Kids, Eating and Weight: What the Research Is Telling Us
We hear constant warnings: kids are getting fatter, developing diabetes, and setting themselves up for an early death. The usual solution? Weight loss.
But what’s rarely talked about is what happens after those weight loss attempts. Research shows that when kids try to lose weight—or even just “eat healthy” to manage it—they’re at greater risk for disordered eating, poor body image, and ironically, are up to three times more likely to gain weight in the long run.
Not exactly the outcome anyone hopes for.
Sadly, this research doesn’t get much airtime. And when it does, it fades fast. So we’ve gathered some of it here for you to explore—it spans years of evidence.
Be sure to check out the additional resources on kids, eating, and weight at the bottom of the page.
Research About Kids and Weight You Might Not Hear About—But Should
Below, you’ll find a collection of studies that often get buried beneath the usual headlines. Each one offers a deeper, more nuanced look at what actually happens when we focus on children’s weight—and why it’s time to rethink the way we approach health, eating, and body image with kids.
Kids Don’t Need to Diet. Ever. - Teens who diet are set up to be a higher body weight than those who don’t diet. There may be initial weight loss, but these efforts become become detrimental to children’s ability to regulate their food intake when older. Children who diet have an exponentially higher risk of developing eating disorder than those who don’t diet. (Article includes research and eating disorder prevention tips.)
Dieting Most Important Predictor of Developing Eating Disorders - A large study of students 14 to 15 years of age followed for 3 years showed that students who severely restricted their energy intake and skipped meals were 18 times more likely to develop an ED than those who did not diet; those who dieted at a moderate level had a fivefold increased risk.
Talking About Diets or Weight is Bad for All Adolescents - According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, dieting is the most important predictor for developing an eating disorder. And it’s not so great for weight either. Teenagers in the US who diet in ninth grade (around 15 years of age) are three times more likely than non-dieters to be overweight by 12th grade.
Even If An Adolescent Starts Out Overweight - Adolescents who have lost large amounts of weight will experience typical cognitions and acute medical complications of anorexia nervosa (AN), even though they are not thin enough to be diagnosed with AN. This includes higher-weight adolescents who have extensively lost weight
Being Fat Is Not A Moral Failure. Here's How To Teach Your Kids That - Teach your children to break the cycle of body hatred and stop assigning moral value to weight loss or weight gain.
I Help People Recover From Disordered Eating. Don’t Give Your Child This App - The research below is just a sampling of that that concludes that helping a child lose weight usually causes them to become heavier in the long run, but also creates body image and eating problems. And now WW (formerly known as Weight Watchers) is helping to harm children. 8/19
Mama: Don’t talk weight loss resolutions in front of your child —here’s why. Moms are probably the most important influence on a daughter's body image. Even saying, 'You look so beautiful, but I'm so fat,’ can trigger unhealthy eating behaviors and weight struggles in their child. 12/17
How to Determining Ideal Body Weight in Kids with Eating Disorders - If the only way a kid can maintain a certain weight is by constant restrained eating and exercising, then that weight is not their body's ideal weight.4/13
Kids Who Eat Candy Less Likely to Become Overweight - “Jaw dropping research” of 11,000 kids shows that children who ate sweets were 22% less likely to be overweight than kids who avoided sweets. Adolescents who ate candy were 26% less likely to be overweight than those who avoided candy. 06/11 (Not really jaw dropping if you understand the psychology of eating!)
Coming to Terms with my Daughter's Genetically Programmed Body Size - From a mom who did not want to harm her child, but also lamented her daughter no longer being thin. 11/11
Around the Dinner Table Forum - Free support and conversation for parents of those suffering from eating disorders.
Parent's comments about a child's weight are related to weight and body dissatisfaction as an adult. Eat Weight Disord. 7/16
Preventing Obesity and Eating Disorders in Adolescents. Kids trying to lose weight, or who are around weight talk (including parents talking about their own weight) and or who are teased about weight have a dramatically increased chance of abnormal weight gain. What minimizes the chance of unnatural weigh gain and eating problems? Eating family meals together and cultivating a positive body image. Pediatrics, 8/16.
Tell your doctor NOT to comment about your child's weight BEFORE THE VISIT. Recently, a client being treated for anorexia told me a year earlier, at age 12, a doctor told her to "watch her weight" and that she should be more active (he didn't say she was fat). She began restricting and a year later, she was in my office. I've seen this many times.
Frequent Scale-Steppers Gain More Weight - Teen girls who frequently weighed themselves were more likely than others to resort to unhealthy dieting measures, and some ended up gaining close to twice as much weight. 12/06.
Thinning the Milk Does Not Mean Thinning the Child - School based obesity intervention programs don’t work, but that’s not stopping anyone. 12/06
Mom's Weight Focus Can Rub Off On Kids - Dieting mom's can trigger unhealthy fixation on weight in their kids. Even small cues, such as making self-deprecating remarks about thighs or showing delight over weight loss, can send the message that children should be similarly focused. 8/06
Family’s Weight Comments Harm Girls - Girls whose families criticize their weight or eating habits may develop lasting problems with body image and self-esteem. Data suggest that even occassional comments may have a lasting negative impact. 8/06
Grades in School Suffer Among Those Trying To Lose Weight - Research shows students who are restricting food intake perform more poorly on exams. Interesting, this reverses when they are no longer dieting. 5/04
Children Who Diet End Up Heavier - "Dieting to control weight is not only ineffective, it may actually promote weight gain, according to this study of more than 16,000 U.S. boys and girls age 9 to 14 from 1996 to 1998. Pediatrics, 10/03.
Five-year-old girls’ ideas about dieting are predicted by their mothers’ dieting - Kids are paying attention. Mothers’ dieting behavior is a source of young girls’ ideas, concepts, and beliefs about dieting. If you’re dieting, how well can you hide it? 10/00
Dieting Promotes Weight Gain - Teens who limit food intake to control weight end up heavier. 1/00
Bad News for Girls Who Try to Control Their Weight - Girls without obesity who dieted in the ninth grade were 3 times more likely to be overweight in the 12th grade compared with nondieters. 12/99
Resources to Help Your Child
Avoid Eating, Weight and Body Image Problems
If you’re looking for ways to help your child feel at home in their body, successfully manage their weight—and at peace with food—you’re not alone. In a culture that so often teaches kids to fear their hunger or shrink their bodies, it takes intention and support to raise children who trust themselves.
The resources below offer practical tools and compassionate guidance to help you prevent or heal food, weight, and body image struggles. Whether your child is already struggling or you simply want to protect their wellbeing, these materials are here to support you both.
Articles
NEDA Toolkit for Parents - From the National Eating Disorder’s Association - if you think your child has an eating disorder.
Kids, Eating, Weight and Health - Introducing a new approach that can help without harming.
Changing the Conversation, Part 1 - Compassionate look at the harm obesity prevention can do to kids; offers alternatives.
Changing the Conversation, Part 2 - How to help our kids by promoting healthy eating for ALL children.
References - For the above 3 articles.
Internet
Tips to help you raise your child with healthy body esteem.
Ten Things You Can Do - For yourself and the girls in your life to re-learn body acceptance.
Books
For Parents:
Real Kids Come In All Sizes by Kathy Kater
Secrets of Feeding A Healthy Family by Ellyn Satter
How to Get Your Kids to Eat, But Not Too Much by Ellyn Satter
For Kids:
Celebrating Every Body - 25 Body Image Positive Books for Mighty Girls
Fat Kid Rules the World by K. L. Going
For the Kids We Love, Let’s Do This Differently
We’re often told that kids need to lose weight to avoid health problems—but what’s rarely shared is what happens after those weight loss efforts begin. Research shows that when children focus on weight control, even under the guise of “eating healthy,” they face a higher risk of disordered eating, poor body image, and greater weight gain in the long run. This article highlights overlooked studies that challenge mainstream narratives and offers resources to support a more compassionate, evidence-based approach to kids, food, and body image.
If you’re concerned about your child’s relationship with food or their body, we invite you to explore our other blog posts (including those about raising an intuitive eater)—or reach out to us directly. We’re here to help.
About Eating Wisdom and Drs Karin and Hannah
We are two PhD level Registered and Licensed Nutritionists whose passion is to help others escape diet culture and to learn to use their natural, innate Eating Wisdom to, finally, find peace with food, eating and weight.
© 2021 Karin Kratina, PhD, RD, LDN