Archive for the ‘Kids weight loss’ Category

Here is a video on childhood obesity and kids weight loss that I posted on YouTube (and other video sites). Enjoy, and feel free to comment

As parents in a fast food society, we all need to know how to avoid the health effects of obesity in childhood. We all want what’s best for our children, we want them to live long, healthy lives. It would have to be most parents worst nightmare to outlive their children after all. The problem is that in this fast food society, an increasing number of children will experience lifelong health issues related to obesity. The health effects of obesity in childhood have become a growing concern in many developed nations where childhood obesity is estimated to effect as much as 33% of children in some places.

The longer someone is overweight the more likely they are to experience obesity related health issues so if they are overweight from childhood then they will be younger when they develop obesity related diseases. Everything from heart disease and diabetes to psychological issues like depression and anxiety. For more information on specific obesity related diseases read this post on the Health Effects of Obesity in Childhood.

There is hope however. Children have a huge learning capacity to learn to healthy food and exercise choices, but it has to begin with parents. Did you know that it only takes an average of 21 days to change a habit, that’s how long it will take a child to learn healthy eating habits. It’s important to remember that even our favorite foods are mostly habitual and that it is possible to retrain ourselves, at least to a degree. While your child may never like spinach, with time they may find that apples or sultanas will satisfy their craving for sweet foods just as effectively as ice cream used to.

Here are a couple of things that you can begin with today that will help retrain your children with regard to their eating and exercise habits:

1. Lead by example, don’t just tell them. Telling a child to do something you don’t do yourself is a sure fire way to end up looking like a hypocrite in their eyes. It’s like telling them that smoking is unhealthy while we are chain smoking ourselves. While it can be difficult to lead by example, it’s something we need to do. It’s not sufficient to tell a child they need more exercise or that they can’t eat fast food several times a week, it’s up to you to start preparing healthier meals and prove to your children that you don’t expect them to do anything you’re not willing to do yourself.
2. Set aside and half an hour everyday (or an hour every second day) to spend time together getting some exercise. Make it something fun. Take the dog for a walk, go to your local park and fly a kite, go for a family bike ride. If the kids like game consoles play one of those active games like Wii Sports. If they like dancing then get a Zumba kit. These activities will teach your child that exercise can be fun and you will have the added benefit of spending more time together and improving your own fitness.
3. Reduce the amount of high energy, high fat foods you store in the house. When you go grocery shopping load up on healthy snacks such as fruits, vegetables, low fat popcorn, nuts, raisins, etc. You probably need to retrain yourself as well as your children.

Following these tips will not only help our children but we will also benefit from them ourselves. We all want our children to live long and healthy lives so it is important that we commit to assisting them to exchange bad eating and excercise habits with good ones in order to avoid the potentially serious health effects of obesity in childhood.

The way children eat pizza you would think that pizza was a new food group, but of course it isn’t a food group. Pizza is generally a junk food. Pizza includes many of the different food groups. But why is it so popular?

I remember my first pizza. Dad bought it from the local pizza take away. But that pizza was nothing like the junk available in restaurants today. It wasn’t overloaded with cheese and had heaps of fresh vegetables. Of course, in those days Pizza joints were generally owned and run by Italians so the pizza was made according to the traditional Italian pizza recipes.

If you are like many people you love pizza, but there are potential problems.

• Do you eat one or two slices or the whole pizza?
• What pizza toppings do you use?
• Do you have any idea of the calorie content?
• What food groups are represented on the pizza you eat?
• How can you make the pizza healthier?

Many people are insufficiently disciplined when it comes to eating pizza. They will scoff down a whole pizza without considering the calories being consumed.

As an example, lets examine a supreme 12” pan pizza. This is usually sliced into 8 portions. Are you ready for a reality check here?

One slice can contain as much as 330 calories which means the whole pizza is 2640 calories. If you are trying to restrict your calorie intake in order to lose weight and you eat the whole pizza in one sitting then you have blown your calorie intake for the WHOLE DAY.

But let’s examine the nutritional facts here. The figures below apply to ONE SLICE of pizza, The figures need to be multiplied by the number of pieces you consume.

	Calories	Quantity (g)	% Daily recommended
Calories per slice	330
Calories from Fat	160	17g	26%
Saturated Fat	N/A	6g	30%
Cholesterol	N/A	35g	12%
Sodium	N/A	850mg	35%
Carbohydrate	N/A	29g	10%
Dietary Fiber	N/A	2g	8%
Sugar	N/A	N/A	3%
Protein	N/A	N/A	14%

When seen this way it doesn’t look healthy, does it?

How often do you eat pizza? You need to understand the consequences of what you eat. You also need to decide whether to order pizza to make your own which is healthier an more fun, especially when you allow each family member to add their own toppings.

Try making your own dough so you understand exactly what goes in it. Basic dough to make more than one pizza is a simple recipe. 16 oz (450g) white flour (or wholemeal flour if you want to make it healthier), 1 tsp yeast, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt and sufficient warm water to create a dough. Note: sugar and salt can’t be reduced as both are required to cause the yeast to ferment. Notice that you are not adding any fat, milk powder or extra sugar and salt.

Make your own tomato sauce, with tomato, garlic and onions. You don’t need fat or sugar either. It’s low in calories and can be used as the base for tomato soup or pasta sauce.

Load your pizza with lots of fresh vegetables.

What about meat? Take a piece of skinless chicken and dice it, cook with garlic or spices. You can dry fry if you have a non stick frying pan. Again no fat required.

But what about the cheese, mix together some low fat mozzarella and parmesan. You don’t need a large quantity of cheese. Try it and see if your family prefer the home made pizza.

If you eat a whole pizza (2640 calories) you would need to walk for 11 hours to burn off all those calories. You can eat your calorie laden pizza if you want but are you prepared to walk for 11 hours? A leisurely walk burns approximately 240 calories per hour.

But maybe you don’t eat a whole pizza, that is great, but how many calories do you consume in a day? Don’t forget to take into account your snacks and sugary drinks, a can of regular soda contains up to 160 calories, so four cans of regular soda means 640 calories. Yeouch, theres 25% of your daily energy needs right there. You need approximately 2000 calories to live if you are a woman and 2200 calories for a man. This is based on average activity levels.

Yes you can eat pizza but keep in mind the consequences!

If you’re unfortunate enough to need help fighting obesity in adolescents, in this case overweight teenage boys, then you may need an appropriate diet plan that will meet the nutritional requirements of the obese teenager in question. While society focuses more on girls having to be skinny and ‘sexy’, the fact is that many teenage boys are also overweight, even athletic teenagers like rugby and baseball players can experience weight issues. Overweight teenage boys can be found anywhere, it’s not just those who live sedentary lifestyles and munch out on junk food that have this problem. It doesn’t matter what cultural background they have, how fit they are or what they eat, overweight teenage boys are found in all walks of life.

Perhaps like many others, you have the incorrect stereotypical opinion that all obese adolescent boys sit in front of the television playing video games for hours on end and fail to get the appropriate exercise needed to maintain healthy body weight. Unfortunately, this isn’t necessarily the case. Even teenage boys who actively participate in sporting events can still be obese.

Finding an appropriate diet plan to fight obesity in adolescents can be very challenging. Even after finding an appropriate exercise plan for particular teenagers, it may not be sufficient. You could resort to alternative methods like diet pills, but that may not necessarily the best way to go as it may interfere with the delicate balance of nutrients required for adolescent growth. Sometimes the solution can be much simpler (and cheaper) than resorting to chemical aid like diet pills. You may find the solution is as straightforward as using several methods in conjunction to help the adolescent drop those excess pounds.

To fight obesity in adolescents you should first ensure that they have a healthy diet. If necessary you can reduce the amount of ready made, packaged foods and substitute extra fruit and vegetables. Keep in mind that teenagers are still growing. This means that they require more energy than you may think. The recommended calorie intake for a 16-18 year old male is 3000… compared to 2800 for an adult male. Of course, at this age your adolescent male is bulking on muscle as well as fat so it’s important that their protein consumption be a little higher than it was when they were younger. These factors make it difficult to determine how many calories are too much. However, with time, patience, and some luck, most people will eventually determine the right balance for their teenager. Keep in mind that you should pay attention to both portion size AND content. Adolescents require a wide variety of nutrients. Vitamin supplements can ensure that your teenager is receiving all the vitamins and nutrients he requires, though it isn’t recommended that you depend entirely on them to the exclusion of a healthy diet.

Remember, to fight obesity in adolescents you should reduce the amount of high calorie and high energy foods while substituting nutrient rich foods like fruit and vegetables to allow your adolescent to fill up on foods that won’t convert to fat so easily. Stay close to nature… give them something in it’s own skin rather than something out of a plastic packet!

After pinpointing an appropriate diet for your teenager, encourage him to engage in some form of exercise that he enjoys to help ensure that he is active. Even if this means playing Wii sportz… there are those who have lost significant amounts of weight based solely upon this type of exercise. If he’s an active participant in sports, and makes healthy changes to his diet, it will help ensure that he starts losing weight. You’ll be amazed how much difference dieting and exercise can make to a teenage boy’s energy and self image. Using diet plans to overcome obesity in adolescents could be the perfect way help your teenager feel better about himself.

In modern society, the most common way for doctors to determine whether a person is overweight is by calculating their BMI. What is BMI I hear you ask?

BMI is the abbreviation of ‘Body Mass Index’. BMI is a measure of an individuals weight compared to their height. It is used to provide an estimate of how much body fat an individual has. It can also indicate what risk factors a person has of suffering from obesity related health issues such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and high blood pressure.

There are four main levels of interpretation of BMI results in adults, although these can also be split into six:

1) BMI below 16 – Severely underweight
2) BMI of 16-18 – underweight
3) BMI of 18-25 – Healthy weight range
4) BMI of 25-30 – overweight
5) BMI of 30-40 – Obese
6) BMI over 40 – Morbidly Obese

While the calculation of BMI in children is the same as it is for adults, the interpretation is different because children are still growing. BMI results for children are broken down into BMI for Age and BMI for sex. A childs BMI is calculated and compared to other children of the same age and sex and displayed as a percentile. In children, it is possible to have a BMI of 18 and still be classed as obese depending on their age and sex. The breakdown for children is

1) Lowest 5% of BMI – underweight
2) Within 5-85% of BMI – Healthy weight range
3) Within 85-95% of BMI – overweight
4) In top 5% of BMI – Obese

How to calculate BMI.

There are two ways to calculate BMI depending on whether your system of measurement is imperial (pounds and inches) or metric (kilograms and metres):

In the Imperial system of measurement the formula is weight (lb) divided by height (in) divided by height (in) x 703

So if you weigh 198.42lb and are 66.5″ tall then the formula comes out as 198.42 / 66.5 / 66.5 x 703 = BMI of 31.54

By Metric the formula is weight (kg) divided by height (cm) divided by height (cm) x 10,000

So using the same figures converted is 90kg / 168.91 / 168.91 x 10,000 = BMI of 31.54

It should be noted that it is possible to have a high BMI without being overweight because BMI is calculated on overall weight and does not distinguish between the weight of fat or muscle. Therefore, a person who is extremely fit or does weight training can have a high BMI without being overweight. In such cases doctors also use tests such as the skinfold thickness measurement to determine whether a person is carrying unaceptable amounts of fat.

Children with high BMI for their age must also undergo other testing (such as the skinfold thickness measurement) for doctors to determine whether they are in fact overweight. It should be noted that it is unadvisable to put children on low fat diets since they need higher fat intake for growth and development.

So while BMI is not an exact science, it provides a good indication of whether a person is overweight in the majority of cases.

If you believe that yourself or your child may be overweight it is recommended that you consult your family doctor for advice.

Having a healthy lifestyle is necessary to reduce the risks of health problems caused by poor nutrition. Weight loss for children is something we never want to face but may be necessary in these fast paced times when we come to depend more on quick and easy meals. It is crucial that we teach our children an awareness of the importance of having a controlled diet. However, children are naturally stubborn and less attentive to activities that don’t please their interests, after all, they LIKE those high fat, high sugar snacks, a piece of fruit just doesn’t taste as good! Therefore, finding ways to implement a healthy lifestyle to help them reduce weight may take extra effort.

There are many weight loss for children tips that you may want to implement to make it easy for your kids to grasp the necessity to practice healthy eating habits. Moreover, informing them of the effects of unhealthy eating habits will help them be aware of the health problems that obesity can cause. Motivation is the key factor to avoid forcing them to do things they simply don’t want to do. It is better to help them realize that you are teaching them concepts to ensure future well being (both physical and emotional).

Showing them the benefits of practicing a healthy lifestyle is be the best way to teach them to adapt to weight loss for children if they need to lose weight. Being a good example to your children is the most important way for you to teach them to live a healthy lifestyle. In the dietary sense, this can be achieved by ensuring that family meals are healthy and nutritious. Buy less potato chips, cakes and ready made foods and more fruits and vegetables when you do your grocery shopping. Having foods that are high in fats and sugars in your pantry and refrigerator doesn’t help them control their diet. Therefore, you can start your health awareness on the snacks that you provide for your children. You may want to choose fresh fruits, low-fat products and nuts on your groceries to serve as snacks for your children. If your child is currently overweight you may find that eating these snacks will be enough to help them start losing weight.

You should also implement this concept in your meals Just make sure you have filled their plates with healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables and reduce the amount of meat. It is especially important to reduce the number of sausages consumed since one sausage contains 75% fat plus about half the recommended daily intake of cholesterol.

Tip: If you have access to Kangaroo meat it is an excellent substitute for beef. Kangaroo meat is higher in protein, zinc and iron than other meats while being much lower in fats. The small amount of fat contained in kangaroo meat is mostly healthy fat. Kangaroo mince is an excellent choice for spaghetti Bolognese or tacos if you are looking for a low fat option. Check the following links for information on kangaroo meat.

Nutritional information on kangaroo meat
Why is Kangaroo meat so healthy?
Kangaroo meat – Health Secret Revealed (CSIRO article)

Other good meats to include are lean skinless chicken breast (make sure to remove the skin prior to cooking as most of the fat is just under the skin) and lean pork (trim the fat off). These ‘white’ meats are also low in iron however. Fish is also an excellent choice because it is low in cholesterol, most of the cholesterol in fish is good cholesterol and it also contains omega 3 fatty acids which seriously help in the control of cholesterol. Even shellfish can be safely eaten, though shellfish like prawns, scallops, lobsters etc are traditionally high in cholesterol the effect is negated by the increased amount of Omega 3 fatty acid.

Lastly, it’s effective to be constructive when approaching weight loss for children. Instead of forcing them to go on a diet, you can introduce healthy meals and explain the health effects of eating the right food. Being positive about choosing fruits and other healthy foods is also much more advisable rather than warning them about harmful effects of eating junk foods. Children are just like us, when we discuss negatives with them they have the attitude that it wouldn’t happen to them

One of the most common causes of obesity and being overweight in children is what food experts refer to as binge eating disorder or BED. This disorder is very risky for growing children since it can cause other health problems as they arrive in their adolescent years. Obesity can potentially cause major heart problems as well as high blood pressure and cancer. You definitely don’t want to expose your kids to these health issues. Therefore, it is very necessary for parents with overweight or obese children to seek medical advice and look for a treatment for binge eating disorder as soon as possible.

Aside from health issues, binge eating disorder also causes emotional problems such as the development of low self-esteem, withdrawal from society and embarrassment to interact with the public because of the disorder. Finding a treatment for binge eating disorder is crucial when it comes to saving your growing kids from the harmful effects of the eating disorder.

There have been debates about the most effective way of treating the binge eating disorder. Some of the options for treatment for binge eating disorder include dealing with the weight loss issue or making necessary changes to the child’s behavior through intensive counseling. Due to health complications caused by obesity many experts prefer patients lose weight as soon as possible. However, because of the emotional factor involved in binge eating this can be a very difficult task. Therefore, most experts tend to use psychosocial treatment for binge eating disorder with the use of counseling and therapy procedures.

Some of the notable therapies that are suitable for children with binge eating disorder include cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy and interpersonal psychotherapy (counseling). Cognitive behavioral therapy promotes a return to healthy eating habits for your child. This also includes the necessary adjustments to self-image, body shape and weight that cause the disorder. On the other hand, dialectical behavior therapy allows your child to participate in group counseling and voice their thoughts and concerns through an open forum. Lastly, interpersonal psychotherapy effectively corrects the relationships that induce the worsening of the eating disorder.

All of these therapies are effective in alleviating the effects of binge eating disorder. However, since binge eating disorder has many potential risks to child’s health and interaction with the society, it is highly recommended to seek the help of professionals to address the emotional issues involved in acquiring the disorder.

Children’s weight loss programs are advisable for children that are overweight for their age. However, as a parent you should be aware of factors that help you determine whether your children’s weight is right for their age or whether it is excessive. While growing, children tend to develop different body parts at different times. We’ve all seen it, for a month or two they’re shooting upward, then it slow and they suddenly fill out, then all of a sudden you have to replace their shoes because their feet decided to grow! This pattern makes it very difficult to judge whether they are overweight by just observing their figure.

Experts use a type of measurement known as Body Mass Index or BMI to analyze whether a person is overweight. If your child’s BMI is found to be higher than 85% of the average for the same age and gender, experts may consider him or her to be overweight or obese. However, it should be noted that while a child’s BMI is calculated in the same way as an adults BMI, the categories for determining whether a BMI is healthy or not is very much dependent on their age and sex. If a high BMI is detected other tests must be performed to determine whether the child is in fact overweight. So don’t place your child on a diet based on a BMI that would be considered unhealthy for you as an adult. Always seek medical advice before taking such drastic action.

Preventing teenage obesity is necessary to avoid encountering problems when they start becoming conscious of their figure. Awareness of children’s weight loss concerns can help them build healthy eating and exercise habits. Encouraging and motivating them to pursue a healthy life can be very effective in eliminating bad eating habits and keep up their dedication to practice a healthy lifestyle.

Restricting fast foods consumption is an excellent start to your children’s weight loss program. According to studies, one of the main causes of obesity is eating too much fast food. Replacing high calorie meals with nutritious meals can help your children adapt to the weight loss practices that they should follow if they wish live healthy lifestyles. Fast foods contain calories that exceed the recommended calorie intake. An average person only requires about 2000 calories per day. However, eating a single fast food meal may add up to 1200 calories, which would effectively be one of the major reasons why these meals are not recommended for children undergoing a children’s weight loss program.

Educating children about the benefits of eating healthy foods and the effects of being fit can convince them to follow weight loss procedures. Moreover, being health conscious about the foods available in the cupboards can also significantly help your kids control their eating habits. Leaving too many chips and cakes around is tempting them to break their healthy eating habits. Lastly, setting an example also plays a major role in teaching your children how to become health conscious.

With the notion that beauty means having a slim body figure, teenagers nowadays want to be as thin as possible. Although in most cases they may look good and have the convenience of choosing whatever they want to wear, some teens take this too far and compromise their health by following overly strict eating habits. Therefore, if you have teenagers who are starting to become conscious about their figure, make sure that you inform them early about the effects of bad eating habits and the importance of looking for effective weight loss solutions. Providing them with good kids weight loss tips makes it easier to achieve their desired body shape without compromising their health.

It’s also important to teach them the importance of bone structure. Not all people can achieve a size 6-10. I’m a classic example. I have what used to be referred to as ‘child bearing hips’… meaning that my pelvis is wide. As a teenager my mother used to call me ‘little miss fat butt’ (though she didn’t use the term ‘butt’ as it wasn’t in fashion, she used a rude word instead! LOL). While I know that was a cruel thing to say, thankfully I didn’t take it personally because I knew I wasn’t fat (my pelvic bones and ribs stuck out… if anything I was too skinny at size 10). My bone structure realistically meant that nothing below size 12 was appropriate. But even at size 12 my butt looked big. There is nothing you can do In situations like that because it’s caused by bone structure rather than fat content. After all, you can’t make your bones smaller can you?

Although a thin figure can be great for conscious teenagers, having a perfectly slim body should be accompanied with proper knowledge about maintaining a healthy body. Providing teenagers with kids weight loss tips that can help them achieve their goals can be effective in helping them reduce unwanted body fat. One of the best procedures that you may want to suggest is to use pedometers. These devices track how far a user has walked and some also calculate the calorie usage based on the distance walked. Using a pedometer, allot a certain distance that they should walk every day as an alternative to common exercises. Gradually increasing the distance that they walk would depend on their commitment to stay fit and further slim their figure naturally.

Another great kids weight loss tip that teenagers may follow is to join a local gym. Participating in gym activities is a great way to make sure that all important muscles are exercised. A systematic gym routine helps burn unwanted fats while promoting a healthy physique. Make sure that a trainer assists your teen to develop a workout routine however.

Lastly, healthy eating habits help exercise routines to become more effective. Eating the right amount and type (ie. choosing healthy meals) will reduce the risk of health problems as adults. Most kids weight loss tips would not be effective if they have uncontrollable food consumption. Reducing the amount of fast foods consumed is also very helpful in any dietary plan. This may include limitations on snacks with high fat and sugar content and an increased intake of healthy foods like fresh fruits and vegetables. Controlling the calories would be necessary to improve the effects of their daily routine exercises.

The problems being overweight may not be that serious during childhood (unless a child is morbidly obese), but should be properly monitored once they are nearing their teenage years. We all know that peer pressure and the standards of society regarding body weight and shape can affect our children emotionally. Overweight teenagers are particularly at risk of suffering serious emotional issues including depression, eating disorders, even suicide. Therefore, looking for kids’ weight loss programs as early as possible can be of great help when it comes to addressing health issues that have resulted from being overweight at a young age.

When it comes to selecting from the kids weight loss programs available, make sure it takes the calorie intake of your children into account. A typical weight loss program for children has a total of 1800 calories per day. You may want to conduct thorough research about the diet plans that are applicable for your child’s condition as well as tips on how to motivate children to practice healthy eating habits. These helpful guides about directing your kids to a healthy lifestyle may also include exercise routines and activity changes to implement on your child’s day-to-day activities.

Effective kids weight loss programs do not necessarily restrict them from eating foods that they like entirely. The diet plan can help train your children to become responsible regarding the food they eat and the amount that would be sufficient to appease their hunger. Letting them develop this notion can be very helpful in controlling their weight as well as maintain their figure as they reach adulthood. Finding a reliable diet plan that can help your overweight children to lose about 1 to 2 pounds a week can be a good start for a 10-week diet program. Being selective on the weight loss plans that you would provide for your child can help them develop a diet that can effectively solve issues about their body. Resolving such issues is not only good for them physically, but also emotionally.

Kids weight loss programs that can provide your child with the freedom to choose what they want and at the same time give the best results for your family. Motivating your kids to have a healthy lifestyle and helping your children to develop changes in their habits. Many plans are available to help you solve your child’s weight problems and can help them achieve a perfectly healthy body as they grow. Teaching them how to eat the right foods would definitely help them adapt well to any diet programs that they would encounter.

In many case, kids weight loss programs do not require calorie counting. Rather, food substitution is frequently the way to go. Instead of giving your child a snack bar when they are hungry, give them an apple instead. It fills them up just as much but without the fat and sugar content.