Daughters weight ??

[jonah hart]

My daughter got weighed at school by an health visitor ... All the kids did .. My daughters 10 an 5 ft 1 .. The health visitor told her she was a little obese because she's 8 stone 9 ... Im absoultly fuming I feel I'm going to explode... How dare this women tell my 10 year old this .. My daughters devastated an thinks she should lose weight immediatly I've spent all night calming her down... She does every sport going an eats so healthy... Can anyone tell me wat the average weight is for her height please ? No wounder there's so many girls with eating disorders I'm wild ...

[nix-j-c]

you'll find that many sportmen and women don't do well at the bmi test. but its overall fitness that counts.

[Ethel]

I abhor the BMI method - as already said it takes no account of skeletal size or muscle.

A super fit rugby player or heavy weight boxer would be morbidly obese by BMI - it is utter nonsense.

[lil123]

That is really bad your health visitor saying that.
I'm 5'2 and 9 stone and size 8 so I hardly think she is obese at 8 stone 9.
Just continue to feed her healthy meals and have treats like every other child has and be active.
There's no wonder eating disorders are on the rise

[Eve]

It is a very misguided principle, look at the way many athletes and sportswomen are built, especially tennis players, swimmers and rubgy players, I doubt many of them who are muscular through their sport have a "normal" BMI but I doubt anyone would accuse them of being overweight, unfit or unhealthy.

Also womanlyness can add extra weight, I weigh more because I have boobs and a bum and, as my mum would put it, child bearing hips, my body is built to support them and I'd never be a waif and if I weighed the same as some of my naturally more petite friends, I would probably be seriously underweight and just look wrong.

[Lil O'lady]

My daughter had a similar experience in year 9 of secondary - was told she was overweight and too tall - you'll have to take my word she is a beanploe and very fit. I went after the person who had made the judgement but 'nobody knew' who had done it. Part of the issue seems to be the workers are issued with tables which may date back to the 1950's, when teenagers were shorter, and many of them are clever enough to get the job but too stupid to apply their common sense to a situation.

[Scarlett]

God this makes me SO angry too. Why should everyone be the same- AND what is " a little obese"?! What happened to puppy fat?! I hope you are going to make a formal complaint.

[upsydaisy]

Jonah - I can imagine how furious you are - as almost everyone else has said what a complete lot of nonsense. I'm 5ft 2 and would love to to be that weight!! Her body is about to go thro puberty - I can remember at 10 my lower tummy stuck out like a pot and but a matter of months later my periods started - her body is preparing to lay down fat on her hips and chest too - clearly this'health' visitor hasn't the first idea of dealing with this age group and you are doing other parents and kids a favour if you get her outof the school. Let us know how you get on. xx

[ganesh]

I am also a size 12 and same height as gossipgirl but 2 stone lighter,probably coz I'm not as fit as she is. It just proves the point that weight alone is not a very good indicator of good health and I think you should report the health visitor if your daughter really isn't overweight.
It's stupid remarks like that at such a vulnerable age that can cause kids and teenagers to become anorexic and bullimic and it's time to do something about this weight obsessed country!

[annie0000]

i am wondering how anyone can be "too tall" Lil o'lady. Maybe if she was 8 foot tall I could see their point. I guess that my 8 year old 4'9" - 5 and a half stone son is probably "too tall" maybe we should stop feeding him, keep him in dark room and let him take up smoking and then they would be happy.

[jonah hart]

I went into school.. Apparently my daughter took it the wrong way ... I refused to move untill I got the number for the health centre where this women works I rang them up an they denied all knowledge totally dismissed the comment made to my daughter that she over reacted.. My daughter knows full well wat she heard she's never had a problem with her weight untill this women suggested she's on verge of obesitiy ... There lieing to cover there backs .. What they don't realise is they've messed with the wrong kid and I've warned them I'm going to our local paper to see wat they think to health visitors telling a 10 year old girl she's obese when it's obvious to anyone that she's nowhere near obese ... I won't let it lie now because they've lied and this should not happen again .... Grrrrrrrrrrrr ... Thanks all for your comments ...