9 Steps To Tackle The Effects Of Childhood Obesity

Step 1

Once you have identified a weight problem, or developing weight problem, in your children then start to tackle it immediately.

All too often parents find an excuse to put off dealing with the problem by telling themselves for example that all kids are a little bit fat at this stage in their lives and that they will grow out of it. Childhood obesity is a very real problem and if you simply sit back and do nothing a fat kid will simply get fatter.

Step 2

Sit down with your partner and draw up a plan to deal with the problem.

You may need to be careful here, especially if you have more than one child but have only one child with an obesity problem. If changes that you make to your lifestyle and eating habits are too dramatic then your overweight child will almost certainly spot what is going on and this can lead to problems not only between you and the child, but also between the children themselves.

Introduce any necessary changes slowly and be sure with each new change to take everyone along with you by carefully explaining the benefits of the change.

If either you or your partner is suffering from health problems then this can provide a hook on which to hang a change in your family’s lifestyle and a good ploy is often to tell the children that you do not want them to develop the same health problems which you have later in their own lives.

Step 3

Take an ‘inventory’ of your current eating habits by drawing up a list of the foods which you commonly eat. Then sit down and analyze this list yourself, or take it along to your physician or a nutritionist to find out what changes you should consider making to the list.

Step 4

Remember that whatever changes you make to tackle the problem of childhood obesity must be for the whole family and so do not introduce any changes which you yourself are going to have problems sticking to. Children see their parents as their principle and most important role models and you cannot expect your children to follow a program if you are not prepared to follow it yourself.

Step 5

Spring clean your fridge and pantry. The introduction of a new eating plan is the ideal time to spring clean the fridge and pantry and to begin replacing unhealthy foods with healthy alternatives.

Again you may want to do this gradually over the period of a month or two to ensure that any changeover is not too abrupt and you should also involve the children in the cleaning process.

Remember too that depriving the children of their favorite food items in one fell swoop is likely to simply create a craving for those items, so reduce these items slowly and gradually replace them with healthier alternatives.

Step 6

Revise your meals one at a time. Rather than changing everything at once, start with breakfast and, instead of topping your morning pancakes with lashings of butter and honey, introduce healthier substitutes. Also, start introducing alternatives such as omelets with a low-fat cheese and vegetable filing and whole grain rolls or toast and fruit.

Once everybody has happily made the transition to your new style breakfast then, and only then, move on and start attacking the lunch menu.

Step 7

One very significant reason for the present childhood obesity problem is snacking between meals and you must break the common habit of your children snacking whenever they feel like it. There is certainly nothing wrong with snacking, but snacks must become part of the daily routine so that you can control them.

When it comes to choosing the right food for snacks then try to limit yourself to healthy options such as fruit with a low-fat topping rather than a banana split topped with full-fat whipped cream. This said, not-so-healthy snacks are also okay as long as they become a treat to be enjoyed once in a while, rather than an everyday item.

Step 8

Separate eating and watching TV. Most kids love to sit in front of the TV and eat but this means that they are paying little if any attention to what they are eating and will invariably overeat. Make meals a special family time when you all sit together around the table to both enjoy the food you are eating and also enjoy each others company and talk. Meal times can be a great tool for bringing families together and for keeping a check on what everyone is doing and how they are feeling.

Step 9

Changes should be made gradually and in steps, but they should also be significant. For example, if you need to increase your levels of physical activity then start by getting the kids to do jobs around the house and emphasize the need for them to learn responsibility. Mowing the lawn and walking the dog might be good places to start. Also, think about activities which you can do as a family which will get you out into the fresh air and provide some exercise at the same time. Getting the whole family into hiking, playing tennis or swimming are just three of the hundreds of ideas which you can probably come up with quite quickly.