Childhood Weight Management Do’s and Don’ts

If you’re committed to helping your children and family take charge of their weight, there are a lot of ways you can go about achieving this goal… some good and some not-so-good. Let’s take a look at both.

Points about Children and their Weight

• Children are still growing and need the nutrients from a variety of foods. If your child is overweight, rather than trying to have your child lose weight, let your child’s growth catch up to his or her weight.
• Help your child achieve a healthy weight by balancing the calories in with the calories that are burned. This is one way to reduce the rate of weight gain. Your health care professional can provide some helpful advice on how to get started.

Practices to Avoid in Managing a Child’s Weight

• Putting children on a diet. Dieting—making a short-term change to your eating habits just to lose weight—isn’t a long-term solution for a child’s weight problem. This is especially true of fad diets which can be extreme, nutritionally unsound and difficult—if not impossible—to sustain over any period of time, especially for a child. Instead, work toward the goal of creating a long-term balance between your child’s eating and physical activity habits.
• Restricting food. When certain foods such as candy and sweets are put into a “bad” category and eliminated from a child’s diet, the results can be counterproductive. It’s not unusual for children who are forbidden from enjoying an occasional treat to rebel by sneaking (or even bingeing) on these foods when they’re away from you.
• Singling out a child. If your child is at risk of being overweight, it’s not just an issue he or she must confront. It’s one for the whole family. Don’t single out your child during mealtimes, make comments that could be hurtful, or treat other children differently. These actions may have devastating effects on a child’s self-esteem and create stress he or she may try to remedy by overeating.
• Using food as reward or punishments. Never provide food or treats as a reward for good behavior, or withhold them as punishment. Both actions can give your child unhealthy ideas about food. Find other, better ways to control and modify your child’s behavior.

Methods You Can Use

• Take a whole-family approach. When the whole family gets involved in helping a child or sibling control their weight, everyone enjoys better health and more time together. And the support your child gets from the rest of the family will increase self-esteem and establish a healthy lifestyle that will last a lifetime.
• Gradually alter eating habits. Make gradual improvements to your family’s eating habits by serving more balanced meals and snacks.
• Get active, stay active. In addition to encouraging your overweight child to be more physically active, it’s a good idea to regularly organize and participate in activities for the whole family. You’ll all be better off for it.
• Always be supportive. Let your overweight child know that you love him or her regardless of their weight. By being a consistent source of love and support, you help your child develop positive feelings of self-esteem, which helps him or her make the changes necessary to manage his or her weight. Be available to talk about the issue of weight whenever your child wants to discuss it. And always emphasize a child’s positive qualities and strengths—like good grades, musical and artistic abilities, and leadership skills.
• Lead by example. Children learn so much from what their parents say and do. Be a good role model to all your children by eating right, participating in regular physical activity and managing your own weight.