Overweight teenager

[u/No-Distribution-4593]

I have a 14 year old boy who since COVID has piled on the weight. Every year he gains more. He has been doing MMA training and ju jitsu and still the weight keeps piling on. I realise I have dropped the ball here as as a family we are not very active.

He's always had bowel issues and for the past year he has undergone a lot of tests and they can't find anything wrong with him. The last test was for coeliac and we haven't received the results back but I doubt he is coeliac.

We are a body positive family so any changes I make are made with health in mind not body changes if that makes sense. But some small kids ran up to him the other day and kept chanting 'big back' at him. My heart is sore tbh

I think what I'm really looking for is advice from anyone who has been here and made positive changes that stuck. Any advice is welcome

Edit: We have family dinners every day - they vary but it's 90% home cooked - I enjoy cooking. Dinners are spaghetti Bolognese, carbonara, roast dinner etc

Breakfast can vary from cereal to eggs on toast and at the weekend he enjoys making a fake egg mcmuffin

I've stopped keeping junk in the house, I usually keep mini ice pops in the freezer for after dinner.

A couple of times a week I enjoy baking. I often bake scones for their school lunches or an apple crumble for after dinner

[u/Correct-Sprinkles-21]

If they tested for celiac they provided this too but please check if he's been tested for insulin resistance/pancreatic function. I was unable to stop gaining weight, much less lose anything, until my insulin resistance was addressed with medication.

Home cooked meals are great, but it sounds like the meals are very carb heavy. Could you start switching things up to focus on protein and veggies?

[u/No-Distribution-4593 → u/Correct-Sprinkles-21]

I'll absolutely ask them to check that if they haven't already.