Fat or Cute?
Fat can be cute but not when it
becomes obesity. So, monitor your child's weight from an
early age so he doesn't have to endure years of agony as an
adult. Don't tell yourself that it's just puppy fat when you
know in your heart that your child is overweight. On the
other hand, don't become so paranoid that you make him
miserable by denying him all sweet stuff or by not giving
him enough to fill his stomach. Resorting to calling a fat
lump in front of others, hoping he will feel embarrassed
enough to start eating less, is not a good either. He might
lose weight but end up psychologically affected, believing
that he must be perfect and conform to other people's
standard before he can be loved or be happy. Or, he might
secretly rebel and refuse to cooperate.
The obvious way to avoid obesity is
sensible eating plus exercise. However, to be successful,
you must first ask yourself some questions. This will enable
you to see where you and your family are going wrong and
realise what need to be done.
When it is mealtime, is your
child hungry?
If he's not, the problem is
probably over feeding, either at main meals or because of
in-between snacks.
Does your child seems miserable
or unhappy?
Some parents associate food with
happiness and as long as their child is eating well ore
more, they are contented. One must realise that their
children may 'comfort eat', just like adults. Your child may
have a long standing worry, or it could even be her weight
that is making her sad; fat children are often teased or
rejected at school and left out of playground games. Sports
could become an embarrassment because he doesn't like
wearing shorts or a swimsuit, or cannot keep up with the
rest.
Does he eat between
meals?
Snack-type foods such as biscuits,
sweets, chocolates and fizzy drinks are very high in
calories because they contain sugar or fat, or both. Cut
down their intake or replace them with snacks such as
fruits.
Does he watch a lot of
television or video?
The television might work as a much
needed babysitter but the more she watches, the more likely
she is to be overweight as her time is spent away from more
active pursuits. 'Snacking' is also easy while watching
television and popular foods tend to be the constantly
advertised high-calorie goodies.
Is food given as a
treat?
Too much candy can make your child
fat. Occasional treats will be loved, but when regularly
given, they become less of a pleasure. Replace them with
special playtime which will be much more worthwhile.
Is your partner or you under
pressure?
Question whether you're showing any
worries you have. Your child's weight might be one of your
concerns but if that's the case, do something about it.
Don't make a fuss. your child just might react to your
anxiety by overeating.
Fat
fallacies
"It's his glands."
Thyroid gland trouble is rare, and
other glandular problems leading to obesity are even
rarer.
"It's just puppy
fat."
Per-schoolers' plumpness is indeed
just puppy fat which will disappear but unfortunately, many
parents use the term wrongly to justify fatness in older
children of teenagers who really ought to lose
weight.
"Our bones are
heavy."
Some families may be heavier than
average because they are tall, but fatness due to heavy
bones is a myth. whatever a child's height, if he looks fat,
then he is.
"It's our genes."
True in some families. If both
parents are obese, the child faces a higher risk. The risk
is low when neither parent are is fat. However, lifestyle,
the family environment and eating habits worsen or reduce
the problem to a certain extent. So, don't just blame the
genes and gobble away.
"Delay weaning."
It was once thought that early
weaning increases the chances of a child becoming
over-weight but this idea has since been discarded.
Different babies show signs of wanting solid feed at
different ages, so never deliberately delay weaning.
"He's fat because he's
greedy."
Numerous studies failed to show
that fat children, in general, overeat in the conventional
sense, although they eat too much for their body's
requirements. Some children and adults do become obese
because of overeating, but it's usually die to bad habits or
unhappiness.
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