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Fat or Cute? |
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| 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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| If you are interested in
additional information, or would like to set up a
Families Worldwide Chapter in your community,
please feel free to contact us via
e-mail. Families Worldwide |
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