By: David Ross
| Lily James |
Ann and Matt James were surprised when they were informed by school officials that their daughter Lily was very heavy after she was weighed as part of child health checks.
They said she is on the go non-stop 'and she is so small she dresses in clothes made for even younger children.
"I was hopping mad when I read the letter, said Mrs. James." My friends were horrified that a letter like this could be sent."
The couple called the verdict a "hoax" and challenged anyone watching pictures of their daughter to say that she looks not healthy.
Mr. James, a homemaker, said: "There is no way Lily is overweight. She is very active and on the fly nonstop with her trampoline, running and swimming.
The couple also pledged not to put their daughter, a student at the Green Meadow Primary school in Selly Oak, Birmingham, on a diet for fear of sparking eating disorders in adulthood.
Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust, weighed Lily as part of the National Child Measurement program, they declined to comment on her case, but insisted that the initiative was a useful tool in the fight against Britain’s increased weight problems.
This is not the first time that parents of children who seem to have a healthy weight have been told their kids are too fat.
The latest dispute began when Mr. James, 34, and Mrs. James, 31, were sent a letter saying that Lily
was 3 feet tall and weighed 3 pounds 3ST 5ins.
According to Body Mass Index Centile - chart used to assess a child's weight and growth pattern - she had a score of 91, placing her in the overweight category for her age and height.
The letter came to offer the couple a list of healthy eating plans and exercise programs for her to join.
The couple said that Lily had a healthy diet of oatmeal for breakfast, fruit mid-morning and then at school had a cooked meal of meat and two vegetables.