There are incidents when the parents of these children are actually not aware of how irreversible obesity can be. They may believe that it is simply baby fat that will eventually melt away as their child grow s up or they may believe that the effects of obesity have been exaggerated. The effects have not been exaggerated and to deny the problem of a child may lead to its growth. Parents have to be able to recognize a child’s problem and work through it, not run away from it.
Knowledge is Power - Understanding Childhood Obesity
How Healthy Family Lifestyle Can Help Obese Children Lose Weight
The reasons why a child may become obese vary and have been found to possibly be more complex than initially thought. However, there is evidence that shows that there are some clear links and triggers. Most parents who have obese children are extremely preoccupied leading them to feed their children with food that is quickly prepared, whether by them or a restaurant. He nutritional value of the food given to their children is not given much thought and it becomes crucial that they are simply fed and satisfied. Parents do this without realizing that those quick snacks can addict a child to sugar and get them in the habit of preferring the faster-prepared and unhealthier food. To prevent this from happening try following these steps…
Step 1
Teach your child or children about nutrition and how it can help them lead a better life. Make healthy foods a given to your children’s diets by starting to feed them healthy food from an early age. It is also important that food is not used as a sort of reward. Food is simply a necessity to survive, not a prize to win or some kind of essential part to recreation. It is important that your child understands this. Fast-foods should be avoided at all costs, take your child every now and then but it’s preferable that you keep that number minimal. It’s important that you do not completely ban junk-food. Children are prone to being tempted by what their parents forbid. If you forbid fast-food you give it a special status and keep it in the child’s consciousness. Simply try and help them learn to want to choose the healthier food by leading with example and making it as unavailable as possible without making that too obvious.Step 2
Educating yourself about a problem is essential to overcoming it. Teach your children about nutrition and how healthy foods are actually really great for your life. Teach them to stop eating once they are full, do not pressure them into finishing their plate and try and make the times to eat an unconscious habit.Step 3
Inactivity is a huge problem and a leading cause to obesity. Children spend so much more time watching television and typing on their computer. This limits their time outside which is where children used to get most of their exercise from in the past generations. This leads to a vicious cycle, by gaining so much weight they become less interested in participating in such activities so it becomes even more difficult to get them started.Television influences children’s thinking in a very subconscious level. They become tempted to eat different types of foods because they are being shown as fun, enjoyable and delicious as well as linked to the joy watching a movie brings. Controlling your child’s weight problem cannot be done if you do not control the amount your child watches television.
You can do this by simply liming the time your child spends on the television. Watching TV is a passive activity, very little is actually being done which is why it’s so easy so just sit there and go through the channels the whole day. If your child spends less time watching TV and more time playing outside, it can become much easier to start the journey to having a healthy life as a teenager or adult.
Your child will not understand the importance of exercise if it is not explained. There are so many children who have submitted to the lifestyle of a couch-potato which includes simply parking themselves in front of a Television or a laptop/desktop to never move again other than to go to the bathroom. It is crucial that your child actually take part in some intense exercise for at least an hour a day, if your child feels subconscious about doing this then you can exercise with them in private.
Incorporating fun in the exercises is extremely important. Teaching your child dance or letting them get involved in sports teams is a great way to encourage exercise while allowing your child to find a passion involving physical activity. If you want some professional help you can visit a pediatrician to get some suggestions on how to control the child’s weight.
It is ultimately the parent’s job to make sure that their child does lead a healthy lifestyle. Children cannot decide this for themselves and they will not realize by themselves that obesity can limit the chances of a person in life by a lot.