A teaspoon of sugar adds only 18 calories to your cup of tea. Most of the high calorie sweets we enjoy get their excess calories from fat. Even most protein foods like meat are higher in calories than carbohydrates because very few protein foods are naturally fat free. Therefore, the hungry child actually makes a lower calorie choice when he eats a 3 ounce potato rather than 3 ounces of steak. Of course, the minute he puts butter or sour cream on the potato, the calorie advantage is lost.
Most children prefer a high carbohydrate diet.
It is a mistake to reduce carbohydrates when attempting to decrease the caloric intake of a child. There are clearly choices to be made when it comes to eating, and for the overweight child, learning to make healthy, lower calorie choices, can benefit him for a lifetime. There's no point in complaining that it's not fair. Even if you child's friend eats more, eats lots of junk food, and still stays skinny, your child has to learn to deal with his body, and that means learning what foods to choose to fill his belly. It doesn't mean never having a treat.