Diet Programs for Obese Children

Children up to 11 years old weigh more and have more body fat than their counterparts did 20 years ago, according to the second National Youth and Fitness Study. With the overwhelming amount of time youngsters spend indoors engaged in sedentary activities in front of television, computer and video game screens, this information should not be surprising to parents. And when it comes to diets for children, there are some excellent options.

Set the Example

• Perhaps the easiest way to undertake weight loss for children is for parents to set a good example. Yes, life is busy for everyone. It is hard to take the time to prepare and eat nutritious meals, and maybe even harder to make yourself go outdoors and spend time running around the yard, playing catch or other calorie burning activity but what’s more important than the health of your children? Find a regular vigorous activity the whole family enjoys, and make healthy eating a habit. Consider taking them to the grocery store with you so they can learn what healthy food shopping is all about.

Slimkids

• Since 1995, this program has been teaching overweight children and teenagers how to lose weight quickly and safely. The Slimkids approach is to incorporate a wide variety of foods like the following sample menu.

  Breakfast: One scrambled/fried egg, one slice of wheat toast, ½ a grapefruit, 1 cup of skim or 1% milk

  Lunch: Chicken salad sandwich, apple, cut up carrots with non-fat dip, juice pack drink

  Dinner: Broiled lean roast beef, ½ cup of mushrooms served hot over the roast beef, 2 cups tossed salad with reduced calorie dressing, 1 cup of cooked broccoli, 1 cup of skim or 1% milk

  Snack: 2 cups of popped light popcorn, one homemade chocolate milkshake

  Parents should make full use of the five basic food groups and closely follow the USDA recommendations for daily calorie intake--1,500-1,800 calories. There are no gimmicks, special foods or exhaustive calorie counting. The program’s cornerstone is training youngsters to choose healthy portion sizes.

Trim Kids

• Trim Kids is based on a book written by Melinda Sothern. This 12-week program has helped thousands of kids lose their paunch and regain an active lifestyle. The book goes out of its way to not emphasize a particular menu of food kids can or can’t eat. Trim Kids is not about fad eating or crazy techniques that no one could possibly stay on long term. It’s a commonsense approach to a lifetime of healthy eating habits. Like Slimkids, Trim Kids focuses on portion control and includes such child favorites as grilled cheese sandwiches, southwestern scramble with toast, fruit and milk, chicken soup and milk, and grilled turkey burger with sweet broccoli salad and fruit. The Trim Kids basic rules for eating include:

  • not overeating
  • consuming less sugar
  • reducing high-calorie snacks
  • avoiding foods high in saturated and hydrogenated fats
  • increasing fiber intake
  • shopping for healthier foods and eliminating temptation foods from the house.