Should a 9-Year-Old Be Counting Calories?
Friday, July 06, 2012 5:00AM
There was a lot of buzz online after the last season of TLC's "Toddler's & Tiaras," when pageant mom Kayla admitted to restricting her then 8-year-old daughter EverRose to a 1,600 calorie per day diet.
Kayla says EverRose recently lost 10 pounds, but many wonder whether the weight loss was to benefit EverRose's health, or if it was purely for pageant success.
"I made a conscious promise to myself that I would teach myself to be conscious of what they eat," Kayla says.
Hear more about Kayla's diet plan for EverRose in the video below.
You can watch TLC's "Toddlers & Tiaras" on Wednesdays at 10/9c.
Filed Under: As Seen On The Show
Comments
...THE BEST PART OF THE INTERVIEW WITH THE LITTLE GIRLS, WAS AT THE END WHEN THE 2 YOUNG GIRLS WERE INTERACTING SO WELL WITH EACH OTHER WHILE THE INTERVIEW WAS WRAPPING...THAT SAID A LOT TO ME...
I think it is curious that the Moms are overweight or obese. Why are the Moms working on their daughter's bodies instead of their own. I am thinking boundry issues.
Speaking of counting calories, why aren't the Moms counting their own.
Healthy living is a family afair. Why is everyone talking healthy eating and exercise just for the toddlers? Why not for the Moms too and the whole family?
Again, why are pagent Moms obese? What does does that say to the toddlers?"
Why are the pagent Moms obese or overweight? I don't get why they are working on their daughter's bodies instead of working on their own.
If the Moms want their daughters to exercise and eat healthy, why not themselves as well?
Healthy is not singling out one family member and counting her calories. Living a healthy life style needs to include the whole family....obese Moms could not possibly be eating healthy and exercising.
My kids school in may is healthy month and they learn all about counting calories and sugar levels.. It's not a bad thing for kids to grow up doing and learning at an early age, esp when it's such a huge issue today..When I was growing up we didn't have calorie counts on every Menu or drinks.. Kids can still be kids and eat fun foods, but no harm done in calorie counting..I'm a mother of 4 and my kids always check up on what they are eating cause they do learn from there school,they wanna eat healthy.. Best to get into the habits early in there life then later, no harm done at all letting a 9yr old count calories.. They love there healthy food but they also love there treats.. If them kids were obese they would be criticized for not feeding there kids healthy enough or watching what they ate.. Can't please everyone..
You have got to be kidding. A peanut butter sandwich and potato chips is a good lunch? For breakfast processed cheese? What the heck is wrong with Anderson and the audience? Is the world nutrition ignorant?
hi mr cooper, this is angelo of the philippines. i am watching your show right now regarding toddlers & tiaras. i just want to comment on the moms that are out there and want to ask these questions to them:
1. is the thing about beauty contest from your daughter's decision or somewhat you influenced them one way or another?
2. has it crossed your mind that maybe these things you're teaching to your daughter gives too much emphasis on what's seen outside?
this is just my opinion, but i believe people who give too much emphasis on outer looks forget how fundamentally important it is to nourish what's inside. beauty is just skin deep. and you can't look beautiful outside forever even with all these medicines and medical procedures that promises to "make you look more beautiful, younger". even if you think you are the most beautiful person in the world but neglects to be kind to other people, respectful especially to your elders and do the things that makes you genuinely happy by being good not only to yourself but to the people around you.
being a child is a once in a lifetime experience. enjoy it to the fullest by spending it with other kids and make stupid and fun things with them and playing with your family members as well.
If it's for the reason of promoting the little girl, I believe you should let a child be a child. If it is a dangerous health habit or could become a health problem, then I suggest that teaching the child the correct foods to eat would be a better suggestion.
I think if she gained 10 pounds and was not at a point where her height was increasing, and she was getting chubby and unhealthy looking, then the mom was doing the right thing. Either way, eating the RIGHT foods and maintaining physical activity throughout a lifetime is WAY more important than 'dieting'. Dieting is a temporary solution.
But some body types are not meant to be thin and slender. Read:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somatotype
The fact that her mom is on the larger side, means there's a change her daughter has the same body type as her, and will grow up on the larger side. Not everyone's genetics are set up for thin, slender. Just like not everyone would have the natural build for a football player, or a basketball player, etc.
I think childhood obesity is a serious problem. But this mom is going about it all wrong. She herself is overweight too so obviously she has not learned to eat healthy and keep her own body in shape - how is her child going to learn that? Putting a child of that age on a diet is just going to teach the child how to gain weight/diet/gain weight/diet - as opposed to teaching her how to eat healthy/get exercise to maintain a healthy weight. It's easy at that age to get kids exercising because there are so many fun games and sports for kids - but the parents have to actually be willing to be out there moving their bodies too and willing to eat meals with lots of fresh vegetables and whole grains, etc and NOT call that healthy way of eating a "diet" because it's not a diet (or deprivation) it's just the natural, healthier way to eat.
Totally agree with you cloud. No child should EVER go hungry. And I agree with your theory of needing more fattening up in advance o*****rowth spurt, I'm living proof. Nevr was overweight as a child. Went from avg/slim to chubby at 109 lbs at 4'9" at about 12 years old. Went to Weigh*****chers with limited success. Was probably 5'2.5" and 103 lbs 2 years later (normal) and slimmish without trying.
The problem is, children are GROWING! Weight gain and spurts of growth are part of natural child development. If you starve the body of a child and don't let it go through those natural cycles, they will be stunted, develop PCOS and other thyriod conditions, and possibly develop eating disorders because they will always be feeling hungry.
Always feeling hungry causes you to fetishize food and give meaning to it that it does not deserve.
As well low-fat diets are VERY harmful for babies, toddlers, and for early childhood. Brains are MADE OF FAT. The insulation of our nerves are made of fat! Breast milk is high in fat for that reason alone. Without natural fats from dairy, soy, butter, or animal fat, your childs brain will not develop properly. This leads to learning disabilities and again that starvation syndrome where the body will crave fats constantly trying to fix the disequilbrium of fats in the body.
Children's bodies will guide them naturally to what they need to eat if the foods presented to them are healthy, ample, and not fetishized. Children's bodies will go through natural phases of chubbiness in preparation for important growth spurts. Vanity and superficial values are killing our children and setting them up to become weight bullies as teens and adults IF not become sufferers of eating disorders like bulimia, anorexia, and overeating.
No one is saying she should not help her child be healthy. But you definitely do not need to calorie count their diet. Teach them the appropriate healthy foods to eat. I'm sorry but children have a lot more energy than older people, therefore they burn more calories, thus they need more calories.
Tiny hit it. How can anyone argue with this mom? An 8 yr old should not gain 10 lbs in a summer. So just trying to take it off, nipping a potentially lifelong health problem in the bud. Mom was once 300 lbs herself, and know how hard it is to 1) lose weight, 2) deal w/everything else that come with obesity. If you think that just because you try to instill a positive body image that other kids and the beauty worshipping society which we live in won't undo all that, wake up.
There are so many healthy, and totally delicious alternatives to most of the fat-laden, super-sized, sugar-loaded, nutrition-empty, artery-cloggers.
My SIL runs a large daycare in very upscale neighborhood. Most parents are are docs, lawyers, accts, other professionals. Most athletic and health conscious. Toddlers eat that way too. You'd be very surprised how they turn away things like candy, chips, and even meat. Trying to say, you train their taste buds to like what's good for them (might not work for EVERY food), and you ingrain a craving for those foods. And you regulate portions (not semi-starvation), and that regulates their 'appestats' hopefully for life.
Really no need to weigh food or count calories if you have any sense. But to continue feeding a child who is getting chubby a regular diet of McNuggets, fries, hotdogs, Pepsi, etc. is not sensible. You do a great injustice to a child incapable of making the right decisions.
Seriously people? So it's okay for kids to pig out on chicken nuggets and mcdonalds and soda but having a mom ACTUALLY put the time and effort into making an effort to eat healthy with vegetables and fruits and you have a problem with it?? Child obesity is an epidemic!! This is exactly what the US needs to start doing mother *******!
Um, no. Let kids be kids!