ACHIEVING A HEALTHY WEIGHT

Helping Your Overweight Child
If you've been told your child is overweight, you're not alone. A great number of American children carry around too much bodyweight as fat. Unfortunately, for many kids it means much more than not fitting into an ideal size. Experts feel that children who do not maintain an appropriate weight increase their risk for poor health, especially if their weight problem continues into adulthood. Therefore, some food and exercise changes are in order to remedy the situation.

How Did It Happen?
The ways in which children become overweight are as different as children themselves. For some, being overweight is genetically determined. That is, the likelihood to be heavy is passed down from preceding generations. Another major cause is thought to be an inadequate amount of physical activity and unhealthy eating habits.

These children simply are taking in too many calories from the foods they eat and using up too few through exercise. The result is too much body fat. These diet and exercise behaviors result in children who are increasing their risk for future heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other chronic disease. Keeping them trim and teaching them to eat right, therefore, is one of many important responsibilities we as parents have to our children.

What Are the Goals?
There are three goals for which you should strive to help your overweight child:

1. Help your child grow into his/her current body weight rather than encourage weight loss. Weight loss in growing children is not always healthy.
The idea is to keep your child's weight steady until he/she grows to the proper height for that weight. When that happens, your child's weight can increase to keep pace with normal growth. Calorie reduction and food restrictions are not recommended for children at any age. No favorite food should be eliminated. Instead practice balance, moderation, and variety both in diet and in exercise. Help your child to choose healthy foods from among a variety of meat, dairy, high-fiber grain, and fruit and vegetable options. Work to establish good eating habits to carry him/her through a healthy and active lifetime.

2. Establish eating habits that will allow your child to grow and develop normally while keeping his/her body weight in line.
Getting children to change their habits can be hard. Here are some tips to make the transition a little easier. Make the changes gradually and without fanfare. For example, start by substituting 1% or nonfat milk for whole milk, and fish for one or two meat meal each week. Making too many changes at once can unnerve your child and make him/her resistant to any change at all. Be flexible. Fast food restaurants and gooey desserts are fine on occasion. Outlawing these foods may only serve to set your child apart from his/her friends and turn him/her off to dietary changes. Try not to make your overweight child the odd person out. Instead of preparing special foods for him/her, serve the entire family low-fat fare. This way your child won't feel angry or humiliated, and all your family members will benefit from better food choices. Offer support and praise, don't nag and threaten. For example, recommend, (don't insist) that your child choose a grilled chicken cutlet over a cheeseburger in his/her favorite fast-food restaurant. They may not take your suggestion every time, but you can educate and at the same time avoid making food choices a power struggle. Dealing with being overweight takes a great deal of courage and commitment from your child. Let him/her know you will be there for help and guidance when needed. Take a positive approach. Talk more about the right food choices than the wrong ones. A positive approach can reinforce good eating habits instead of creating a fear of food. For example, tell your child you're serving steamed broccoli because it'' good and also happens to be a nutritious, lower-fat choice. Try not to dwell on the high fat and cholesterol levels found in prime steak you didn't choose.

3. Make moderate exercise a regular and enjoyable part of your child's life.
Many children fill up their spare time by watching TV or playing video games. Neither of these activities gives children the exercise they need to tone their muscles or burn the extra calories they eat. In fact, sitting in front of the TV might even encourage children to eat more than they would otherwise. Help your child get involved in active play and physical exercise, such as walking, swimming, biking, or team sports. Not only will he/she have an easier time keeping his/her weight under control, but he/she will develop habits that can have lifelong benefits from a healthy heart, strong muscles, and the pure enjoyment of physical activity.