How Do You Know If Your Child Is Overweight?
By Jeff
I recently read a forum post from a desperate dad. The title of his entry was, “My Son Is Fat!” Pretty strong language, huh?
He was shocked with this realization and needed help. His son was 11 at the time and fairly heavy for his age and height. He wondered out loud how this could have happened.
He admitted something later on in the post. He mentioned that he and his wife hadn’t been feeding him healthy foods and neither was the school.
The pediatrician was concerned but here’s what really bothered the dad. He was afraid his son would get picked on when he entered junior high the very next year.
Does any of this relate to you and your child?
How To Know For Sure If Your Child Is Overweight
Doctors use BMI measurements to figure out if a child is overweight. Body Mass Index is a calculation that uses height and weight coupled with age to determine if your child is overweight.
Your pediatrician will likely do this test but you can do it in your own home. KidsHealth.org has a free BMI calculator and it’s very easy to use.
Just fill in all the information and click on the “calculate BMI” button. You will see the results below the button.
What You Can Do If Your Child Is Overweight
Your pediatrician will give you some suggestions, but there are some simple things you can do to make some changes.
The dad I was talking about earlier started realizing how his child became overweight in the first place. The family’s food choices weren’t very good and were likely contributing to the issue. I gathered that both mom and dad were a little overweight too.
The Western diet is chalk full of fatty foods and tons of processed foods which have zero nutritional value. Just try eating chips every day for a week and see how much weight you gain.
The constant build up of unhealthy foods, fats and sugar will put the weight on in no time. It’s even been found that artificial sweeteners contribute to obesity, but that’s a story for another day.
Start buying and eating healthier foods now. I’ve made that switch to healthier foods a time or two in my life and I know what will happen. You lose fat/weight in as little as one week. It’s quite amazing how the body heals itself once you fuel it with healthy foods.
One thing the dad didn’t talk about much was exercise. It has been all but forgotten in our culture today. Yes, we hear about people running a half marathon every month and we see in shape people all the time.
If we really open our eyes we’ll also see the exact opposite. With all the kids in my neighborhood did you know there are only two families whose kids really stay active outside?
What’s everybody else doing? They’re doing what their parents are doing or a variation of it. They’re watching TV, playing video games or playing on the computer.
All it takes is 20-30 minutes per day of fun family activities indoors or out and that combined with a healthier diet will help your child with being overweight.
I really don’t want you to feel like the dad I read about. The last thing you want is your child teased at school or anywhere else.
Is your child overweight? Are there any kids close to you who are overweight? What are you doing to help them?
Check out this page on healthy meal plans for kids. www.myfamilyexercise.com/try-these-healthy-meal-plans-for-kids.html.
Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Topics: Kids Nutrition | No Comments »
Get the Complete Nutrition and Exercises For Kids System to help your child become healthier and be able to enjoy life more -
click here