Hi Oldbird

My son was also overweight and a worry. He was thin as a rake when he was about 7 or 8 but then we moved house and he couldn't go out as much to play and so got less exercise. The main problem though was eating too much and it was very difficult to deal with. You don't want to give them a complex about their weight but you want them to be healthy. You wouldn't believe the number of sweet wrappers that I found when I moved his bed one day.

Fortunately he is now 19 and has lost some of this weight although he is still overweight. He has started riding a bike to work and back and this has helped. Exercise is the only answer I think - if you can encourage your daughter to do swimming regularly then she will lose the weight gradually.