Modern approach of treating obese children
You cannot expect your youngster to successfully change his eating and exercise habits on his own, particularly if others in the household are not setting good examples.
Statistics show that number of obese or overweight children is increasing at an alarming rate. Many parents are not deeply concern about their child's weight. Negligence in realising the bad impact of overweight can shorten their child's life span and can make their child prone to develop some serious diseases like diabetes, heart diseases, stroke etc.
Together with specialists, parents can help their obese child most to loose weight with an appropriate weight-loose plan. The reasonable and modern approach to lessen weight not only include dietary modifications and exercise, but also focus on teaching children the habits how to remain heal and hearty.
Boosting youngster's self-esteem is now a part of modern approach. Together, you and your child should set some realistic goals. In middle childhood, actual weight loss may be an inappropriate objective for many overweight youngsters.
Indeed, the goals you agree upon should not be principally about weight, but rather about healthy living — eating appropriate amounts and kinds of food, exercising, and dealing with personal and social factors that encourage poor lifestyle habits. As part of a comprehensive programme, doctors may suggest the maintenance of current weight, keeping your child's weight at its present level while he continues to grow in height, thus causing him to slim down.
However, for children who are more than 40 percent overweight for their age, sex and height, your doctor may recommend a comprehensive plan, including dietary changes aimed at small increments of weight loss. Obese youngsters should avoid fad diets and instead consume a variety of foods relatively low in calories but high in nutritional value. Foods like vegetables, fish and poultry fit this description. While you can limit portion sizes, do not severely restrict your youngster's caloric intake or you may run the risk of impeding normal growth.
Helping your overweight child
You can play an active role to help your child and your whole family in learning healthy eating and physical activity habits that last a lifetime.
Accept your child at any weight. Children are more likely to accept and feel good about themselves when their parents accept them.
Support your child by your own good eating habits. Cook low-calorie meals for the entire family. You cannot expect your youngster to successfully change his eating and exercise habits on his own, particularly if others in the household are not setting good examples.
Your goal should be to help him learn and adopt healthier lifetime eating habits that can keep his weight permanently under control. Also, encourage your overweight child to become more physically active.
Regular exercise can play an important role in the maintenance of a healthy weight over the long term. You can become a good role model for physical activity, even involving your child in your own exercise program, perhaps bicycling, swimming or brisk walking as a family.
It is probably better to encourage your child to exercise as part of a fitness programme, not as part of a diet. Diets are short-lived, but fitness is a lifelong goal. Encourage your child to exercise, knowing that as he becomes more physically fit, his overall sense of well-being and his feelings of self-worth are likely to improve.
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