11 year old girl- How many calories per day or Extra easy?

[slimbod77]

Hi yorkplummer it's so difficult to know what's best for our children totally understand with having 3 of my own x
I totally agree with jenna88 some very good advice bless her x
I'm sure your doing a great job and children are changing all the time. Mine tend to get a bit podgy before a growth spurt!
Good luck on your journey! X
Slimbod77

 

[yorkplumber]

She is the youngest of 4, all 3 lads are super active and don't have an oz of fat on any of them. She is tall for her age and she only needs to lose a stone maximum and going through a certain transition (I am choosing to ignore it...the wife keeps telling me about certain things)

Thanks guys for all your comments

 

[Minimunchkins]

Ah, that certain transition that you're trying to ignore ............. won't be ignored and could definitely be part of the reason for her little pot belly appearing. . Girls who start to lose their 'little' status have the added problem of their bodies wanting to lay down fat to help develop their future curves.

The food you've said she has above certainly seems OK so perhaps she really needs to find an activity she enjoys.

 

[cat yoyo greaves]

we go walking often and she does boxing on a tuesday night so she gets a decent amount of exercise. Her daily diary looks a little like this
a bowl of cereal - bran flakes or weetabix with an apple
packup - tuna/sweetcorn pasta
sw chips and pork chop with runner beans and gravy.
For supper she will have a pink and white or a bag of skips/quavers

looking at that shes doing pretty well already with regards diet but i will say one thing speaking from my own experience growing up being bigger

i was bullied for my weight too and also i was a secret eater and would take money and binge on crap before and/or after school without my parents knowing so thats one to watch out for too

 

[Ali❤]

On the excercise side perhaps you could look at a new hobby for her, one that will promote being active but is fun, like dance. My daughter is only 8 but we are looking at street dance for her. The Hartleys calorie free jellys are half a syn (I love the raspberry and cranberry flavour) and alpen lights are good too

Definately think eating the same as you is good, it'll just be the way the family eats rather than singling anyone out

Good luck

Eta. Also marmites free so perhaps wholemeal bread with marmite to school some days

 

[*Emsie*]

we go walking often and she does boxing on a tuesday night so she gets a decent amount of exercise. Her daily diary looks a little like this
a bowl of cereal - bran flakes or weetabix with an apple
packup - tuna/sweetcorn pasta
sw chips and pork chop with runner beans and gravy.
For supper she will have a pink and white or a bag of skips/quavers

Going by this example of a menu and the info you have shared with us my thoughts are Does she have other snacks etc? I am surprised if she is overweight on this diet unless portions are huge and also that she is not having other snacks at breaks or anything(or maybe thats just because me and mine snack loads)
Maybe watch the portion sizes of some of the foods and use the superfree idea to include more veggies if she will eat them to fill her up in a good way.
I was often told I was fat etc but wasn't taught how to eat healthily and I think this is a big part of why I became very overweight and why I am really against making a big deal of a childs weight but am also against allowing them to become overweight if it can be avoided.

1 of my 3 children is of a bigger build and inclined to gain weight he unfortunately also doesn't like many vegetables or any fruits and loves all the wrong things. I just try and guide him the best I can but don't force the issue, he has seen my weightloss etc and I try to increase his activity if he seems to be putting on weight.

11 year old girls I would say are likely to be developing in ways you would rather not think about and it can effect their tummy size etc

 

[Rochelle1]

She sounds as if she's moderately active and her diet sounds ok I wouldn't worry too much at all really! As long as you're eating healthy meals as a family and she's snacking on healthy things such as fruit then she will be fine the 1 stone extra will come off in its own time. I am against making an issue out of diets with kids as it didn't help me when I was that age, I was a bit overweight and if my mam had just made the meals healthy, healthy snacks instead of saying we're going on a diet maybe I would never have had a problem with weight lol making an issue out of it makes it like a big deal. A lifestyle change is better, just making healthy eating and activity fun for kids

 

[slimbod77]

She is the youngest of 4, all 3 lads are super active and don't have an oz of fat on any of them. She is tall for her age and she only needs to lose a stone maximum and going through a certain transition (I am choosing to ignore it...the wife keeps telling me about certain things)

Thanks guys for all your comments

Wise move well done you!

Slimbod77

 

[peacelily]

Jezzi999 I couldn't agree with you more as I have a similar story. I was at weight watchers aged 10 (am now 44) and my mother was constantly yo-yoing and as a result I have followed in her footsteps. I would not put emphasis on weight and diet for this little girl aged 11. She probably still has some more growing to do so the emphasis should be on healthy eating and trying to maintain the current weight rather than weight loss. That is to say ensuring she stays the same weight as she continues to grow and things should even things out. Children are ruthless and she may be singled out for her weight but building self esteem in areas not related to image might help her not to start a life of dieting. It's not a happy road and not one I would want to pass on to my daughter.

 

[AnnaFaraday]

Pesto with pasta is not really a balanced meal - not enough protein for a growing child. And she doesn't seem to eat many vegetables (although I know this is difficult with some children). But the important issue, to me anyway, is that the response to any teasing and bullying should not be to cave in and comply with the norm, but to fight back (I don't mean physically) and let them know that the teasing just won't work.

 

[Lucky7]

As you say - girls can be nasty. Maybe she needs some different friends - hopefully the move to secondary will give her that opportunity.
I must admit, when I used to teach in year 5/6 the girls really did turn up the nastiness. Some girls will FIND a reason to be nasty. If it's not someone's weight it will be their hair, or their clothes, or the job their parents do. There is a brilliant book that I used to help some pupils find the strength to stand up for themselves, tell adults about problems they might be experiencing and to understand that some people are just plain nasty at times and it isn't any real reflection on you.

Bullies, Bigmouths and So-called Friends: Amazon.co.uk: Jenny Alexander: Books

As far as her diet goes, I'd say maybe more healthy snacks and make sure there's some lovely veg / salad chopped into that tuna pasta salad, (and that it's not got any full fat dressings in there).

Good luck getting her some confidence back!!

 

[toofatkat]

At 11 your daughter doesn't need to lose weight she just needs to grow into the weight she currently is. Your best way of doing that is to educate her to eating well rather than installing diets into her at this age.
If you and the rest of your family eat heartily then she will make the right choices. Her body is also changing hormonally at this age. She just needs to be made to feel she is beautiful and special. If she feels secure and confident then she'll be happier about her body until she has a growth spurt . Someone else mentioned that their children go podgy just before they grow, mine do the same so it could be that that's what she's about to do.
Don't force diets on her at this age, even if it's sw which I love.
Check out the nhs change4life website, it's great.
Good lick and don't worry

Sent from my iPhone using MiniMins

 

[peacelily]

At 11 your daughter doesn't need to lose weight she just needs to grow into the weight she currently is. Your best way of doing that is to educate her to eating well rather than installing diets into her at this age.
If you and the rest of your family eat heartily then she will make the right choices. Her body is also changing hormonally at this age. She just needs to be made to feel she is beautiful and special. If she feels secure and confident then she'll be happier about her body until she has a growth spurt . Someone else mentioned that their children go podgy just before they grow, mine do the same so it could be that that's what she's about to do.
Don't force diets on her at this age, even if it's sw which I love.
Check out the nhs change4life website, it's great.
Good lick and don't worry

Sent from my iPhone using MiniMins

Absolutely agree with this. Eating disorders are becoming much more prevalent in younger and younger children. Try to ensure that this doesn't happen to this little one.

 

[jaylou]

In answer to the original question, a girl of 11 years needs approximately 1850 calories a day. There's a lot of information on the NHS website, including how to ensure a healthy, balanced diet and increasing activity levels. It really does seem activity is key.

Kids are educated on healthy eating at school a lot these days, I've had no end of leaflets from school about healthy packed lunches! I would say though that a sandwich made with wholegrain bread and lean meat probably has less calories than pasta and pesto.

Change4life is also a very good scheme Exercise & healthy eating tips for you & your family | Change4Life my daughter found it fun!

 

[yorkplumber]

Thanks all for your replies, she is happy to go on the slimming world plan and still enjoy the odd treat.
We went for a 4 mile walk last night and only took 1hr 20 mins and we are going to badminton tonight to mix up her daily exercise.

 

[Pickle81]

Dare I say.. that based on the height/weight you have given us, she doesn't seem to need to go on a diet. I have a similar story to the one posted earlier on - a mother obsessed with my weight. I was on my first diet at the age of 7. Years of disordered eating (both ends of the spectrum) brought me to where I was on April 17th. 22st 3lbs.
Please, don't make your daughter obsessive about weight and body image. Just make exercise a regular part of family life and keep treats within moderation.