? How did she get big enough to need a diet if he mother took reasonable care in watching the kid's health in the first place?

The sooner the problem is corrected the better.

Absolutely. Especially if the kid was a fat little porker. I think parents with obese kids are guilty of neglect and should have their kids taken away from them.

I would suggest looking at activity too, but if there is a situation of clinical obesity, you bet I would do whatever I could to protect my child. Also allowing poor exercise and eating habits at this age will influence exercise and eating habits as they get older.

Remember one should always consult a doctor before starting a diet or exercise program. The doctors guidance would be a factor too.

As long as the weight is truely unhealthy.

Children don't need to be put on a diet. They need exercise.

To save her life from death or diseases caused by obesity, you bet I would.

If you have taught her from the start there would be no reason too put her on dite I am just saying .

Yes I would

Absolutely. Health is just as important as anything else.
But the child wouldn't have to know they were on a "diet"

Yes, there are exceptions, but a normal child has an ebb and flow of weight change.
The Eugenics research Dept will love the idea . Hit the weight control soon enough and there may never be a period and certainly never a pregnancy

This would increase the liklihood of food issues ... instead, I would buy and feed my child healthier foods and exercise WITH him / her.

some of these kids are born 20 lbs overweight. cut out pop, and bagged treats, and cereals, and any beverage that's not water, and you'll lose weight.

Not a diet per say, just cut down on the food intake, but looking at me who am I to speak?

Good eating habits start young. You need to teach then to eat right while they're young.

It is not the diet that I objected to. It was the way she did it.

I wouldn't say diet but more alter what they are eating and how much in one sitting. I don't consider eating healthy a "Diet"

Not so much a diet but a life style change. Not just for the child but the entire house. Children Learn what they live. If you want them to be healthy and eat healthy then live that life too.

Well, not a diet to make it seem like I'm punishing them. We would do it together, eat healthier and exercise together. Make it fun for them. If it works, it works; if it doesn't then I'll just cut out the junk food and give them waters milk instead of juice.

If my child was over weight I would change there diet and make sure they excercised every day.

Most children get their diets from the Doctors when there is concern about their growth for what ever reason to small, to big. Its important to provide nutritious meals instead of fast food.

It would depend on how much overweight the child is. I would serve only healthy foods and make sure he/she got the proper nutrition.

I would not ridicule the child for his or her weight problem. I would encourage them to eat healthy and exercise .

At that age a child only knows what he/she likes not what is good for them. Its a parents responsiblity to teach them right from wrong and not simpily give them what they want to many parents today seem to forget that. And that aplyes to more than just eating habbits

i wouldnt feed her fat in the first place. Exercise with normal eating works better than just a diet.. itś a known fact

My oldest Sons weight always was a problem,and my wife always keep a eye on him.Now that he is a adult he is overweight.You have a obligation to keep your childrens weight at excepted levels to maintain there health.

Absolutely, If my parents had then maybe I'd have had a much happier experience socially durng childhood and early teen years. As it turned out I did lose weight in my late teens but the damage to my own self image and confidence had already been done. Things like that which get ingrained early stick with you for the rest of your life. It's a fact that people have different body types which are just a matter of genetics. As a result some of us just gain weight much easier than others. I am one of these people and the habits of diet and exercise really need to be instilled as early as possible to protecct these kids from the psychological damage that could be avoided by parents simply facing reality and teaching their kids how to live healthy in their own body. Unfortunately the body type our parents have is passed on to us and if those parents don't have the skills and consistency to exert the necessary control over their own bodies to stay healthy then they cant very well pass them on to their kids as well. It's unfortunate that some of us have to work harder just to maintain a normal healthy weight and attitude when they seem to come so easily to others but it's just a harsh reality of life.