How do you your help overweight children?

caseylsouth

Hi! I have a 9 year old boy who loves outside and stays busy. He does not play video games and can't stay still very long. So I don't understand why he is overweight. Well he does eat lots of junk! I feel like I am being mean if I don't let him have what he wants. But I have decided to break down and take it all away and maybe have only 1 treat a day. I have tried to get him to exercise with me and he hates it and whines which makes me upset and not be able to focus on my workout. Any ideas how to get him motivated to exercise and eat healthy. And is it mean of me to take things away that kids enjoy? I mean he is a kid, but I feel like if I can change him to a better lifestyle he won't have to struggle the way I have. Any suggestions appreciated

ldrosophila

What sort of things does he like to drink? What are his usual meals and favorite foods? What are all the things you are taking away from him? Be wary here we dont want food and exercise to be a punishment.

What kind of things does he like to do outside? What activities does he like doing? I'm curious why he may still be overweight if he doesnt do a lot of sedentary activities. Why do you think he is overweight?

Have you spoken to his doctor? Oh where is he on the weight for height growth chart?

CeleryStalker

The best suggestion I can have for you is to teach by example, and limit the junk in your home. Months ago, I stopped buying store-bought snacks in favor of making a weekly batch of home made cookies. Sure, it's still sugar and flour, but it's just once a day in their lunch box at school. Aside from that, they eat fruit, nuts, yogurt, etc.

You're not mean by taking away the junk food, and you'll be doing him a lifelong of good service by teaching him from a young age that junk is ok in moderation, but doesn't need to be available every time he reaches in the cabinet. :flowerforyou:

hikezilla

When our kids were little, they thought raisins were candy. They thought celery sticks with peanut butter were candy. they thought grapes were a treat....we never had the money to buy snack cakes, or much junk food...not even tater chips....but that was a long time ago. Kids get more junk options nowadays, it's no easy task.

bvincentelp

Restrict the junk to occasional rather than "all the time" access. Perhaps see if he is interested in any sports or martial arts. Children are what we make them, it's not mean to keep them healthy and in good shape, much worse to allow them to turn into fatbodies and instill bad eating habits which will carry over to their adult life. Think about it, fat kids get picked on, have more trouble getting dates because of appearance and ego issues, then can look forward to diabetes and other health problems. I don't keep soda or junk in the house, the kids get some now and then but they don't see piles of it around the house.

My 12 year old daughter is in amazing shape due to many years of gymnastics and tumbling. My 14 year old son is also in great shape from martial arts and weight lifting. Everyone in my house is extremely active - it keeps the fat off.

cuinboston2014

My daughter just turned 7 (yesterday!) and is very slightly overweight. It comes from the first four years living at my parents house and my mom letting her have literally an y food she wants. She still gets what she wants when she goes to my mom's house which is unfortunate. However, since she's at home 95% of the time I know that we need to instill the habits on her.

I like to sneak in healthy foods and exercise and tell my daughter why these things are good. She knows about protein and calories - a little bit about fat and carbs. She knows whats healthy and what's not. And we know ways to make healthy things taste like treats. For example, she loves apples but sometimes wnats something sweeter. So we take an apple, cube it up, throw it in a tupperware, add cinnamon and splenda and voila!

We also play a lot of Wii and keep active inside. When it's nice we go for bike rides, walks, and have lots of races. Just keep her active as much as I can.

We still give her treats - but only when they are special occasions. For example, we took her for frozen yogurt at her favorite place last night. She had cake the night before for her birthday at my mom's. And because it's halloween I've been giving her one small piece of candy a day.

Everything in moderation. You will be "mean" if you enable your child to get to a point of obesity. My mom did the same thing she does with my daughter and as a result I topped out at almost 300 pounds. My biggest fear for my daughter is that she has the same food issues that I do to the extreme that I have them. And don't let hime at whatever he wants good luck. It's tough!

lynn_glenmont

Instead of telling him that he can't have junk because it's "bad for him," it might send a better message when he wants a snack to offer him something healthy and tell him that it has things (vitamins, minerals, protein, healthy fat) that his body needs to be strong and active and grow. And instead of trying to get him to exercise with you (assuming you're talking about things like treadmills, ellipticals, weights, calesthenics, etc.), offer him opportunities for active fun -- even a walk can be fun, if you say, "let's walk down to the stream and see if we can find any turtles." Or go bike riding (or teach him how to ride a bike), skating, swimming, depending on the season and what opportunities are available in your area.

Amandatorie

I'd make sure to keep food and exercise TOTALLY separate from the ideas of punishment or reward. I'd sit the kid down and say that YOU made a mistake with all the junk food, and it's not healthy for anyone, and so you need to change. I'd start teaching the kid some basics about nutrition, and try to make it fun for him in any way possible (like dipping thinks in other things. I loved dipping things as a kid). Maybe he can get involved in helping to do the shopping list and/or helping to cook, so he's more part of the healthy change, instead of just being affected by it. Make it a game to try new things and figure out what you like best.

However, I'd be sure to keep the attitude that the junk food is not the enemy, it's just not something you can eat all the time. I'd only keep a small amount in the house. Maybe cookies this week, snack cakes the next week, ice cream the week after that, etc. The beginning will be the hardest. The kid is "addicted" to sugar. It will likely take weeks or months until he's adjusted to the change in diet.

And of course, he's going to pick up on your attitudes. If you're thinking "oh man, I have to eat a stupid salad and all I want is a cheeseburger", he's going to pick up on those ideas.

The only mean thing is to FAIL to teach your kid the healthy habits he needs to be a successful (i.e. happy, fulfilled) adult. It's not mean to stop a kid from playing with a knife, or not let them play in the middle of the street. Just the same, it's not mean to stop feeding your kid junk food.