Have you already discussed you concerns with her doctor.  If not you should do so to (1) rule out or confirm if there is an underlying medical condition, (2) to consult with him regarding metabolism and nutrition.  In addition, you may want to consult with a child psychiatrist and address the reasons for her depression which is a diagnosis.  If her sadness, anger, or anxiety are affecting her academically (shown in behavior), she may be eligible for AB3632 school funded mental health services (generally not provided on the school site) with a mental health professional (not school psychologist).

Good Luck

Another approach might be to get your daughter involved in extracurriculars that will get her active. Not only do things like sports, dance, and other physical activities provide kids with the exercise they need, they are also a proven antidote to mild depression -- solving two problems in one!
Good luck, and remember to be supportive of your daughter as she tries to address this problem.

Hi, I hope you have had some success since you posted here. I just saw this and wanted to add that depression may cause overeating but it is what we eat that causes weight gain.  Diets never work for very long if at all.  What does work is a healthy diet and lifestyle!  A healthy diet would consist of lots of raw veggies, nuts and fruits.  For those overweight use only fruit for sweetness.  White sugar is not a food but a chemical.  I use fruit anytime I need something sweet, using the whole fruit alone or using the whole fruit in a raw recipe.  You can find lots of recipes in a "Raw" cookbook.  This could be a good project for your daughter - finding and trying new recipes from healthy foods.  Remember that fat is fattening and that includes most vegetable oils except for the essential oils like Flax or Udo's Oils (do not use for cooking).  These are the oils that is needed by the body and can actually cause weight loss.  I only use Olive Oil in my cooking.  

Last year I lost a total of 35 lbs just by changing my diet.  I didn't starve myself, I ate 3 meals a day and snacks.  The one rule for myself is "don't bring it in the house if it is a food I cannot resist".  If I want a piece of cake/pie from time to time I buy only one piece at a resturant or other, never bringing a whole cake/pie/cookies home.  I avoid all foods that contain, sugar, corn syrup, high frutrose corn syrup, saturated fats or high fat foods.  You can also enlist the help of your daughter in reading labels to help cut the foods that cause weight gain.  Yes, it does mean more cooking from scratch but it is so much more healthful, fun and a good project for the whole family to get involved in.  

A healthy lifestyle is daily exercise, drinking lots of water, getting enough rest, and dealing with stress and emotional issues with some spiritual time relying on God's help through reading and prayer.  Check out   ha.com  pin #ALX for more info.    I hope the best for you and your family.  Dee

I was just wondering, Who buy's the food that she is eating? I had a friend who had an Obese son. She was the Culprit so to say. If she bouhgt the food, he ate it. In the process, she had no choice but to quit buying the junk food, and he was put on a strict diet because it started causing him heart problems. Extreme make overs show, now the dietician there, has it packed down. Perhaps in the internet you can look this up. Sorry but i foret his name.

Read this article about healthy weight resolutions to get ideas on how to begin a healthy weight loss.:
http://pluggedinparents.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=117&Itemid=0
 
Also, ask your daughter's health care provider to check her thyroid hormones and sugar level.  Either hypothyroidism or diabetes might result in weight gain despite dieting.