Has poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle made your teenage child overweight? One in five teenagers is obese / overweight; your child is not alone.
There are a lot of things that you can do as a parent to help your child lose weight, starting with spending more time with them and having a heart to heart talk. This can be followed by an appointment with a good doctor, who can explain the dangers of obesity and chart a healthy weight loss plan for your child. You can also take help of natural slimming patches. These patches are easy to use and can be discreetly worn, so your child shouldn't have any problem with it.
The best part is you won't have to remind your busy teenager 3 times a day to take his / her pills. Many parents find natural weight loss patches a good alternative to conventional weight loss aids such as exercisers and pills.
Why are teenagers becoming overweight?
Scolding or grounding your teenager just because he or she is putting on pounds is not going to help any of you. List down the root causes of your child's obesity and address each issue one by one. One or a combination of the following causes could be behind your child's obesity.
- Lack of healthy eating options
If both the parents are working and home-cooked meals is not an option - canteen food, frozen meals and takeaways are the only options that a child has. This is one of the biggest reasons for weight gain in children and teenagers today. If this seems to be the problem behind your child's weight gain, you can try make sure your child eats home cooked meals as often as possible.
Is your teenager spending too much time on the internet, Wii, Xbox or watching TV? These activities may keep your child's mind occupied but not give as much exercise as a good game of baseball or football. Slowly introduce the 'fun' of physical games to your child.
What you eat is what your child is going to eat. If your diet consists of fatty, unhealthy foods, your child will imitate and learn these food habits from you. If you don't remain active, you cannot expect your child to build a tree house or take the dog for a run. Children often do what they see, not what they are told.
- Carefree attitude
We all know that some teenagers have an 'I don't care' attitude. Telling them to watch their diet or taking up a physical sport can often fall on deaf ears. They might be resistant, rebellious or simply tell you that they are comfortable with their weight and don't care what you or others say. At times like this, you might have to employ a non-conventional approach to explain your child the risks of weight gain.
- Depression
Children and teenagers suffering from depression can often tend to overeat. They can also consume a lot of comfort foods; these foods are often high in sugar, salt and food. If your child is depressed, counselling can help to combat their depression and may lead to a healthier and happier lifestyle.
By shaily brown
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