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continued:
Childhood obesity: Make weight loss a family affair
Create a healthy-weight environment
As you work toward healthy habits and behaviors, create an environment that supports these efforts. For example:
- Keep healthy foods on hand. Stock your kitchen with fruits, vegetables, whole-grain foods and other healthy choices. Keep junk food and sugary drinks out of the house.
- Eat in. Reduce the number of meals your family eats in fast-food and other restaurants. Better yet, sit down together for family meals. Plan weekly menus using new recipes or healthier alternatives to family favorites. Keep portion sizes reasonable and allow seconds only on salad, fruits and vegetables. Encourage your kids to get involved in shopping and meal preparation.
- Build physical activity into the daily routine. Put as much emphasis on moving more as on eating less. Organize family outings that involve physical activity, such as walking to the library or taking a family bike ride. Include children in active chores, such as washing the car or walking the dog. Encourage your kids to participate in school or community sports — or to dance, jump rope or do other physical activities on their own.
- Limit household screen time. Set reasonable rules for TV, computer and video game time, such as one to two hours a day for each family member — including mom and dad. Keep TVs and computers out of the bedrooms, and don't allow eating in front of the TV or computer.
Be a positive role model
Remember, the best way to get your child excited about an active lifestyle is to commit to the changes yourself. Your actions teach your child what to eat, how much to eat and when to eat. You also encourage your child to be physically active every day if you make it a priority yourself.
To be a positive role model:
- Eat nutritious foods
- Don't bring junk food into the house
- Control your portion sizes
- Save treats and high-calorie snacks for special occasions
- Turn off the TV and computer
- Include physical activity in your daily routine
- Stress the importance of healthy lifestyle choices, rather than a number on the scale
Making lifestyle changes can be challenging, especially when you're busy juggling the demands of daily life. If your family works together and supports each others' efforts, however, you're more likely to succeed. Eventually healthy habits will become routine — and you'll be well on your way to treating childhood obesity and improving your family's health.
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- Hassink SG, et al. Prevention of obesity. In: McInerny TK, et al. American Academy of Pediatrics Textbook of Pediatric Care. Elk Grove Village, Ill.: American Academy of Pediatrics; 2009:297.
- Klish WJ. Definition; epidemiology; and etiology of obesity in children and adolescents. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 16, 2010.
- Bray GA. Behavioral strategies in the treatment of obesity. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 16, 2010.
- Tips for parents — Ideas to help children maintain a healthy weight. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/children/index.html. Accessed Feb. 16, 2010.
- Overweight in children and adolescents. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/obesity/calltoaction/fact_adolescents.htm. Accessed Feb. 16, 2010.
- Help your child grow up healthy and strong. Department of Health and Human Services. http://www2.ed.gov/parents/academic/health/growhealthy/growhealthy.pdf. Accessed Feb. 16, 2010.
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