The television show, Biggest Loser, has come under fire recently for sending the wrong message to kids about weight loss. Specifically, they are accused of encouraging kids to lose weight quickly and to focus on eating rather than on lifestyle.
The television show, Biggest Loser, has come under fire recently for sending the wrong message to kids about weight loss. Specifically, they are accused of encouraging kids to lose weight quickly and to focus on eating rather than on lifestyle. While I don’t agree with the critics, I do have some serious concerns about the health of our kids. As a pediatrician, I regularly see children who are headed for trouble because they are overweight. I have compiled some tips that I use to encourage parents who are trying to help keep their kids lose weight.
I fully appreciate that this is an enormously emotional issue for many parents who often feel like they are failures if their child is overweight. This is particularly true for mothers who feel responsible for everything that goes awry in a child’s life.
You eat what he eats. The first rule of thumb is to never put a child on a diet alone. This makes an already self-conscious child feel worse about himself. And, it doesn’t work. If the child diets, then the whole family diets. Every member should sit down and eat the same meal. If one child is thin and needs to gain weight, he can eat a second helping, but all the food must be the same.
Keep fruits in a bowl on the counter at all times. Don’t hide healthy foods in the refrigerator. Put them where a child wanting a snack can see them so that he grabs for the fruit before opening the cookie drawer.
