Acupuncture Blog

It is hard to watch so many children literally overburdening their bodies at such young ages by being obese. These kids cannot run, jump or play with other children because their bodies simply will not allow them to do so. Dieting is a necessity for these kids despite our best efforts to insulate them from the self-esteem problems that often go together with obesity.

If you have a child that is well outside the average weight range for his or her age, you are the one who must take the required steps to ensure that they shed those excess pounds in order to live a life that is as close to average as possible. The first thing you have to do however is consult your child’s physician about the best possible course of action to safeguard the health of your child.

Put quite bluntly however, if you do not make the effort to assist your child to shed those pounds you are placing the health of your child at risk. We do not let our kids play in the street, we do not let them run around with guns, why on Earth would we permit them to commit suicide by chocolate? If you have a child that is overweight, the following advice should help you and them with their dieting.

First of all, do not make food a punishment or a reward. Food is part of the difficulty with your children and you should not use it against them. Instead, introduce them to healthy alternatives. Do not keep junk food in the house and do not let them purchase lunch at school. Pack their lunches for school so that you know what they are eating. If you do not give them junk food to take away and they cannot have it when at home, they will be better off.

Incorporate healthy snacks into your family’s eating routine rather than junk food. Fresh fruit, chopped vegetables, nuts, and frozen yogurt are good healthy snacks for your children. When in doubt, check with the food pyramid but watch calories in the process. You want your children to eat a well balanced diet and eliminate junk food and sweets.

Cut out the juices and pop. This may be a huge ordeal in your family but the greatest gift you can give your child is a deep and abiding liking of water. Water works to make their stomachs feel full and keeps them hydrated for the additional activities you should be introducing into their routines.

Make them take dance lessons, take up a sport, or simply get out and run around the yard. The worst thing you can do is to allow your children to become comatose television, computer, or video game zombies. Get them out of the house and get them active. This helps in two ways. First of all, they are not stuffing their faces if they are outside playing and having a good time. Second, they are burning calories as they play which is a big bonus in the dieting process of your children.

As your child begins to lose weight, you should start to notice a very big change in not only the way he or she bears his or herself but also in his or her relations with others. Your child will notice a restored self-confidence as the pounds come off and the teasing at school stops.

If you are at a complete loss as to how to help your child take the weight off there are camps that are intended specifically to deal with weight issues and building self-esteem in children aged 7-19. A camp may be just the answer you are looking for. Another thing to think about is to lead by example. If you do not eat junk food, if you are active, and if you do not engage in emotional over-eating your child will not be learning those behaviours from you or having them strengthened by you.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with our blog why can’t I lose weight. If you have an interest in losing weight, please go over to our website now at Why Can’t I Lose Weight?