Is Slimming World diet good for kids..

[hippylove]

I need advice for my Daughter who is overweight and she does understand that she needs to lose weight.My daughter is 14 and she is very tall I would say 5'9 and weighs about 15 1/2 stone..She has always been a big girl but now I am generally worried about her weight and how it is affecting her body.I am trying to be sensitive about telling her that she needs to loose weight and when mentioning this diet plan to my daughter she lkes the idea of different days;like the green or original.I think it would be a good idea for my daughter to follow this way of life diet ,any advice would be great..thanks.

 

[Samprand]

I think ur daughter would benefit from picking up the good habits of S.W but going full hog (e.g. no treats/going to meetings) might be a bit overwhelming for her. But as youre losing weight too, its nice that u can do it together and give each other support 14 years old is an age where shes likely to start being self conscious of her body which can help to spur her on to make healthy choices, but u should be wary she doesnt start to take things too far, as i know a lot of teenagers succumb to pressure etc. Might sound obvious but make sure the emphasis is on healthy choices, better lifestyle and not simply just weight loss

 

[-Tally-]

Wish I had of done it when I was a teenager...she can go to meetings for free I think, there's an under 15's thing isn't there? So if you go to class she can go with you for free.

Free2Go for teens - Our members - Slimming World

 

[MommyNOriana]

I think it's an excellent idea - but only if she's really on board. If it's not her decision...it could backfire in a major way. And to be honest, all kids should have access to a proper eating plan. As long as she finds it fun and understands that it is a journey (with ups and downs), she will benefit tremendously. It's hard for a 14 year old to know she's overweight, but I think it's equally hard as a parent to point it out. You want the best for them...without alienating them or leading them to believe you think ill of them. Such a sensitive issue. If you have a good relationship with your daughter, talk about it with her and see what she's comfortable with. If she doesn't like it or falls off the wagon, do your best not to judge or prod her to continue. I would simply say, "You've done so well for these (x) amount of weeks. I'm so proud of you. When/if you're ready to continue I will support you, but know that I love you no matter what your choice."

 

[IanH]

If she is wanting to loose weight - then the good habits picked up through food optimising will be of benefit to her. Not sure of the age range involved - but if you're a member then there's the "Free2Go" programme aimed at children - who are encouraged to eat more healthily, and loose weight but at same time doesn't force them into the whole food optimising routine. Check with your consultant about the ages.

But as others have said - she has to be wanting to do this for herself - not to please you (or anyone else) for it to be effective.

 

[jaylou]

Free2go is from age 11, as long as they attend with an adult.
It is a great plan, I do wish more youngsters came to our group - we get some, but they rarely stay and I think it's because the mum usually falls off the wagon too!
Good luck, and I wish her all the luck too. The thing with SW is, no one need even know she's on a "diet" either, which is great for teenage girls!!!

 

[Lucky7]

I think it's great. Esp if they then get involved in preparing healthy foods. It could really set them up for a life of healthy eating. But then, I do think of SW as a way of eating healthily for life rather than a diet as such. I certainly wouldn't be saying the same about all diets out there!!

 

[rumbletummy]

Are you following Slimming World Hippy? I think it would be so easy for her to follow it if you did it together. And as SW revolves around normal healthy meals she will naturally lose weight if she eats the food you prepare her. I really think you should do it as a family

 

[*Emsie*]

I think you have to be really careful as it could push her either way. I was taken to ww as a child but then filled my face on crap when noone was looking. If you talk to her and she does want to go then I believe that sw has a plan for kids/teenagers. Otherwise I would just lead by example and provide lots of sw friendly healthy meals and snacks and allow her to find her own way. Sensitivity is very important as you say. Good luck and would love to know how it goes

 

[rumbletummy]

Totally agree with Emsie... I think maybe you could research the plan and have everything in place to start before you broach the supject... when I was a teen, about the same age as your daughter, my mum would tell me I needed to lose weight but did absolutely nothing to help me. I think if she'd have cooked me nutritious meals and kept snacks out of reach I would have lost weight. Bus as it turned out I only lost weight when I was 19 and had to teach myself from a diet magazine!!

 

[MadameLaMinx]

We have a really amazing young member at our group - not sure how old she is, maybe 14? Certainly no older than that. She's lost over 1.5 stone and when asked about how she copes with missing out on fast food she said "I've been so long.without it now it actually makes me feel a bit sick at the thought of eating it!"

It has to be down to your daughter at the end of the day - if she wants to do it for herself then great, get her involved, but if she's not keen then you follow the plan, feed her exactly the same, and make sure that there are plenty of healthy snacks in the house and not much else. Above all else, this is a family friendly plan and can easily be followed by all, regardless if they attend group or not. If she chooses to eat rubbish outside the house, there's very little you can do, but at least you will be helping minimise the damage she does.

 

[xxlisaxx]

She can join as a Free to Go member.. My nephew joined and has lost nearly 2 stone and loves it.
They do not counts Syns and Healthy Extras.. they are encouraged to make Healthy Switches (diet coke instead of coke etc). They also pick up tips by going to group and it is self encouraging for them as they see the weight coming off and how easy it is to lose, they want to lose more and in turn have more energy to do more fun things with their friends.
If you already go, bring her along. They can only join as a Free to Go member is they are accompanied by a paying member

 

[GothGoddess]

I wish this had been around when I was that age, I lost my Dad at 14, and comfort eat, when I gained weight, my Mum didn't say anything to me, but when my sisters came over she humiliated me in front of them by calling me a hippodumpling... I never forgot this and it just made me comfort eat more, I only lost weight later on in my teens after I was more together and had left home... I have always comfort eat, but am trying now not too... Anything that you can do for your daughter in a positive way towards healthy eating has got to be good, and if you do it with her, she will have a more positive attitude towards her Mum... Which I haven't....

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[BritMumInCanada]

Slimming World is ideal for anyone really as it encourages eating lean meats, fish, fresh fruit and veg and pulses/grains etc. Not to mention that alot of those foods also have a good source of fibre.

The only thing I would mention though when including children in the plan is to watch your salt content in food and also the use of too much artificial sweeteners. Other than that, there is no reason why children can't eat the same meals/follow the plan.

 

[hippylove]

Thank you everyone for the advice.I have had another talk with my daughter and she feels very positive and ready to start a new way of eating for life and not looking to star a diet.I have decided to star this plan tomorrow with my daughter and hopefully we will weigh and plan,cook,exercise together.I will start a food diary & keep you all updated on out weight loss...wish us luck...:grouphugg:

 

[Kankles]

I think it's a great thing that you're taking a proactive approach but in a sensitive way.

All the best to you and your daughter, I wish you both all the success in the world x

 

[hatwell]

I think the key, as you say, is to do it together. That way it's not just something you're making her do, and you're setting her a great positive example

 

[dollydoodah]

My son is actually doing SW with me at the moment. He is 12 and has a really broad build but has also gained quite a bit of weight over the last 12 months which has made him very unhappy and self concious.

It was totally HIS decision to start and we attended the first meeting together. He got the free2go leaflet but to be honest, a lot of that is about maintaining weight and making healthy food choices; so instead of choosing a Big Mac, choose a Cheeseburger or Snack A Jacks instead of a bag of normal crisps for example. There are also unlimited HEX's on that plan which I was a little concerned about as it would give a child who took things literally free reign to eat loads of bread etc a day.

He knew straight away that this wouldn't work for him in that it wasn't structured enough so he is doing the exact same plan as us BUT at the moment he is having 2 HEXA's and 2 HEXB's.

I have to say he is extremely dedicated but he really does want to lose weight. Yes, he will still have crisps a couple of times a week but he syns them.

After 3 weeks he has lost a total of 10lbs; 6lb the first week, 1lb the second week and 3lb last week. He always has something off-plan after weigh in - a pizza, burger or something - and so far this hasn't stopped him losing; in fact, because he has something 'fattening' to look forward to every week it seems to keep him on track.

He has also bought himself an excercise bike which he uses every other day where he cycles about 5km and is planning to joing Junior Gym at a local sports centre.

I am actually really proud of him and it helps him that we are both doing this although the downside is he nags me a lot! We have 3 young members in our group (one girl has lost 19lb so far) and I can honestly say that the other members are so supportive of them and are delighted when they have a loss.

So - sorry for rambling - I would say that if she wants to do it, then let her.

 

[GothGoddess]

That's great that he has done so well, you must be so proud of him and with every cause... Xx

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[hatwell]

That's fantastic! You must be indeed be very proud of him, he sounds very smart. At my old group there was a lady who brought her son who was about 11 or 12, and he did so well. He was lovely and everyone gave him loads of support. It was a bit like having our own little mascot!