How Parents Should Motivate Overweight Child?

With a commercial motive, soda drink manufacturers and fast food joints are indulging in heavy advertisement campaign, attracting people of all ages towards them. The items of fast food and soda drinks contain a lot of sugar and are rich in fat. These are added to make them tasty. After a few trials, an individual gets addicted and has craving for these items.

Regular intake of these items, associated with sedentary life, results in obesity or problem of being overweight, especially in children. This has become an epidemic in the developed world and governments are taking tough measures to prevent spread of obesity. Children suffering from obesity often develop inferiority complex and are unable to compete with normal children.

Parents have to play an important role in motivating the children to lose weight and to be fit and healthy throughout life. For motivation, first and foremost requirement is counselling the child. The parents should explain in detail and repeatedly the ill effects of being overweight, and consequences the child will have to face as he grows up. The child should be told of diseases he can contact as he grows up.

When it comes to weight reduction the first idea that comes to the mind of the child and parents is reducing diet or starving. This is not proper as it will effect development of both the brain and body of the child.

To motivate the child, the first thing is helping the child increase physical activity. The parents should accompany the child to play some game with him. The parents and the child should go out together for cycling or jogging or take long walks together. If some games academy is available nearby the child should be admitted there and should be encouraged to play with other children.

In addition to exercise it is important to motivate the child to change food habits. If the family is in the habit of going out for food quite often, this should be cut down drastically. The food should be prepared at home. It should be such that it is rich in vitamins necessary for building healthy body and also is fibre rich. Fibre helps to give a feeling of satiety. The whole family should eat maximum quantity of vegetables and meat cooked in least possible quantity of fat. At least twice a week the family should eat fresh fruits and vegetable salads for dinner. This may be supplemented with boiled or smoked meat.

Once, by your motivation, the weight reduction process starts and the child loses the first few pounds, the stage is set for further and intensive motivation. The child will get encouragement from loss of weight, and your counselling, and soon things will start turning normal.

Remember this is a long process and your help and motivation will be needed for a long time till the child gets self cautious.