Weight Loss Program for an Obese Child

It's up to parents to encourage healthy eating behaviors in children. A weight loss program for an obese child should focus on balanced nutrition and learning healthy behaviors, which will stick with him throughout his life. Avoid fad diets, which Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center defines as anything that excludes a specific group of foods. They can be lacking in certain necessary vitamins and minerals.

Healthy Eating

• Your child should eat a wide variety of foods, including whole grains, lean proteins and fruits and vegetables. As a parent, you are responsible for the foods that you purchase and prepare for your child. Don't keep junk food in the house. Instead, be sure that healthy snacks, such as fresh fruits or whole wheat crackers and cheese, are readily available.

  Be sure your child eats a healthy breakfast before he heads off to school. You should also consider packing a lunch--a child that has the option to buy a lunch at school may not make the healthiest choices. A homemade family dinner is a better option than eating in the car after a trip through the drive through.

  When you follow these tips, you may not need to count calories, but you can if you want to be sure that your child is eating the right amount. Ask your pediatrician for daily calorie guidelines and try to stick with them.

Increasing Activity

• Helping children lose weight also entails increasing their activity levels. Your child may be obese simply because she prefers to keep her nose in a book or to play video games.

  Do things that can make you more active as a family. You may want to go for a walk after dinner or a bike ride on the weekends. You can also keep some weight training videos at home and encourage your child to do them with you. If you're doing it as well, she may not feel singled out.

Emotional Issues

• Remember that obesity and eating habits can come packaged with a lot of emotional issues. If your child knows that you are concerned about his weight, he may think that it's a sign that you don't really love him for who he is. Be sure that this isn't the case.

  Try to determine the real reasons why your child is obese. It may be because you haven't been preparing healthy meals, but it could also be that your child has a problem with emotional overeating. If you can determine the reason that he is overeating, you may fix the problem. For example, if he is eating because he is lonely and doesn't have friends, you could try to get him involved in activities where he could make new friends. If he overeats because he has a poor self image, you may be able to start to improve things with a new haircut and some clothes that he likes.

  While it's OK to have an occasional treat, you shouldn't use food as a reward, which can create unhealthy eating habits. Additionally, trying to restrict food too much may cause him to feel shame about his eating and to hide food from you. The best way to approach weight loss for children is to see it as a way to improve health, not lose weight.