Kids Weight Loss – A Real Concern
The fact that one in four children is overweight is a very real concern and if your child is one of these you need to take immediate steps to help safely reduce their weight now.
If you don’t you run the risk of allowing your child to turn into an overweight adult and develop obesity associated diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.
Causes of Childhood Obesity
Childhood obesity is caused by a number of factors, most notably bad diet and lack of exercise. It can also be genetic and will depend on how your child’s body stores fat and burns it off.
Being overweight can make your child lack energy and concentration having a major impact on their schoolwork and ability to socialize with other children, which can lead to schoolyard bullying and low self esteem.
To help with kids’ weight loss you need to look at their lifestyle and ask yourself the following questions:
- What foods are they eating?
- How many snacks do they have a day?
- What kind of drinks are they consuming? – Soft drinks and fruit juices contain a high amount of sugar.
- Do they buy their lunch?
- What size portions are their meals?
- Do they participate in any exercise?
Answering these questions will provide you with a good understanding of your child’s lifestyle and reveal the areas where you will need to make positive changes.
Weight Loss Nutrition
Although there is no one weight loss cure, nutrition is one of the biggest keys to kids weight loss. Creating a healthy eating plan is the only way to fix healthy habits in your children’s minds and help reduce the risk of them turning into overweight adults.
It is a fact that children learn from their parents so if you are not eating properly there is a high chance your child is not either. Give your children an image to follow, show them that eating healthily is the only way to go. Trying to get your child to eat fruit and vegetables can be a battle, why not make it fun with things like carrot sticks and dip, pack their lunchboxes with healthy treats and create interesting colourful combinations at dinner time.
Weight loss nutrition should include a balanced diet full of proportionate sizes of carbohydrates like bread, pasta, potatoes, proteins found in red meats, eggs and dairy, fats, vitamins and minerals found in vegetables and fibre from cereals and grains. If you are unfamiliar with what is contained in certain foods you may want to consult a nutritionist or weight loss consultant.
The only way to help kids’ weight loss is to reduce the amount of food they are eating. Try to cut out snacking, or if this is not possible replace items like potato chips and chocolate biscuits with muesli bars and fruit, remove fast foods from their diet and change the way you cook. This will decrease the amount of calories they are eating a day.
Get them into Exercise!
One of the closest things to a weight loss cure is regular physical activity. Kids need to be active and if they are not interested in participating in team sports there are other activities you can get them involved in. Go for a weekend bike ride, buy them rollerblades or a skateboard, even asking them to walk to the shop to pick up some milk, or walk the dog will help burn calories and increase the kids weight loss.
Although there is no one weight loss cure, through a healthy eating plan and regular exercise children will not only lose weight but will develop healthy living habits they can take into their adult lives.