The pediatrician has told my daughter to increase protein in her diet to try to lose some weight. My daughter plays soccer and lacrosse and dances. She is very active, but has put on 20 to 30 pounds in the past few years. The endocrinologist has not really helped when it comes to weight loss. I don’t want her to be overly concerned about her weight, but try some different food choices. I’m looking for different options to give her as we start a new school year.

I would encourage your daughter to continue with the soccer, lacrosse and dance since this will help with her weight management efforts. While it is important not to become overly concerned with the extra weight gain, it is important that she continue to meal plan with a wide variety of healthy food options.

Your pediatrician may be thinking that by moderating carbohydrate intake and substituting with protein choices, this may slow down the weight gain. Keep in mind that protein has to be monitored also with regards to calories. I am assuming since you are receiving these recommendations from your pediatrician, that you most likely don’t have a registered dietitian (RD) on your health care team. If you do have one at your endocrinologist’s office, I would suggest you and your daughter schedule an appointment to meet with him/her to review her typical intake and food preferences and see if there is room for improvement. If you don’t have access to one in your endocrine provider’s office, ask them for a referral to an RD who specializes in diabetes meal planning. They can be an invaluable resource for your daughter’s diabetes self management.

JMS