I feel so sorry for my lovely granddaughter

A suggestion not to be misunderstood. Buy Slimming magazine, not I emphasise to show or discuss with either your DD or DGD, but it has lots of excellent recipes in it for pasta dishes,curries, and fish pies among many, that are rich in vegetables and other low calorie foods and also low in fats. That way your DGD can enjoy all the foods she likes in a way that will be good for her health and weight.

Just tear the recipes out and recycle the magazine and no-one will know where all your delicious recipes come from.

Luckily she doesn't crave chocolate or cake which is good but her favourites are pasta and curry and fish pie. Her mum works full time so meals aren't really planned.

One thing I would add is this, don't 'forbid' anything. It will become more attractive. Moderation is the key to healthy eating. An occasional McD won't do her any harm, or an occasional sweet treat. When my boys were small, they were allowed 2 treats a day, but, only if they ate their meals. They've all grown up fine. Good weights and not food obsessed. They enjoy their food but they don't live to eat. I had a friend who wouldn't allow her daughter anything 'bad' at all. I once felt dreadful when myself and my best friend treated our kids to a lolly on a trip to the park and the friend said her daughter was not allowed and whipped a Tupperware box of carrot sticks out and handed them to her. A few years later, at a birthday party, I watched this child grab handfuls of cakes, crisps, sweets from the party table and cram them into her mouth, looking around with guilt to see if her mother was watching. Balance is important. And to make food less of an issue to her. But at the same time, interesting and healthy.

What about healthy eating for everyone? You could say you are banning sweet things and looking at what you all eat not just her. MacDonalds is a nightmare. My GS constantly pestered to be taken there and we all kept putting it off, fortunately by the time he actually got there he didn't really like it, but I think they are addictive.
Well done for the swimming and the cycling I'm sure you will manage to sort things out and she is lucky to have you caring for her.

You are right breeze, my daughter worried so much about her refusing food, now she eats so much better she is relieved. I can understand that and also the fact that they grow out and up, she is one of the tallest in her class now whereas she was smallest before. At no time is she made aware she may have a weight problem. I will definitely use smaller plate when she eats here and as healthy as possible. School hols are looming and I will have her a good bit of the time so I'm determined we will have plenty of healthy food and exercise and hopefully my daughter might get the unsaid message.

Smaller plate really works give it a go.

She's a bit young for puppy fat. I expect your daughter was so relieved when she started to enjoy her food after such a worrying start, she over compensates. She may also have inadvertently given your granddaughter some obsessiveness over food in general, as she may have been making it more important than it should be by encouraging her to eat previously. Dangerous ground isn't it, broaching healthy eating with your daughter without seeming to criticise her parenting skills. Also, don't forget, sometimes kids will go outwards, just before a growth spurt upwards. One of my sons did it the other way around (he's always been awkward!). Sounds like you're doing all the right things making sure she gets plenty of exercise. From your comment about struggling at sports day though, I wonder if she's actually quite a bit over weight and not just 'chubby'. If that's the case, maybe you could also, on the days you have her, start some 'fun cookery'. Buy her a kids healthy recipe book and instead of seeming to criticise, work with her to cook her own healthy stuff and make it fun (I saw a great one of these on a kids programme once, where they made stuffed peppers) and during these sessions, you could discuss with her (rather than criticise) the nutrition of the meals she's cooking and then perhaps she will pass this on to your daughter as something she enjoys. Worth a shot. You could say to your daughter you're teaching her to cook, rather than 'skinny up'. Mine field being a grandparent isn't it. As I've found. Treading that thin line between loving and caring and interference.

This happened with our granddaughter. Dad put on a healthy eating regime. It has worked and she is looking so much better. She ran like the clappers at sports day last week .

She boards at school and they were letting her have seconds and thirds. Little tea (cake) , big tea with pudding and cocoa and biscuits for bed...not to mention breakfast and lunch. The regime ( no mention of diet or fat to her) has made such a difference.

You daughter has to look at what her daughter's eating. One swap our son did was to give both children a smaller plate. This kept us in check. It only took about 4 weeks.