Childhood obesity is a very serious condition that occurs when a child’s weight is well above normal. Childhood obesity can lead to health problems such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. These conditions used to generally affect adults; however more and more children are being diagnosed with these illnesses as a result of obesity. In order to determine if your child is obese, his pediatrician will determine their Body Mass Index (BMI) and also determine the child’s weight percentile.

The main cause of childhood obesity is overeating and getting too little physical activity. In a small number of children, genetics can cause obesity. Also, medical conditions such as Prader-Willi syndrome and Cushings syndrome can cause obesity. Sometimes psychological factors can cause your child to overeat leading to obesity. Family factors also play a part in childhood obesity. If the family’s income is low, they may not be able to purchase healthy meals and resort to cheaper, unhealthy choices which can lead to a child being obese. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/childhood-obesity/DS00698/DSECTION=risk-factors<ref>

If you are concerned that your child is suffering from childhood obesity and you want to learn how to treat childhood obesity, contact your health care professional. They may help to design a plan for healthy eating and exercise or may be able to refer you to a nutritionist or dietician. However, read on for a few tips to help you treat childhood obesity.

One of the best ways to help your child lose weight is to emphasize portion control. Portion sizes are very large in restaurants and pre-packaged meals. Because of this, it is important to learn what an actual portion size is. Learn how to read nutrition labels so you can determine the actual portion size. For example, take a container of macaroni and cheese. When checking the nutrition label, the serving size is one cup; however, the servings per container is two instead of one. So if the child eats the whole container, they will be eating 500 calories, 24 grams of fat and 62 grams of carbohydrates as opposed to 250 calories, 12 grams of fat and 31 grams of carbohydrates in one serving. Those additional calories add up very quickly and can contribute to childhood obesity. http://www.fda.gov/Food/LabelingNutrition/ConsumerInformation/UCM078889.htm#see1

If a serving size is measured by the ounce, as in the case of a block of cheese, and you are unsure what an ounce looks like, think about using a food scale. Use a book such as “The Calorie King: Calorie Fat and Carbohydrate Counter” which is updated annually and gives you the amount of calories, fats and carbs in all types of foods. There is even a section that gives you popular restaurant and fast-food establishment meals so you can quickly see how many calories you are ingesting.

Determining portion sizes, as suggested in Step 1, is only part of the treatment for childhood obesity. Next you must implement an eating plan so you child can eat healthy foods that will contribute to weight loss and good health. Try to serve your child as much fresh food as possible. Avoid convenience foods which are often full of fat and sodium and can be very high in sugar.

Eliminate soda and other sugary drinks substituting with water. Add lemon or other fruits to the water to make it more palatable if your child doesn’t like to drink water. Skip fruit juices too or at least limit the amounts you give your child. They often have very little nutritional value and they can also make your child feel too full to eat healthy foods. Be careful when going to restaurants. Often the foods contain a lot of salt and sugar to make the foods taste better; however, they can be very unhealthy. Try to avoid restaurants especially fast-food establishments opting for healthy meals made at home. Allow your child to participate in the menu planning and the meal preparation. This way, they won’t feel as though they have no choice in what they eat. Set a good example for your child by eating healthy and including other family members in the healthy eating plan as well.

In order to lose weight, it is imperative for your child to get active. Implementing an exercise plan into their daily routine will help them to not only lose weight but to also feel better and have more energy. Try to find a variety of activities that your child enjoys such as jogging, walking or jumping rope. Make sure your child does some sort of aerobic activity every day for at least thirty minutes.

Help your child become more active by limiting the amounts of time he spends watching television or surfing the internet. Try to incorporate activity that the whole family can enjoy. Considering talking family walks or bike rides to stay active. Give each family member the chance to choose an activity that everyone can do. Incorporate activity into your everyday routine by walking to the store instead of driving. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/childhood-obesity/DS00698/DSECTION=lifestyle-and-home-remedies

If your child is interested in sports, look into sports camps or recreation leagues or see if your child’s school has a sport your child can participate in. Make sure the physical requirements are not too arduous if your child is just starting out.

The content in this page is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please contact your doctor before using the information presented here.