Hi there! My niece had the same issue. My SIL took her to a nutritionist for a couple of visits after asking her if she wanted some help organizing her meals.

The other thing is to see if there are any programs that he could get involved with that would help him socialize. And they don't have to be sports related, but it would be good. Especially if you could find an active activity that would see his height as an advantage. IF you could get him involved and the coach and you have a talk, perhaps he'll get really enthusiastic about the new activity and work hard at it.

The other thing, too, and I don't want to sound rude or condescending, is to make sure that you are living by example. You and the rest of the family. No diet for just one! I personally have found that you can do Weight Watchers without the rest of the family knowing about it. Seriously. If you are prepared to cook and serve foods, the recipes are extremely family friendly and you can control the portions that you dish out. It would be a lifestyle change, but I'll bet noone in the family would be the wiser, because the recipes are all "normal" -- stews, chilis, breads, and so on...

Hope it goes well!

Kira

I agre with kiramira. also cooking healthy for the whole fam will make him feel less singled out and not like an inconvenience.

From my own experience- I strongly suggest not restricting anything. My mom did that to me when I was a kid and have been on the diet roller coaster ever since.
Instead, explain the difference between healthy and non healthy foods and the different effects they have on the body. Ask him to pay attention to how his body works when he eats the foods-but that he can have whatever he wants

I second the suggestion for karate. This builds mental confidence and physical strength.

With confidence and knowledge-he will be prepared to do anything and be anything he wants.

We have put together a family menu for the month and we all as a family have sat down and put our favorite foods and I will fix everyone's favorite foods just in a more healthy way. As always in our home I do not seperate my diet from anyone else's because my husband and I want our children to learn a healthy lifestyle since we are still struggling with this we will all learn together and hopefully my children will not have the same struggles I did. Thanks for all you advise it has been very helpful. My son really loves to snack on veggies and fruit so I am taking him with me shopping so he can help pick out some foods that he will enjoy and want.

A friend of mine at work has a teen-age son that was over 6' and around 250 pounds...he didn't want to do anything but eat, play computer and watch TV. My friend put his son in a kick-boxing class...you would not believe the difference! AMAZING!! I didn't know it was the same kid when I saw him, after a year, two months ago.

You are getting great advice here...good luck to you and your son!

I'm 16 so i'm pretty close to his age. (i'm a girl tho)
What i found out that helps me is when my mum does the stuff with me.
I am vegetarian so thats always an optio it really helps to get rid of thoes bad meats. I lost 15 pounds turing veggie. But mostly teach him to eat ealthhy and when he does something good. like...run a mile or does ___ push ups he gets a treat like a candy bar or something. Treating people is always the best way to get results becasue you look forward to do the stuff you ahve to do.

Be careful about putting him on a restricted diet since he is a teenager and he's still growing. The last thing you want is him to grow up to be undeveloped and malnourished because that can cause all manner of health problems in later life. Doing things like cutting out meats is not going to be effective as it's much harder to get a variety of protein into a diet. I do not believe weight loss is an appropriate motivation for vegetarianism. Protein really is the BEST foodgroup for dieters and teenagers. You'll be much better limiting candy and other treats so that they are moderated and teaching usuable healthy habits that he can maintain for the rest of his life.

Of course OP knows this already.

It is such a touchy topic. My oldest son is 13. I have never said the words "I am on a diet." I don't discuss what I eat with anyone, including my kids. But after a month or two, he noticed the changes in the way I was eating and looking. When he asked "Are you on a diet?" I would tell him that I was just eating healthier. Then when he would see me eating chocolate or icecream, he would ask "Are you allowed to eat that?" Grrrrr, pet peave, I would tell him I am ALLOWED to eat anything I want.

But suddenly, he is very conscious of his weight. He is not overweight, but he does have a tummy and many of the kids his age are shooting up in height and losing that baby fat belly. He hasn't hit that growth spurt. I have instituted a family rule that one of the the kid's two daily snacks must be fruit. He put himself on a "diet" a couple weeks ago. I had a hard time knowing how to deal with that. I tried to tell him that he does not need to diet. He just needs to cut back on the icecream and chips and make healthier choices. The "diet" only last a couple days, but I know he is unhappy with his belly, but really I have no idea how to handle it so that in the future he isn't blaming me for it like I see so many overweight people blame their parents.

My "baby" (ds 7) is chubby. *sigh* So far, he seems fine and unconcerned with his appearance. I've tried for years to keep his weight in check. He's built just like my husband, and his side of the family has major weight issues. Part of the reason I've been overweight for many years has to do with eating the way they do. Ultimately, it was up to me to fix it for myself. I've tried to get my husband to eat healthier, but he's just not ready. Anyway, my son is very active, despite his weight. My husband won't let me modify his diet any more than I have. I'm still trying. I just have to be sly. LOL

I have him enrolled in cub scouts and soccer. Maybe getting your son into karate or some other outside sport would help? You could try hockey or something else he likes to do. I was in the marching band in high school. It's actually very physically demanding. For me, though, exercise did little to help me lose weight. Diet changes were the only thing that really did any good.

You might try a psychologist, too. Not for weight loss, but for self-esteem problems. It might help him get through this transition better. Just a thought.

The one thing besides restriction I would warn about it enrolling children in sports just to thin them down. I hated activity as a child in part because I saw it as punishment for being fat. I never felt my mother approached it from "here is something you might love to do" but rather "here is something you need to do because there is something wrong with you." It took a long time to break through that and not feel like exercise was a punishment.

i wish to know about your son's weight, can you update on this. And what diet he has followed so far, and what is he following now?