How to lose weight child

What can I do if my child is overweight?

If your child is overweight, there's lots you can do to help them become a healthy weight as they grow.

As a parent, it can sometimes be difficult to tell if your child is overweight. A child may not look particularly heavy to be overweight.

And because more children are becoming overweight, we have become used to seeing bigger children.

Research shows children who achieve a healthy weight tend to be fitter, healthier, better able to learn, and more self-confident.

They're also less likely to have low self-esteem or be bullied. And they're much less likely to have health problems in later life.

As a parent, there's lots you can do to help your child become a healthier weight. Getting them to be more active and eat well is important.

Here's lots of practical advice to help you.

If your child has a medical condition, the advice in this article may not be relevant and you should check with a GP or hospital doctor first.

Steps for success

Here are 5 key ways you can help your child maintain a healthy weight:

be a good role model
encourage 60 minutes, and up to several hours, of physical activity each day
keep to child-size portions
serve healthy meals, drinks and snacks
less screen time and more sleep

Be a good role model

One way to instil good habits in your child is for you to be a good role model. Children learn by example.

You can encourage your child to be active and eat well by doing so yourself.

Set a good example by going for a walk or bike ride instead of watching TV or surfing the internet.

Playing in the park or swimming with your children shows them being active is fun, and it's a great way for you all to spend time together.

Any changes you make to your child's diet and lifestyle are much more likely to be accepted if the changes are small and involve the whole family.

Physical activity also may be more appealing to your child if you do something as a family.

Find sports and activities to do

Easy ways to eat well and move move

Get active

All children should be doing physical activity every day for good health, but it doesn't need to be all at once.

Several short 10-minute, or even 5-minute, bursts of activity throughout the day can be just as good as an hour-long stretch.

For younger children, it can take the form of active play, such as ball games, chasing games like "it" and "tag", riding a scooter, and using playground swings, climbing frames and see-saws.

For older children it could include riding a bike, skateboarding, walking to school, skipping, swimming, dancing and martial arts.

Walking or cycling short distances instead of using the car or bus is a great way to be active together as a family. And you'll save money, too.

Find out the amount and types of physical activity recommended for under-5s

Find out the amount and types of physical activity recommended for children and young people aged 5 to 18

Join Better Health to get free regular emails with healthy eating tips, easy recipes, fun activities and more.

Child-size portions

Try to avoid feeding your child oversized portions. There's very little official guidance on precisely how much food children require, so you'll need to use your own judgement.

A good rule of thumb is to start meals with small servings and let your child ask for more if they're still hungry.

Try not to make your child finish everything on the plate or eat more than they want to.

And avoid using adult-size plates for younger children as it encourages them to eat oversized portions.

It may also help if you encourage your child to eat slowly and have set mealtimes. You can use mealtimes as an opportunity to catch up on what's happened during the day.

Explain to your child how to get the balance of their diet right using The Eatwell Guide. It shows how much they should eat from each food group. Knowing the calorie content of foods can also be useful.

Eat healthy meals

Children, just like adults, should aim to eat 5 or more portions of fruit and vegetables every day. They're a great source of fibre and vitamins and minerals.

Getting 5 A Day shouldn't be too difficult. Almost all fruit and vegetables count towards your child's 5 A Day, including fresh, tinned, frozen and dried.

Juices, smoothies, beans and pulses also count.

Be aware that unsweetened 100% fruit juice, vegetable juice and smoothies can only ever count as a maximum of 1 portion of their 5 A Day.

For example, if they have 2 glasses of fruit juice and a smoothie in 1 day, that still only counts as 1 portion.

Their combined total of drinks from fruit juice, vegetable juice and smoothies shouldn't be more than 150ml a day, which is a small glass.

For example, if they have 150ml of orange juice and a 150ml smoothie in 1 day, they'll have exceeded the recommendation by 150ml.

When fruit is blended or juiced, it releases the sugars, which increases the risk of tooth decay. So it's best to drink fruit juice or smoothies at mealtimes.

Discourage your child from having sugary or high-fat foods like sweets, cakes, biscuits, sugary cereals, and sugar-sweetened soft and fizzy drinks. These foods and drinks tend to be high in calories and low in nutrients.

Aim for your child to get most of their calories from healthier foods like fruits and vegetables, and starchy, carbohydrate foods like bread, potatoes, pasta and rice (preferably wholemeal). And switch sweetened soft drinks for water.

Find out about healthy drinks for babies and young children

Find out how to eat less saturated fat

Learn the facts about sugar

Less screen time and more sleep

Alongside the advice to get them moving more is the need to reduce the time children spend sitting or lying down in the day.

Help your children avoid sitting and lying around too much, as this makes them more likely to put on weight.

Limit the time they spend on inactive pastimes like watching TV, playing video games and playing on electronic devices.

And remove all screens (including mobile phones) from their bedroom at night.

It also helps children stay trim if they sleep well. It's been shown that children who don't have the recommended amount of sleep are more likely to be overweight.

The less children sleep, the greater the risk of them becoming obese. Lack of sleep can also affect their mood and behaviour.

Six Ways To Help Your Child Lose Weight

April 16, 2018December 3, 2019 Derek WatkinsHealthy Living, YMCA of Greater Cincinnati, Youth Development

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 6 children in the U. S. is obese. Being obese can hurt a child’s self-esteem and increase the risk of several health issues, like types 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. As a parent, it is up to you to help your child get healthy.

Keep Junk Food Out of the House

If you want to help your child lose weight, it is essential to keep junk food out of the house. If there aren’t any cookies, chips or other unhealthy foods in the kitchen, your child will be less tempted to eat them. When your little one feels a little hungry before mealtime, give him or her a healthy snack, such as mini apple peanut butter sandwiches, whole-wheat graham crackers or strawberry applesauce. These snacks will provide your child with loads of nutrients without a lot of calories.

Encourage Daily Exercise

Regular exercise should be an important component in your child’s weight-loss journey. If your child is physically active, he or she can burn extra calories, have more energy and become stronger. Encourage your child to get some kind of exercise every day, whether it is walking, swimming or bike riding. Consider exercising with your child to offer support.

You might also want to think about having your child join a sports camp, where he or she can plays sports in a non-judgmental environment and make new friends.

Set a Good Example

Many children follow what their parents do, so it is important to set a good example, especially when it comes to your eating habits. For example, instead of eating chips as a snack, have a cup of fruit. If your child always sees you eating healthy, he or she is likely to follow your lead.

Offer Praise

Offering your child praise can help him or her succeed getting down to a healthy weight. Tell your child how proud you are when he or she accomplishes something in this weight-loss journey. For example, if you notice that your child is snacking on vegetables instead of cookies, be sure to let your child know how happy you are that he or she is making better eating choices.

Do not Rush Weight Loss

It is never a good idea to rush your child’s weight-loss journey. If you teach your child how to count calories and focus on only numbers, it can actually be emotionally damaging. Instead, encourage your child to make lifestyle changes, like choosing fruit over candy and exercising for at least 30 minutes a day. These small changes can help your child lose weight gradually and still have a healthy relationship with food.

Include Protein in Your Child’s Diet

When preparing meals and snacks for your child, try to include at least some protein. This nutrient will help your child feel full for hours, so he or she will be less tempted to snack on unhealthy foods. Protein also helps the body release a hormone that releases stored body fat. Good sources of protein include eggs, peanut butter, cottage cheese, chicken and almonds.

It is never too late to help your child start a healthier lifestyle…

If you follow these useful tips, your child can get down to a healthy weight and feel a lot better. If you want to learn more information about youth wellness, you may want to contact YMCA of Greater Cincinnati.

Weight Loss, Exercise, Youth, Health & Wellness, Parent / Child Relationship, Role Model

How to help a child lose weight correctly and without harm to health?

January 3, 2020

May 27, 2021

5 minutes

61633

ProWellness

Contents

Causes of excess weight in a child
Why is excess weight harmful in childhood?
How to lose weight in childhood?
Children under three years of age
Preschoolers, primary school age
Adolescents
Ground rules
Featured Products

Disclaimer

Please note that all information posted on the site Prowellness is provided for informational purposes only and is not a personal program, a direct recommendation for action, or medical advice. Do not use these materials for diagnosis, treatment, or any medical procedure. Consult your physician before using any technique or using any product. This site is not a specialized medical portal and does not replace the professional advice of a specialist. The Site Owner is not liable to any party who has suffered indirect or direct damage as a result of misuse of materials posted on this resource.

How to help a child lose weight correctly and without harm to health?

Adults and children are often overweight. The child grows and develops, so you can not put him on a strict diet and use fasting. Reducing weight, it is important not to stop the development, not to harm the growing, fragile organism.

Causes of excess weight in a child

First you need to find the cause of the problem. There are several factors that affect the appearance of overweight in children:

Wrong attitude towards food. Often, mothers feed their children themselves, believing that a good appetite is a sign of health. Eat well - here's a supplement for you. Infant fatness at a certain age is a problem.
Sedentary lifestyle. Modern children, instead of outdoor games, sit near the computer, play gadgets, parents encourage this. Lack of movement leads to weight gain.
Heredity. Full parents from the first days should take care of the baby's weight, paying special attention to this. For example, you should reduce the consumption of sugar-containing foods: sweet carbonated drinks, ice cream, chocolate, sweets, lollipops. You should also reduce the proportion of foods with hidden sugar: fat-free yogurt and regular yogurt, cottage cheese mass or cheese curds, tomato sauces or ketchups, mayonnaise, instant cereals, sausages and sausages, cereals, muesli, granola, muesli bars and protein bars. Eating habits are laid down in early childhood, up to 5 years, so it is important to monitor the child's diet.

Attention! Are several causes of excess weight combined at once? The child is at risk of obesity.

Why is excess weight harmful in childhood?

If the child is overweight, the following problems threaten:

Deformation of a fragile spine.
Early heart problems - just can't handle the load.
Metabolic disorders - the pancreas cannot cope with its work, there is a risk of diabetes mellitus, which can manifest itself not only in childhood, but also many years later in adulthood.
Complexes. Psychologically, the teenager will be uncomfortable, because in the team they often laugh at the overweight, which can lead to bullying of the child, the so-called school bullying. An inferiority complex develops, which can remain in adulthood.

Introducing a tasty treat that will become an additional source of vitamins for your child - Ditops Fruit Chewable Tablets with Vitamins A, C and D. Three main vitamins for every day in a convenient form will be good helpers for strengthening the immune system and the growth of the child.

Attention! You can determine excess weight by appearance, body index, or simply by showing the child to the doctor.

How to lose weight in childhood?

Different weight loss methods have been developed for children of different ages. It is important for parents to follow the recommendations in order not to start the problem.

Children under three years old

It is necessary to consult a pediatrician. More often the reason lies in an endocrine disorder or overeating. It is enough to balance the diet, check the functioning of the endocrine system.

Preschool children, primary school age

It is difficult to control nutrition here, since the child eats more often outside the home. At home, more and more often, an “independent” baby begins to pull food from the parent’s table into his mouth. Either the whole family will have to switch to a healthy diet or control the child.

Teenagers

Some see the problem themselves, try to go on a diet. Sometimes they go to extremes, up to a hunger strike. This negatively affects health.

Attention! Excess weight can occur due to hormonal failure that occurs during adolescence.

Basic Rules

In order for a child to lose weight, it is important to follow a few rules:

Eliminate all fast carbohydrates and fats from your daily diet.
Limit high-calorie foods.
Increase the menu of dairy products, vegetables, fruits, fish.
You can take dietary supplements containing omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, calcium, iodine. If they are not enough in the usual food of the child, then this can lead to an increased need for food, as the body tries to make up for their deficiency.
Meals should be frequent and small.
Exclude fast food completely.
To rid the child of the habit of constantly snacking on something. Computer lovers are especially affected by this.
Increase activity and exercise. Send the child to the sports section.

To normalize the functioning of the digestive system, we recommend using herbal tea from wild herbs No. 5 (Comfortable digestion) - Baikal Tea Collection with chamomile, Kuril tea, plantain and volushka. This herbal drink helps to find comfort and ease in the stomach.

As a substitute for fast food, you can use Natural gummies (orange) - Yoo Go without sugar. In each marmalade - the maximum benefit of turmeric and orange. Curcumin helps to gain harmony, normalize appetite and provide antioxidant protection. Isomalt and orange soy provide natural sweetness, and isomalt is also a prebiotic and helps nourish the intestinal microflora.

Sometimes it is better to be an example to your child. But it is important that he does not skip meals, does not go on hunger strikes. Remember, in the pursuit of harmony, you can lose your health. Only reasonable and competent actions are needed.

Disclaimer

Expert: Elagina Maria Business Profi of Siberian Wellness and nutritionist in cosmetics

Reviewer: Ekaterina Vorobieva Adept of a healthy and active lifestyle

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doctor's advice for parents - Into-Sana

How to lose weight for a child? Why do children gain weight? What are the dangers of being overweight and childhood obesity? These questions are answered by the pediatrician of the first category, the pediatric gastroenterologist of the Into-Sana medical centers, Polischuk Tatiana Sergeevna, from the portal The only one.

How to lose weight for a child: child weight norms

Parents should definitely know that the most intensive accumulation of fat occurs in infants under 1 year old, at the age of 5-7 years, in adolescents 12-17 years old. Moreover, only 1% of children are overweight due to genetic or endocrine pathology.

All other cases of obesity in children are associated with excessive intake of food in the body or with an unbalanced diet, in other words, with overeating, or with an incorrect sedentary lifestyle.

By the age of 6 months, the baby should double its initial weight, by 12 months - triple. After a year, children gain about 2 kg per year (up to 5 years). At the age of 5, the average weight is 18-22 kg, at 10 years old 28-34 kg, at 12 years old 36-45 kg. An approximate calculation of the body weight of a child from 2 to 5 years old can be carried out according to the following formula: M \u003d 10 + 2n, where n is the child's age in years.

After 10 years, the annual increase is 4 kg, the formula for the calculation will be: M = 30 + 4 (n-10), where 30 is the average weight of a child at 10 years old, n is the age of the child. Pediatricians have special tables for assessing the weight and height of the child.

Obesity has long been recognized as a disease. In medicine, obesity (overnutrition) is defined as a chronic disease characterized by generalized excessive accumulation of fat in the subcutaneous tissue and other tissues of the body, weight gain, and metabolic disorders.

Why are doctors so worried when a child gains weight?

Yes, because if appropriate measures to normalize weight are not taken in time, it can come into adulthood with a whole range of serious illnesses: high blood pressure, disruption of the nervous and cardiovascular systems, diabetes mellitus, fatty degeneration of the liver, cholelithiasis , pathology of the reproductive system.

Obesity occurs when caloric intake exceeds energy expenditure. The most important factor in the increase in the incidence of obesity is the consumption of high-fat foods, as well as a rich diet high in digestible carbohydrates, especially in the evening. It is difficult to deny that today the decrease in physical activity is rapidly progressing: children spend more and more time in front of the TV, at the computer, less and less prefer walking and outdoor games.

How to lose weight for a child: top tips

The first and most difficult step for parents is to admit that their child is overweight. If parents are aware of the fact that a child needs help with weight loss, this is already half the battle on the road to success. The second point is the realization that the fight against obesity is a long process, psychologically difficult for the child and his family members.

Food for a child can be, first of all, a source of pleasure, a way of avoiding problems at school or in the family, "jamming" complexes - as a result, the development of overweight, obesity, diabetes, etc. And here it can be difficult for parents to understand the essence of the problem. Psychologists and psychotherapists will come to the rescue.

It is not an easy task for parents to explain to a child why it is necessary to change his eating habits. By no means can it be said that his diet has changed because he is fat. When telling your child about food, explain that we owe our well-being and health to the foods we eat, that food should be healthy and complete.

As a rule, children of overweight parents become overweight due to "inheritance" of eating habits. It is in the family that we get used to eating this way and not otherwise. Have you ever wondered where sweets, cakes, cookies come from in your house? That's right, you bought it yourself.

The habit of buying “something sweet for tea” takes root very quickly, but this is definitely not a tradition that will bring peace and harmony to the family. Try instead of sweets to buy more fruits, vegetables, greens, fish, natural meat.

Avoid when buying sausages, sausages, mayonnaise, convenience foods. And for cooking, try to use methods without adding fat - do not fry, but bake or use stewing, boil, steam. Do not allow the child to eat in front of the TV, while reading a book: if he is carried away, he will eat much more; prohibit the use of chips, nuts, popcorn, chocolate and waffle bars. The whole family needs to eat right. Many people have to change their eating habits. Limit the use of bakery products, pasta, dumplings, jams for the whole family, exclude semolina.

Lean meats, lean fish, eggs, dairy products (preferably in the form of fermented milk drinks, cottage cheese) must be included in the diet. And for tea you can buy dried fruits - raisins, dried apricots, prunes. The main thing when a child follows a low-calorie diet is the support of all family members, a favorable attitude, encouragement and faith in a good result.

Remember that the only way to correct primary obesity is to reduce caloric intake and increase physical activity.