Carrying around too much weight at any age can be troublesome, but it is particularly so for parents who have to deal with child obesity. Parents love their children and only want the best for them, but teen weight loss carries with it a two-edged sword. While wanting to help your child make better food choices and become more active to work off those calories, if you tell them that they need to lose a few pounds it could lead them to feeling even worse about themselves.
No parent wants to do that so it does take some real strategy in order to motivate your child to do what is best for them. This is particularly true because being overweight, even at a young age means that those same kids are at greater risk for developing some serious health issues such as heart disease, diabetes, and asthma. Child obesity can also lead to some emotional disorders that are often directly related to being excluded from activities and teased by peers. All of this can mean lower self-esteem, depression and negative body image.
Understanding some of the causes of child obesity is one of the best tools that parents can have in their arsenal of tools to help them to provide motivation for teen weight loss. It helps to understand that obesity, whether it is the child or adult, in most cases is caused by lack of exercise and eating too much and eating the wrong kinds of foods. Here are some factors that contribute to the phenomenon.
• Families are so busy that they eat out more often and cook at home less.
• Junk food and fast foods that are high in calories and low in nutritional value are cheap and easy to access.
• Kids today are spending more time in front of televisions, computers and playing video games and less time outdoors playing.
• Physical education programs and outdoors activities are being eliminated from many schools.
Healthy habits should begin at home because parents have the most influence on their children from an early age. Child obesity can be prevented or fought against best when the entire family gets involved in getting and maintaining a healthier lifestyle. Helping children to make better choices in the foods they eat must begin at the family table. As the whole family gets involved, the task of teen weight loss becomes easier and the changes that take place are more likely to be long-lasting.
Here is how you can motivate your child if she or he is obese and continue to fight child obesity. Remember, you are the best example your child has, so make the most of it.
• Watch what you are eating: Let your child know about the healthy food you like to eat at the time you are eating it. You could draw attention to the food on your plate by saying, "I love eating broccoli covered in garlic sauce, it tastes so good. Do you want a taste?"
• Watch what you cook: When you cook healthy meals for your family you are fighting child obesity. You can even give your child some cooking tasks that are age-appropriate to help them become more enthusiastic about eating more wisely.
• Get up and move: You should be demonstrating to your child the benefits of exercise by inviting them to exercise with you, even if it is a walk around the block or dancing at home.
• Free time activities: Teen weight loss can be encouraged by avoiding sedentary activities yourself. Spend less time in front of the TV and more time in activities that your kids can enjoy too.
Motivating your kids through your own example is the best way to combat child obesity.
Theresa de Jesus is a health and wellness coach. She is passionate in helping kids challenged by overweight or obesity to create a healthy, active and fun lifestyle. Get your FREE weight loss booster newsletter and learn how you can lose weight the healthy way without feeling deprived. http://weightlossbooster.teenhealthfitnesscoach.com/
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