8 ways to lose weight for obese children, useful for the whole family

Being overweight makes you worry about their health in the future. This urges you to constantly find all the secrets as well as ways to lose weight for obese children and apply it to weight loss for children, but not very effective.

There are many causes of obesity, such as a child's diet high in sugar and fat, sedentary lifestyle, eating a lot of junk food and high-energy foods ... In addition, it must be mentioned. The misconception of many families is that a chubby child is healthy and lovely, so they try to cram their babies to eat, making them obese. If your child is obese and do not know how to help them lose weight to protect their health, please follow the shares of aFamilyToday Health below.

How do I know if my child is overweight or obese?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), overweight and obesity are excess or abnormal fat accumulation in an area of ​​the body or the whole body to the extent that it affects health.

In fact, it is not difficult to tell if a child is obese. However, in order to be accurately and specifically assessed the child's obesity status, you should take your child to the hospital to be examined and concluded by a nutritionist. The doctor will measure the child's body index (BMI), assessing the difference between the child's weight compared to the standard weight is located. In determining the BMI, the doctor will also consider factors such as the child's age and growth.

If the doctor concludes that your baby is obese, he or she may need to conduct investigative tests such as:

Disorders of blood fats : cholesterol, triglycerides may increase

Blood sugar disturbances and glucose tolerance

Quantification of adrenal hormones; thyroid, pituitary ...

Exploration of the cause of obesity: cranial imaging, abdominal ultrasound ...

What health risks do obese children face?

Obese children are at risk for a range of health problems in adulthood, typically:

Heart-related diseaes

Insulin resistance (often an early sign of impending diabetes)

Musculoskeletal disorders (especially osteoarthritis)

Certain cancers ( endometrium , breast, and colon)

8 ways to lose weight for obese children, useful for the whole family

Here are 8 ways to not only help your child lose weight but also help the whole family:

1. Encourage your child to exercise and be active

Sports activities are very helpful in helping your baby lose weight. Activities such as walking, jogging, cycling, rollerblading, swimming, soccer, basketball, soccer, jumping rope ... are ideal physical activities to help children consume excess energy. Your family should also have more physical activities such as walking with your child for a short walk or cycling instead of riding a car, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, going to the park for a walk instead of sitting in front of the screen. television…

In addition to helping your child to exercise consume excess energy, these activities also help your family bond, your child has more friends of the same age.

2. Change your child's eating habits

Encourage them to eat only when they feel really hungry and stop when they feel full rather than eating as a habit, eat for pleasure, eat more for good food ... Children and teenagers tend to the direction of eating because of boredom, stress or nothing to play, not hunger. Children should eat with the family and meals should take place in the kitchen or dining room. In particular, you should not feed your child while watching TV, listening to the phone, playing games, reading ... If distracted by the above, your baby may not realize how much he has eaten and often has a penny. direction of overeating, leading to weight gain.

3. Set a weight loss goal that fits your baby's ability

Losing weight is a long, challenging and arduous process. Therefore, the effective way to lose weight for obese children is that you should set goals consistent with the child's capabilities. For obese children, losing about 0.5 kg of weight in 1 week is an ideal goal. If your baby achieves this goal, he or she will have confidence that losing weight is not an "impossible task". If after a month, your baby has lost the proposed weight, continue to encourage him by buying a new set of badminton rackets or walking shoes ...

4. Reward your child for changes towards a balance in eating

Do you find that rewarding often has a huge impact on people? Therefore, in order to help your baby have more motivation to maintain diet and exercise to lose weight, you should have a rewarding regime to encourage. For example, if your baby drinks water instead of soft drinks, soda, eats fruit instead of snacks, cakes ... during a week, give him a treat to a movie or a toy, a favorite book ...

Note that you should not use food, candy, drinks or any other food as a reward for your baby. The reason is that these things can cause the weight loss plan for the child you have built a lot to "collapse".

5. Choose healthy and nutritious foods

On days when your baby isn't at school or at home, break your child's main meals into small meals throughout the day and encourage them to do this. Breaking up meals will help your baby not be hungry for a long time, and avoid overeating at later meals. You should add a lot of vegetables and fruits to your baby's diet and the whole family. Do not force your child to eat a lot of vegetables and fruits while other family members eat a lot of meat and fish. This will cause children to develop inhibitory psychology, abolishing the plan to lose weight.

Suggest children to eat fruit instead of drinking juice, the fiber in fruit not only helps babies feel full for longer but is also good for the digestive system. In addition, you should let your child drink skim milk, low-sugar or no-sugar milk, yogurt ... For snacks, you can feed your baby sweet potatoes, boiled corn, and less sweet biscuits instead of pastries and snacks. , French fries…

Make sure your refrigerator doesn't have a lot of junk food and that everyone in your family should limit snacking in front of your child. Maintain low-fat meals and encourage your baby to pursue her weight loss goals.

6. Always encourage your child

Your baby may gradually become demoralized after a while on the weight loss plan. Your task is to always encourage your baby to keep his spirit to achieve the set goals. If your baby has lost less than 0.5kg / week, tell your baby that the result is very good, just try a little more. This helps your baby feel that the weight loss diet is working well and is interested in maintaining it.

7. Build a simple movement regime at home

When your baby is free, encourage them to do some simple exercises at home. The forms of movement or exercises that your baby can perform include: walking, kicking a soccer ball, jumping rope, hitting a bridge ... whenever free and trying to build these activities into a habit of movement. children. This will help your child not sit still, forget the need to eat, be motivated to implement a weight loss plan.

In addition, you should change the eating habits of the whole family. Cut back on junk food and reduce the amount of oil you use in everyday cooking, and add more vegetables and lean meats. This not only makes it easier for your child to follow the weight loss diet plan, but also improves the family's health through diet.

In addition, encourage your child to participate in some physical activity classes such as swimming, martial arts, basketball, aerobics ... This not only helps your child lose weight but also has more useful skills. .

8. Make a chart to track your child's weight loss progress

Make a chart for your child's weight loss and stick it on the wall in his or her room. Every week or month, chart the weight your baby has lost. Gradually, you will realize what you have achieved and will be motivated to pursue this difficult task.

When should I see a doctor?

Before planning your baby's weight loss, take your baby to a doctor, consult your doctor to get helpful advice on how to help your baby lose weight in a healthy and effective way. A sudden reduction in food intake and increased intensity of activity beyond normal levels can be detrimental to a child's health, since they have a faster metabolism and need to eat more often.

However, if after a period of time applying the above methods of weight loss is not effective or the amount of weight the baby has lost is too little, you should also see a doctor to find out the cause and have an effective weight loss plan. than.