Another water question

[Cali-n-me]

I just posted in the "getting to know you section" but I have a water question.

My 9 year old daughter and I started Atkins on Monday. I've done it before, with great success, and Cali wants to take her 131 weight and turn it into 99. So far she has lost 2 pounds. :icondance

However...she's doing a modified Atkins plan, as she loves fruit, and at her age, I don't feel comfortable taking fruit out of her diet. She has fruit for breakfast, and again either after school or in the evening. She also drinks milk (8 ounces) with her school lunch.

Now for the water question. I drink 64+ ounces per day -- and sometimes even 64 is hard for me to get in. I think that 64 ounces of water per day for a 9 year old is a stretch -- right now she drinks between 33 and 40 ounces per day. I bought her a 33 ounce water bottle, and she starts drinking in the morning before school...then she puts it in the fridge and finishes it between the time she gets home from school and bedtime. I don't allow her to drink anything after 7pm, as she has struggled with bedwetting all her life. So drinking, let's say, 33 ounces of water between 4:00pm and 7:00pm is difficult for her. She is not permitted to have her water bottle with her at school, but does drink out of the water fountain several times a day.

What is a good number of ounces to aim for...for a 9 year old?

Thanks!

[Richard6310]

I am far from being a expert on the forum, but i have never heard of a kid under 13 or 14 being on a diet unless he or she is really overweight. Did she get a doctors concent? I did a yahoo search on kids on atkins, but didnt find much, and some negative...

[Cali-n-me]

I don't have her on a "diet", per se -- just a changed, healthier way of eating. I have cut sugar from her diet completely -- and feel that eating the Atkins way is much healthier for the entire family.

I know how important water is -- but in my research I have never been able to find how much is good to aim for for a child of 9 years old.

As for a doctors approval...she has seen our family doctor, and our doctor recommended a plan for my daughter several months ago -- it didn't work, and was hard for Cali to stick with. My husband and other children (we have 5 at home) love eating the Atkins way -- and I felt that if I could modify Atkins just a little to include the fruits that Cali loves so much, it would be easier for her to stick with a new way of eating if the whole family was eating the same way. 131 pounds on her little 4'5" frame is way too much. She can't run without getting winded, and she finds it very hard to keep up with the kids on the playground. When she starts her new school in September, she doesn't want to be known as "That fat new girl." It breaks my heart to see her struggling with a weight problem..I've done it all my life, and I thank God every day that my other children don't have to struggle with their weight.

[Richard6310]

http://www.afic.org/Fluids%20for%20Kids.htm

I found this site on a net search. Hope it helps.

[2big4mysize]

Congrats on getting a handle on her eating now. the modified to include fruits Atkins would be the OWL phase. if you select the fruits from those lists she should be fine doning the healthier Atkins eating. But the fluid will need to be discussed with her Doctor as she will be losing a lot of electrolytes from the diuretic effect of the plan and the water.

She will need more calcium then just one glass of milk too so please make sure she and all the kids are getting enough cause not only does calcium assist with strong bones and teeth but lack of calcium in the body hinders weight loss through the actions of the para thyroid.

We also have an exercise challenge called ADBB PRES CHALLENGE and they have a section for kids on the site we are using if she'd like to join it for free. http://www.presidentschallenge.org/index.aspx if she wants to join the ADBB group she can sign up for that too all your kids can join the pres challenge if they want. Nobody sees what they do or who they are. I post the points totals last day of exercise posted and board nic for our memebers on mondays. Several folk have already earned their bronze medals.

Oh a word of advice keep her away from the low carb candy and icecream for now the sweetners used in them have a laxative effect.

Happy low carbing

[Cali-n-me]

Thank you all for your replies and advice. I was going to post a 1 week update on Monday, but my grandpa passed away and his funeral was Monday.

On a brighter note, as you can see by my blinkie, I have lost 7 pounds in one week - a pound a day! Wish I could keep that up for another...oh, 90 days! But I know that won't happen...and that's ok. I didn't gain it in 90 days, I'm not going to lose it in 90 days.

Cali has lost 3 pounds, and is so proud of herself -- I'm proud of her, too! She's doing great and is really watching what she is eating.

Thanks again!

[Moochiecat]

You might want to check this book out:
Feed your kids well by Fred Pescatore, MD.
Dr. Pescatore was the Associate Director of the Atkins Center for Complementary Medicine during much of the 1990s. The diet described in his book is the diet that the Atkins Center used for children and teens (at least that's what Dr. Atkin's introduction in the book says). This diet is much more nutritionally suitable for a growing child than the Atkins Diet.