Impact of Being Overweight
The Impact of Being Overweight
Being overweight causes problems with your child’s self-esteem.
Battling obesity doesn’t have to be difficult. The first step to overcoming weight issues is to discover and understand what foods and practices are healthy and which ones cause you to put on weight. Then, discover if there are specific emotional factors that cause you to overeat. Boredom, stress, and happiness or sadness are all common triggers to binge eating. All of this information can be obtained by talking and listening. In addition to determining those factors that cause overeating, it is important to make healthier choices in both your diet and lifestyle.
It is important to remember that it is useless to nag or preach to your child, as doing so will cause your child to shut down. Help your child to understand that his or her appearance and attitude will be change through determination, the right diet and exercise. Give positive feedback to your child, and find creative ways to reward them for even the smallest victories.
Another approach to insuring your child’s success involves changing their perceptive of what weight loss entails. Turn what seems negative into something fun. Lifestyle changes do not happen overnight. Habits that led to being overweight likely began a long time ago, and the sooner this is understood, the sooner the root of your weight issues can be addressed and corrected.
A doctor determines if children are overweight by measuring their height and weight. Although children have fewer weight-related health problems than adults, overweight children are at high risk of becoming overweight adolescents and adults. Be supportive and accepting of your child. Tell your child that he or she is loved, is special, and is important. A child’s feelings about himself is frequently based on his parents' feelings about them. Treasure your, regardless of their weight or appearance. Children will be more likely to accept and feel good about themselves when they know they meet the approval of their parents. Listen to your child's concerns about his or her weight. Overweight children are probably keenly aware of the fact that they have a weight problem. They need support, understanding, and encouragement from parents.
Weight issues in childhood can lead to health issues as adults. Children whose parents or brothers or sisters are overweight may be at an increased risk of becoming overweight themselves. Overweight adults are at risk for a number of health problems including heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure stroke, and some forms of cancer. Obesity in children can also lead to stress, sadness, and low self-esteem.
Children become overweight for a variety of reasons. Genetic factors, lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating patterns, or a combination of all of these factors, can lead to weight gain and obesity. In rare cases, a medical problem, such as an endocrine disorder, may cause a child to become overweight. Again, your physician can perform a careful physical exam and some blood tests, if necessary, to rule out this type of problem.
Although weight problems run in families, not all children with a family history of obesity will be overweight. Genetic factors can play a role in increasing the likelihood that a child will be overweight, but it is those shared family behaviors such as eating practices and activity habits that mostly influence body weight. The increasing popularity of television, as well as that of computer and video games contributes to inactivity in children. The average American child spends approximately 24 hours each week watching television -- time that could be spent in some sort of physical activity.
Is My Child Overweight?
If you think that your child is overweight, it is important to talk with your child's doctor. A doctor is the best person to determine whether your child has a weight problem. A complete physical, including a study of your child's age and growth patterns can help determine whether your child is overweight or at risk. Assessing obesity in children is difficult because children grow in unpredictably. For example, it is normal for boys to have a growth spurt in weight and catch up in height later. It is best to let your child's doctor determine whether your child will "grow into" a normal weight. If your doctor finds that your child is overweight, he or she may ask you to make some changes in your family's eating and activity habits.