Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhy Kids Gain WeightCommon MistakesWays You Can AssistGetting Professional Help
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Why Kids Gain Weight
Common Mistakes
Ways You Can Assist
Getting Professional Help
If your child is overweight, it can be frustrating if they are trying their best to shed the pounds but the scale isn’t budging. It can also be worrisome given the health risks ofchildhood obesity, including an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and asthma.
This article explores the common reasons why children are overweight and the mistakes that parents sometimes make when trying to help their child lose weight. It offers a rational guideline for weight loss in children without risk to their health or well-being.
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Reasons Kids Gain (and Retain) Weight
Among some of the key contributing factors to this are:
Recap
Understand What Causes Childhood Obesity
Common Weight Loss Mistakes
On paper, it should be easy to lose weight—simply eat less and exercise more. But as parents well know, that’s easier said than done. For children, the challenges are often greater given that they may have less self-control and more temptation from school friends.
Many weight-loss plans for childrenfail for the following reasons:
Unrealistic Expectations
Not setting realistic weight loss goals is a common issue. Rather than losing weight, a good first goal may be to simply stop gaining weight. If your child meets that goal after a few months, you can then modify their diet and activity level to begin shedding pounds.
Trying Too Much, Too Soon
Adults often give up on diets because they try too much too soon. Children will do the same if parents force aggressive changes in their eating and exercise habits.
Problems can develop if a parent suddenly decides to switch from whole to skim milk, cut out all sodas and fruit juices, and not allow any junk food in the house. At the same time, they may sign their child up for sports or personal training even though the child spends the better part of their time playing video games.
Extreme changes like these only set a child up for failure. A better approach is to focus on incremental changes with a clear set of long-term goals.
Not Upping Physical Activity
Exercise levels should never plateau. Allowing your child to engage in the same level of activity week after week will get them nowhere. Start your child with 15 to 20 minutes of exercise per day and gradually increase the intensity and duration every week.
In time, your child should have at least one hour of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every day and more vigorous-intensity physical activity at least three times weekly.
Fitness and Exercise Tips for Kids
Sticking With Old Pastimes
Work with your child to figure out what physical or outdoor activities appeal to them. By finding something they enjoy, they will most likely stick with it.
Lack of Meal Planning
Parents have to make a conscious decision to cut back on portions and the types of high-fat, high-calorie foods their family may enjoy. This is never easy, particularly if some members of the family are heavy and others are not.
By planning ahead, you can count calories while ensuring that you meet the nutritional goals of your entire family. It’ll also prevent you from “scraping together whatever you have” or calling for a pizza if you don’t know what to make.
Skipping Meals
It’s important to eat throughout the day to maintain steady metabolism (the burning of calories for energy). If your kids skip meals, their metabolism and energy levels can plummet. When this happens, your child will likely reach for a sugary snack or gorge themselves on whatever they can eat to boost their energy.
It is important to stress from an early age the importance of eating three meals per day. You can also teach your child which snacks are good for them if they need one.
Feeling Unmotivated
Perhaps the hardest part of losing weight is not getting motivated to make the changes that need to be made. Involving your child in the process, educating them about the reasons for the change, and rewarding their progress can help enormously.
Getting family members involved can also go a long way toward motivating a child. It not only gives them examples to follow but makes them feel less isolated.
When a Child Can’t Seem to Lose Weight
For the vast majority of children, weight loss comes down to burning more calories than they consume through food and drinks. As a parent, it helps to track both of these things. You may be surprised to find how many calories are in certain snacks or how few calories you burn with certain activities.
You can help your child in the following ways:
If your child can’t lose weight despite these approaches, speak with your pediatrician. There may be other reasons for their inability to lose weight.
RecapWeight loss is ultimately about burning more calories than you eat. By keeping track of your child’s food intake and daily activities, you can make adjustments to each to ensure the weight-loss goals are met.
Weight loss is ultimately about burning more calories than you eat. By keeping track of your child’s food intake and daily activities, you can make adjustments to each to ensure the weight-loss goals are met.
How a Professional Can Help
Your pediatrician can evaluate your child for medical conditions that can cause weight gain, includingCushing’s syndromeandhypothyroidism.If there are no specific health conditions affecting your child’s weight, the following may be recommended:
Weight Management Programs
Weight Watchers offers programs for children between 10 and 16. A parent’s signature and a doctor’s referral are required. The program involves in-person meetings and one-on-one support. Unlike the adult program, children cannot attend online meetings.
Working With a Registered Dietitian
A registered dietitian can tailor a program to your child’s unique needs and limitations. A dietitian can also help create an eating plan to aid with weight loss and ensure that the child gets ample nutrition.
Getting a Health Coach
There are paid online coaching programs that may help children with obesity. One such program is Kurbo Health Coaching which offers one-to-one remote coaching and a weight-loss app designed specifically for kids 8 through 18.
RecapIn addition to your child’s pediatrician, there are other professionals experienced in childhood obesity and weight loss. These include registered dieticians, kid-specific weight loss programs, and online health coaches.
In addition to your child’s pediatrician, there are other professionals experienced in childhood obesity and weight loss. These include registered dieticians, kid-specific weight loss programs, and online health coaches.
Summary
If your child is overweight or obese, it is important to take a rational approach to weight loss. One of the first goals is to identify the underlying causes of the weight gain so that you can aim to correct them. These may include your child’s diet and eating habits, the lack of physical activity, and personal issues like stress or boredom.
If your child has difficulty losing weight, make sure that they are burning more calories than they are consuming. If that still doesn’t help, seek professional help from your pediatrician, a registered dietician, a kid-specific weight-loss program, or an online children’s health coach.
Weight Loss Help for Kids Who Aren’t Losing Weight
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Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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