Do you think overweight children should be put on diets or?
gsmom asked: should they change there eating habits and become more active ? For me i think a child on a diet lowers there self esteem and has so many...
gsmom asked:
should they change there eating habits and become more active ? For me i think a child on a diet lowers there self esteem and has so many negative stereotypes.I think saying to a child lets change your eating habits and get more active would have much more positive results than go on a diet your overweight . what do you think ?And no im not picking on overweight children i have an overweight child.
Clinton
should they change there eating habits and become more active ? For me i think a child on a diet lowers there self esteem and has so many negative stereotypes.I think saying to a child lets change your eating habits and get more active would have much more positive results than go on a diet your overweight . what do you think ?And no im not picking on overweight children i have an overweight child.
Clinton
Agreed.
It should be a health issue, not a weight issue.
A diet *is* changing their eating habits. Diets cannot be short term – if you go back to eating what you used to after you have lost the weight, you will gain it right back. Overall, I think it is a matter for the child’s doctor to decide.
If I were in that situation, I would remove all unhealthy foods and easy to get to snacks, and enroll them in sports and afterschool programs to fill up their time so they don’t get bored and eat.
I think just increasing their activity level is the best place to start. Rather than a diet, you could just decrease the frequency of food and/or improve the quality of food. you don’t have to tell the child what you’re up to, just gradually shift them over to a healthier lifestyle.
I think activity levels should be increased and portions should be limited. I don’t think a strict diet or even calling it a diet would be appropriate. But some kind of genital controls should be in place.
I think that the best way to go about it is to decide as a family to begin making healthier food choices and being more active, in order to have healthy strong bodies. In today’s society, ‘going on a diet’ seems to focus more on appearance, on needing to ‘look good’ than it does on just being healthy.
Being healthy should be the goal, not ‘looking good’. Being healthy leads to long term changes that benefit your life. Dieting to lose some weight in order to be pretty/handsome, usually ends when the goal weight is reached & the unhealthy eating habits just begin again.
And, if the whole family is involved, then no one is being singled out as being ‘fat’ or as being, somehow, not loved the way that they are.
i don’t think the child should be put on a diet…i think the whole family should and they should start to take a walk everyday or play basketball and if they drink a lot of water and do this than they will lose weight and not have self esteem issues…..giving a kid 100 calorie packs isnt going to do anything they are only going to eat healthy and be active if the rest of the family is too
It shouldn’t be considered a diet, but a lifestyle change. And, this begins with you as you prepare their food. Buy a good book on nutrition and preparing healthy food. You and your entire family will benefit from this. Get rid of unhealthy snacks and replace them with healthy ones that are easy for your child to access. You may need to send a lunch to school with your child that is packed with healthy choices. It won’t be popular at first, but is so important if you do not want to see your child struggle his/her entire life. If the child sits around the house and plays video games all day, then you need to set a time limit on them and enforce it. We all have become victims of fast food, convenience foods, and preserved foods. This has left us a nation of overweight and unhealthy individuals. You can change this trend in your own family by changing your lifestyle and will get healthier in the process.
It shouldn’t be a matter of dieting for children or adults. It should be a healthy lifestyle with the goodies in moderation.
Parents are usually in control over what a child eats. If a child is overweight I think the parents need to keep unhealthy foods out of the home, make healthy snacks available, not go out for fast food every weekend, make a habit of drinking water at dinner and not keep soda in the house…If you change the way the family eats than the child will eat differently and will learn good eating habits in the long run. Also try to take family walks at night or go swimming in the summer. See if he/she is interested in any sports or activities. Changes like these would benefit the entire family.
I agree with Maureen. It should be a family “decision” to be healthier. Not only does that mean eating healthier. But getting physical activity in. Taking a bike ride or a long for 30 minutes together will not only help with weight but it will bring the family together. What is good for your child is good for you also.
Our son who is now grown and has always had a weight problem. The most important thing you can do for your child is to change your whole families life style. Eat more healthy, read food labels, to much sugar and sodium in food is not good for anyone. It is amazing when you check food labels and foods you thought were healthy for you are really bad. You do not have to tell your child they are on a diet becuase they are not, you are making healthy choices that your whole family will benefit from. It is easier than you think.Our son and his family all make healthy choices still because of what we changed when he was growing up. Watch food labels for sugar, sodium and trans fat levels, Stay healthy!!!!!
You are absolutely right. i was overweight as a child (in foster care) and had nurses, doctors, foster parents and anyone in any authority at all telling me I was fat and needed to go on a diet….I was ridiculed my whole growing up years…I still have a weight problem…I don’t blame it on the comments made…my weight is because I eat too much and don’t exercise enough, but my low self esteem is because of the comments made. It is very important to never call a child overweight or fat or any negative things…words hurt and they last a lifetime.
People have so many self esteem issues now, so a diet I think would be a big no no! If you feel the child is overweight because of being over feed and inactive, serve better meals, keep junk out of the house, and get involved with your kid in some outside activity. If the child sees his/her parent living a healthy lifestyle they will be more inclined to do so as well.
I definitely think that parents should play an active role in teaching their child healthy eating habits and getting them into activities that will get them in shape. Not only is it unattractive and therefore detrimental to their self esteem, but its just plain unhealthy! Some kids do have problems. I have twin 14 year old sisters who weigh more than me and I’m 6 months pregnant. I weigh about 160 and am about 5′5″ and they’re about 5′8″ and are pushing 200 if not a bit over. They have huge genetics and slower metabolism. (We have different dad’s, my dad is slim and short, their dad is very tall and very overweight) Before I got pregnant I used to go to their house to take them on walks or jogs with them to help them feel better about themselves. My mom takes them shopping and kinda spoils them a bit to make sure they feel comfortable in the clothes they’re wearing. We all encourage them to make healthy eating choices. Its been a big incentive for them to work out because I am getting married in August and they want to look good at my wedding. I think that the best you can do for your child is always positively encourage them and NEVER put them on a diet. They will do that to themselves enough as teenagers. Parents and siblings should be there to encourage them to make healthy changes, not drastic “drop the weight fast” changes.
I hope that helped
I think that it shouldn’t be made a big deal of. Like you said, I think changing eating habits and being more active would be the more positive and successful approach. Especially if it’s all done as a family. Get the bad foods out of the house, or at least limit them more, and go for walks and other things as a family. So the overweight child is not singled out and feeling ashamed or embarrassed.
i don’t think that they should be put on a diet. they should just be eating less fatty foods and more veggies. try making healthy snacks like peanutbutter and celery-they get vitamins and protein. also make sure that they run around enough. if you teach a child to just watch movies and eat chips, they won’t be more likely to change when they’re older. also make sure that they are taking the correct vitamins for their age. i’m not saying that you have to tell your kid : no more chips, ice cream, cake, cookies, etc. just say look we can have this food this often. provide a good example by eating that way yourself.
good luck :]
Well a diet, is actually just a change in eating habbits, and its actuall definition is what you consume. I would say a change in eating habbits and more activity would be appropriate, but making sure not to do so in a manor that harms the childs self esteam. I would suggest starting off slowly and to help, change your eating habbits to what you want them to be eating too, as well as becoming active with them. Just feeling better could improve their selfesteam.
I would say change the eating habits, and get them involved in School Sports like Swimming.