Help Your Child Lose Weight

The best strategies are those designed for kids

As a parent, you want to give your child a strong start on a healthy life. Being overweight raises the risk for diabetes, heart disease and other physical and emotional problems. But with all the advice out there, what’s the best way to help a chubby child? Experts from Lehigh Valley Health Network offer this plan:

1. Stop thinking about dieting. “It’s more important to learn and practice a healthy lifestyle,” says pediatric endocrinologist Arnold Slyper, M.D. “If your child is physically active and consistently eats healthy foods, it will change his metabolism and stabilize his blood sugar and insulin levels. He won’t feel as hungry or deprived, and excessive weight gain will stop.”

2. Understand that weight loss is different for children. “They need more calories than adults because they’re still growing,” says pediatrician Barbara Katz, M.D. “Their bodies are programmed to add fat cells as they hit puberty, to get ready for the huge amount of growth to come. Talk to your child’s doctor about where her weight should be for her stage of development. Then focus on a healthy lifestyle to help her grow into her weight.”

3. Keep unhealthy foods out of the house. Since children depend on parents to shop and cook for them, it’s important to set the right example, says weight management dietitian Jane Banach. Develop a repertoire of healthy meals and prepare them in advance. “Since children have more taste buds than adults, they often balk at bitter foods like vegetables,” Banach says. “It’s OK to add flavorings to make foods taste better. Occasional treats also are OK, but children need to learn how to make healthy everyday food choices.”

4. Make daily physical activity a priority. Children need this, whether it’s unstructured play or organized group activities, says exercise physiologist Holly Schmitt. “Try to expose your children to lots of activities—which may or may not be competitive sports—to see what captures their interest. Some should be things they can do for a lifetime of fitness, such as walking, biking or swimming.”

Being active as a family is a great way to spend time together, she says. “Grab a pair of binoculars and go on a nature walk, or join a gym that offers programming for both adults and children. Even indoor games like ping pong get them on their feet.”

5. Focus on your child’s needs and desires, not your own. Point out the benefits of maintaining a healthy weight— better concentration, mood and complexion as well as overall health—and then let the child take control. “Teens won’t change because you tell them to,” Katz says. “They’re learning how to take care of themselves. Once they decide they’re ready, you can support them by helping set realistic expectations and goals, experimenting with different activities and offering positive encouragement. Most important, make it fun for them.”

Published from Healthy You Magazine, July-August 2008

This page last updated 4/27/10 03:47 PM