Overweight Children: How to talk to your son about his Weight

[James]

How to comfortably talk to your son about his weight issues and telling that he is Fat and needs to watch his weight:

Obesity is the main health issue causing many other diseases. Usually people gain weight due to overeating and inactive lifestyle, it can also be inherited. Obesity can occur in any age group. Nowadays obesity is becoming a serious problem in young children. Childhood obesity is common in many countries. Children need parent's attention in normal circumstances as well but when they are facing obesity issue they need even more attention and care. As we cannot put children on starvation diet because they are in growing age therefore this issue needs much consideration. You need to restrict food items rich in fat and having high calories to a certain extent but not to a zero level because at this growing age a child needs fats and calories too.

Mostly parents complain about their children's overeating habit and are baffle how to talk to them. Actually it is a very sensitive issue as many over weighted children have low self esteem but dialogue is very important. You must talk to your child in a manner that he/she doesn't feel embarrassed and doesn't lose confidence.

Direct lecture to kid about his weight or food is not the right way rather parents should try to set examples before them. Before talking to your kid start with some healthy practices e.g. go for a family walk daily, reduce TV hours and encourage combine family dinners. Once the child is coming towards healthy lifestyle plan to talk to him/her but gather good information about losing weight at first place. You can calculate your child's Body Mass Index by measuring his height and weight; this will help you figure out exactly how much weight your child needs to lose. Once you know the amount of calories he needs to lose, set a weight lose target for your child and plan his diet accordingly. Include food items from all food groups and tell your child the health benefits in each food item so as to convince them to eat those foods.

A very common reason of fattism in most of the children and adults is eating fast food items more frequently. These are rich in fats so try to get your kids eating focus on fresh fruits and vegetables. This will definitely not happen in an instant. You need to start slowly by replacing fast foods with healthier foods. Tell them the benefits of nutrients present in fruits and vegetables. Give them lunch box containing low fat food. Try to stock fresh fruits and other healthy food items e.g. nuts, yogurt etc in your fridge and kitchen.

Physical activity is very important for growing children, not only for their physical well being but also mental health. So restrict TV hours to two per day and encourage the child to do exercise and take part in sports. Physical activity will also keep the kid busy and healthy. Apply all the tips and at the end of each week measure your kid's weight to see if he/she is going right towards achieving weight loss goal.