I am planning to put my son, almost 9 yo, on Atkins with me. He wants to lose some weight, for his own personal reasons. I know every traditional thought goes against this woe and children. But would there be any harm? Should his course be modified to add more calcium?

All he wants to eat now is Mac & Cheese, Raviolli, hot dogs, pizza, sandwiches, chips, pop, etc.... Not to mention an almost adictive desire for fast food. I can't see Atkins being harmful in light of his present diet.

His BMI is around 33. He is 4 ft and 110 lbs. He isn't as round as this all sounds, as he has a large frame, but nevertheless, these are his stats.

I love him and don't want him to struggle the rest of his life with obesity issues. Right now I am getting full cooperation from DH and DS to do this WOE... never before have agreed to join in!

So, anyone know of any issues with children and LC?

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Hi Kelly,
It is usually a good idea to have children under 16 medically supervised with any weight loss program. Having said that, LCE can not give dietary advice for children. Please have your child monitored if you are thinking of placing him on a ketogenic diet.

Personally,I think using Atkins as a base and adding to it with whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables and milk and dairy has to be better than pizza, burgers and fries, but again, should be discussed with his pediatrician.

Good luck to you and your family; I think you are definitely doing something good and healthy for your family with a change in your WOE.

Let us know how it goes with your young man, OK?

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Shelley


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Can't add much to what Shelley has to say. When you do settle on the paticulars of a plan for him, I'm sure it will be a big help that the family is on board, too. I bet everybody will benefit.

Good luck!

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If you can get your son to enjoy unprocessed meats, fresh veggies and fruits, and to eat them instead of his current preferences, eating like people did before the advent of "convenience" foods, then you'd be going a long way towards developing good eating habits in him.

Shelley is right on about getting advice from your pediatrician. He/she might not endorse low carb, but he/she will endorse eating more healthful foods, and ditching the mac & cheese, chips, etc.

My own wish is that restaurants would offer better food choices on the kids menu. The adults can order a nice steak, or grilled chicken or fish, a salad and a side veggie. The kids get a choice of chicken nuggets, corn dogs, or a hamburger, all with fries, and a side of pudding or applesauce. Just as a "for instance", my granddaughter (7) was with us at a restaurant, wanted the corn dog, came with fries, she did not want the applesauce, but the restaurant would not substitute any fresh fruit - their insane policy. I ordered steak & shrimp, wanted only a salad, no other side. The dear, sweet waitress suggested that I order a second salad for my second side, and if Jade wanted it, she could have it. And Jade loved it! Ate most of the salad, except the cherry tomato, and her corn dog, leaving most of the fries. Why can't restaurants offer either small salads or even some raw veggies with ranch dressing for the kids? They'd order it, they'd eat it. (Rant over!)

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Nita

Honestly, I think a better approach is to just cut out the junk.
I don't think I would put a child this young on "Atkins," per se.
But what about just "getting the white out" as Oprah calls it...?

No white bread, no potatoes, no pasta, no chips, no sugar, and especially no sodas! Kids need some carbs; their bodies are still developing. But you have an excellent opportunity here to teach him to choose healthy carbs!
Rather than Atkins, why don't you get a book on the Glycemic Index. This will teach him (and you) how different foods affect our blood sugar (which ultimately leads to weight gain, poor health, and diabetes).
Keep lots of fruits and vegetables on hand; don't limit those at all. Juices are probably not a good idea as they are loaded with sugar, so encourage him to make water and whole milk (less sugar than low-fat) his primary liquid intake.

I think you are a terrific mom for wanting to help him now while his weight and his health are still manageable.
With the right training and attitude, you could set him on the right course for life!
Good luck,

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Summer

Thank you everyone for the sound advice. So something more along the lines of the Maintenance Phase (Or just healthy, clean eating) is what we are going to try. His Pediatrician just wants him to cut out the junk food - easier now that we have DH on board.

DS is an extremely picky eater. He gags (and cries) over veggies. I've told him he will like them better once we get all the sugar out of his system (fingers crossed).

I like what you said Summer, about 'getting the white out'. My grandmother said something similar a few years back.

Thx to all!

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one of my favorite ways to eat cauliflower is here - Faux Potatoes.

A New Twist on an Old Favorite: Cauliflower-Brie Puree | LCE

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get the book " little sugar addicts" by Des Maison ( author of " potatoes not prozac") She has some fabulous suggestions for transitioning to and stying with " clean" heathy ( and yes pretty low carb) eating for kids.

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"Success is having the respect and love of the people who truly know you" Judy Dench

Jan 2000. start weight 148/size 14
"maintaining" at 125-ish 25% BF since 2003
2008 heading towards under 20% BF at "whatever" weight

Thanks for the info, Elsie. I'm sure anyone with little ones to feed would find it an interesting read.

BTW, if any of you follow the Junkfood Science blog, she's come up with some info that is somewhat disconcerting. It seems that some schools, in their efforts to provide "healthy" menus, and trying to curtail the "obesity epidemic" in kids, are cutting so far back on fat and calories that the children aren't getting optimal nutrition for learning. Kids need a certain amount of fat and calories, in addition to the protein, just for growth, and their ability to learn can be stunted if they aren't getting enough food. I have no problem giving kids more fresh fruits & vegetables, but cutting their fat intake so much is just asking for health problems in the future. And this blogger wonders about kids developing eating disorders, some quite young, because of their perceptions of what is fattening, and confusion over what are "good" foods and "bad" foods.

Yikes!

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Nita