5year old 'overweight' BMI

[colsy]

Our 5year old had his first school health check the other week. After measuring him, they said his BMI suggests he is overweight. I repeated the measurements at home, and yes, they're right. However, I can't quite get my head round this - he honestly doesn't look in the slightest overweight (and I don't just say that because he's our gorgeous son!). I don't know a more active child - he does weekly dance classes, does weekly football club, swims once a week, ALWAYS walks to school, and plays outside at every opportunity. He can hike for 5miles without complaining. He eats a vegetarian diet - it does include some full-fat dairy, but I mainly cook with pulses and Quorn for the protein. He never has fizzy drinks, but instead drinks water or sugar-free squash. And he has sweets once or twice a week.

I looked at the suggested changes we should make as a family in order to reduce his weight, and we can't do any of these changes ... because we already do them!

I'm guessing we've just done his measurements at the 'wrong' time - say just before a growth spurt, where he's put on weight but not yet got taller.

Anybody got any thoughts?

 

[seoj]

Not to be blunt- lol- but I'd ignore them! If your child is active and healthy, then what else can you do? I'm SURE- if they did the BMI crap when I was that age I'd of been overweight or even obese!!! I was a fluffy kid- but I was active and healthy. Just always a little fluffy. But I grew into my weight in time- for sure by high school. And, although I have been overweight as an adult (due to my own neglect of eating right and exercise)- I'm now a very healthy and happy size 8 and at 5' 7" and 160lbs... I'm still considered "overweight" BMI wise.

Even my LO at her 3yr check up was higher weight... but her pediatrician was not concerned at all. She is very active and healthy and perfectly well proportioned! Not fluffy like I was at all. LOL. Actually, she's very strong and her little legs are lots of muscle.

IDK- I think the whole BMI thing is junk. Our bone structure and shape play a part too- not JUST height/weight. I've always had strong bones and curves. So yeah.

Sorry for the tangent I'm sure you LO is just fine hun!

 

[OmarsMum]

Ignore

Omar has heavy bones and muscles, he goes to swimming and karate classes he doesn't stop running and moving, His diet is very healthy with no junk, juices, etc, I cook from scratch, with no processed food in our diet.

I never paid attention to percentile or BMI, Omar is heavier that children his age, but he looks slim with flat tummy , no fat rolls or anything,

 

[MummyMana]

Muscle weight isn't taken into account when calculating bmi, a bodybuilder without an ounce of fat on them could be classed as obese!

 

[RachA]

I'm always the one that bucks the trend. Just because a child is active doesn't mean that they must be ok weight wise.

I would say you need to seriously take into account his height. My sons weight was way over for his age but when you took into his height it was fine as he's always been really tall.
You also need to look at portion size. Just because something is healthy doesn't mean you can eat endless amounts of it. Fruit etc does still have sugars in it.
Also sugar free squash has sweetners in it and these cause your body to think it's taken in sugar so there is no real benefit of drinking sugar free versions of things.

If he is eating a correct portion size for his age then I would ignore what they say.

 

[wish4baby]

Muscle weight isn't taken into account when calculating bmi, a bodybuilder without an ounce of fat on them could be classed as obese!

I've heard this before too. But, it's misleading...a male bodybuilder has certain hormones (natural or not) that allow them to put on this much muscle weight. A child doesn't. A male teenager typically can't start gaining large amounts of muscle mass until the time underarm & facial hair begin to appear. (They do get stronger, just not bulky) It's physically impossible for kids to pack on that much muscle, unless the proper hormones are present.

I have a soon to be 14 year old who is an Olympic level athlete. With his shirt off, he has clearly defined ab muscles ("6 pack"), pectoral muscles, and you could outline every individual muscle in his arm, shoulder & forearm. He's very strong but thin, thin. (he's now 5'8", 120 pounds)
With a shirt one, he appears underweight - everyone, from coaches to family members, to near strangers! comment and say he's under weight, they're concerned, he needs to gain weight, etc. He has 5% body fat, so it is low.... But, his doctor said that he is "normal" for weight (albeit the lower end) and he's tall, but he is perfectly healthy - in fact, that his body is exactly what bodies are "supposed" to look like, but everyone is so used to seeing "fluffier" people, so he stands out (hence the comments).

He's been seeing a nutritionist & actively trying to gain weight, but that's just because he wants to be bigger, not a health concern. He hasn't hit the stage of puberty that allows him to pack on muscle...but it'll be soon (avg is 14-15 y/o)


OP: 5 is young! Keep offering healthy food, appropriate serving sizes and just increase cardio exercise. I'd say make it an hour straight, every single day (fun stuff though!).
But, I think you need to listen to your doctor, it's very hard to gauge with only your eyes, his healthy weight. Maybe he's small framed, then with extra weight, he appears" normal"???

Also, could he be over eating bread/carbohydrates? (I don't know much about a vegetarian diet, it seems that this could happen!) That can add extra pounds - I know because that's exactly how my son is trying to gain on advice from his nutritionist. He prefers lean proteins & tons of meats, but is forcing himself to up his intake of whole grains, and he's put on several pounds pretty quickly...

 

[KayBea]

ignore.

xx

 

[dave05]

Active or not, fat is 80% diet.
A single slice of white bread is 600cal. It takes a grown man 30 minutes of solid running to burn that off.
Personally I'd take a step back and see how much sugar he's taking in each day. It can sneak up on you in all the strangest places, and I'd guess that's what's happening.

If he has a sweet tooth, you'll need to train that out of him.. Southbeach diet (no I don't work for them) is easy to follow and really healthy.

 

[MommyJogger]

Muscle weight isn't taken into account when calculating bmi, a bodybuilder without an ounce of fat on them could be classed as obese!

I actually really hate this argument. An obese person who hears a high bmi will never actually have to sit there and go "Hmm.. maybe I'm a bodybuilder and didn't realize it." This "flaw" in the BMI scale is easily remedied by looking with your eyes and determining whether someone is overweight or a bodybuilder. Or asking whether they can bench 3x their body weight works too. If they don't know whether they can, the answer is no.
But a 5yo? That's so young. In your shoes, I would just take my mom glasses off, do a visual assessment, and go from there. If you're really concerned, you might write down all the high-calorie and treat food he has over the course of a week and then take a look and double check your assessment of his diet. Or even write down everything and see if they'll refer you to a pediatric dietician to double check for you. But mostly ignore if you know the 5yo is very active and has a good diet.
As for south beach diet, adults trying to maintain/lose weight can cut back on carbs, but kids need carbs for energy and growth. South beach diet for kids is a super dangerous trend. And bread is NOT 600 calories per slice. Usually closer to 60.

 

[MommyJogger]

Sorry, just realized how old this was. It showed up in "New Posts" and I didn't bother checking OP date.

 

[emyandpotato]

Active or not, fat is 80% diet.
A single slice of white bread is 600cal. It takes a grown man 30 minutes of solid running to burn that off.
Personally I'd take a step back and see how much sugar he's taking in each day. It can sneak up on you in all the strangest places, and I'd guess that's what's happening.

If he has a sweet tooth, you'll need to train that out of him.. Southbeach diet (no I don't work for them) is easy to follow and really healthy.

I think this is a typo, don't want anyone having a panic attack over their sandwiches! Most bread is about 100 calories a slice.

 

[MommyJogger]

Active or not, fat is 80% diet.
A single slice of white bread is 600cal. It takes a grown man 30 minutes of solid running to burn that off.
Personally I'd take a step back and see how much sugar he's taking in each day. It can sneak up on you in all the strangest places, and I'd guess that's what's happening.

If he has a sweet tooth, you'll need to train that out of him.. Southbeach diet (no I don't work for them) is easy to follow and really healthy.

I think this is a typo, don't want anyone having a panic attack over their sandwiches! Most bread is about 100 calories a slice.

I don't think it was a typo. A 26yo 170lb man running 8mph for 30 minutes will burn between 500 and 600 cal, so it sounds like he just read his bread wrong.
ETA: But Jesus Christ I'd be sad if it were true. Addicted to turkey avocado sandwiches right now.

 

[emyandpotato]

TBH I hate how avocados are so many calories! I could live on avocado and tomato salads.

The reply to the bread wasn't a reply to your comment, I just wanted to clarify that it isn't that many calories as some people might be scared by it!

 

[veganmama]

600 cals for a slice of bread? must be a typo lol