Help your child lose weight

The fear that your child is overweight or obese could be? A parent can be difficult to know what to do. Hopefully your child will grow out?
You can encourage healthy habits grumbling? Is there a way to get your child a piece of vegetable in the evening trying to enter a battle every night?

WebMD received replies from David S. Ludwig, MD. It is a pediatrician at Children's Hospital, Boston, and founding director of the Optimal Weight for Life (OWL) program, a clinic for overweight children. Ludwig is also the author of ending the Food Fight: Guide your child a healthy weight, Fast Food / Fake Food World.




Have a question about diet and nutrition; WebMD asked the experts for answers about healthy eating and weight loss.



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How do I know if my child's weight is unhealthy?

Well, you can look for signs of obesity. Your child is in difficulty with other children in sports? Is exceeded standard clothing sizes?
But the best way is to map the growth, which should see your pediatrician periodically to see. You can find out how your child's BMI (Body Mass Index) compared with those of other children.
If your child is overweight or obese, you need to take action. Some parents of overweight children want to soften the problem. They said, Oh, he will grow out of it. But what we need to look for us. It is obvious that many, many children do not grow out of it.
What are the possible health effects of overweight or obese as a child?

We know that obesity in childhood increases the risk of becoming an obese adult and developing all the complications that can go to adult obesity - diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other chronic diseases.

However, the risk of childhood obesity are not all in the future. Cause immediate problems. Obesity affects nearly every organ system in the body of the child. It can aggravate asthma and relaxing sleep apnea. It has a number of risk factors for heart disease and problems with the gastrointestinal tract, liver, bones, muscles and joints. We saw high blood pressure among children under 5 years.

Given that childhood obesity is serious, because it is an important time for development. The institutions are still emerging. Obesity can affect how a child grows and develops, and this may be long-term effects. If we do something now, these changes are very difficult to treat later.
What are some things you can do to help my child lose weight?

In our clinic, we try to deal with different levels. It is important to recognize that obesity is not caused by an object. It is the result of a combination of factors: the food we eat, our physical activity, emotional problems, anxiety, family dynamics, economic and social influences.

What are some things you can do to help my child lose weight? Continued ...

Of course, exercise and nutrition are vital. Contrary to some popular diets recommend, not recommend cutting specific macro-nutrients - such as fats and carbohydrates. These approaches are the drawbacks because it is very difficult to follow long term. Instead, focus on food quality. In addition, we use what we eat a diet low glycemic index, to stabilize the increase in blood sugar that occurs after a meal. It helps people feel full and makes them less likely to eat too much.

You may need to change some of your behavior. Need a standard healthy diet and physical activity. You might also adjust yourself to your children. The persistent criticism, and excessive restrictions on food does not work. We see many families who do so much energy to fight for body weight and food energy, which is really too small to make any changes in health.
How can I encourage my child to practice?
It depends on age. Of course, young children are not designed to spend 20 minutes on a treadmill, either mentally or physically. They enjoy physical activity for them.

Sometimes it's easy. Only one girl out with toys or other children are encouraged to be active. With older children may need a little more structure. You can participate in competitive sports or noncompetitive.

It should include the whole family. Enjoy the fun trips to a park or beach or mountain. These range from a family walk after dinner instead of collapsing in front of the TV. Walking is a great way to burn calories and improve cardiovascular health.
How do I prevent my child to eat junk food?

As a parent you have control over it, what food in the kitchen. So if a food does not support health, not put them at home. The fact that you can improve the quality of nutrition for the whole family. But it should be implemented in its entirety. The father can not store personal best bars of ice cream in the freezer and wait to leave them alone.

That does not mean your children are not treated, or can have candy. If you want to flaunt one before you go - he did outside the house. Remove a cup of ice from time to time and do a celebration.
Well, if you have teenagers, it is more difficult. Teenagers tried to go for fast food with friends is a losing battle to prevent it. You should concentrate your efforts on areas where we are in control.

There are other changes should be in our home environment?

It should be emphasized, TV. Television is perhaps the worst effect - worse than the video games - not just for children are inactive when they see it, but it is also probably aware of snacks and exposure to advertising of junk food. It is a triple blow. Thus, in all cases, the TVs have to take your child's bedroom, kitchen, and preferably in the living room. Imagine watching television less attractive and practical.

Instead, create a playground active - this could be a playroom, but it could be a corner in your living room. Establish a sound system so your child can put on music and dance. You can also use the equipment for outdoor activities - or just put up basketball hoop in the street.
How do I feed my child healthy?
Especially not force them to eat a meal. This is extremely productive-cons. We take advantage of the relaxed atmosphere in a food. But when a child feels forced or pressured, his body will resolve stress hormones. We started the meal with the unpleasant feeling and a good pair of medium-sized aversion to food, a lifetime can take a long time to create.

So you want a site family. At dinner, you can give your child a reasonable part of the starter, he likes to eat a serving of vegetables.
Asking him to take a bite of vegetables. If not finished, that's fine. But give input to compensate for the second time. Hunger can be a good incentive. If still hungry, come in vegetables.

You can also try some conspiracy to steal food - vegetables in the diet of your child, do not recognize. To be able to recover some of the vegetables with pasta sauce or puree, are in other foods. I did not want to take this approach too, though. Children can feel and be manipulated.
There are other parents make mistakes at the table?

Yes. Another mistake is to say also: This is not the dessert until you eat your vegetables. Perhaps it worked sometimes. But what can make a dessert as a reward and punishment vegetables. It is sad to have far-reaching consequences.

Instead, saying only: First we eat our vegetables, we eat dessert. There is a small difference, but important. You will see your child the proper order of things is not the use of food. How can my child have to deal with bullying or making weight?

This can be very painful for children and their parents. But be careful not to react. You do not want the situation worse than it actually is.

How can my child have to deal with bullying or making weight? Continued ...

The first thing to do is listen to what he has to say really your son or your daughter. Then, depending on the personality of the child, you can walk your child through a few different answers. Some children can deal with teasing humor, a witty return. Other children can learn to ignore - they say they bounce surrounded by a field force, and only the negative comments.

There is no simple answer. In some cases where it is really unfair, you should talk with the teacher and complain. But in most cases, children can manage themselves, especially with the support of their parents, a sense of humor and a little creativity.
Parents of overweight children may feel discouraged. The effort to reduce the social pressure can be overwhelming. What can I say?
It is important to recognize what we do. We live in a society that, unfortunately, undermines our efforts to stay healthy. But parents should not be discouraged. After the family together and make changes in behavior, improve the health of your children much easier than you think.

After making some progress at home, I think it is important that parents turn their operations to outside society. You can start this trash have food vending machines in your child's school and school meals for the existence of better quality. Struggle for freedom to relax and not let them bulldozed for development.

Is it really in our best interests long term, countries face the problem of obesity in children - even financially. Because if we raise a generation of children who are overweight, diabetes and heart disease at an early age to become an economic impact of the financial crisis we face today is dwarf. Our most precious resource is our people. Not the health of our children, we got nothing.