Unfortunately recent years have seen a high incidence of child obesity and it is becoming a cause of concern for parents. As children are in their developing stage they have to be given diets that do not hamper their growth yet help them loose weight. The other diets that are famous for adults are not suitable for kids as it may leave the child with deficiencies and restrict healthy growth.

As a parent firstly learn to identify that your child is obese. Every parent finds a chubby child “cute” but is it really as harmless as you think it is? Don’t put off the weight loss program for your child merely hoping that the fat will disappear. It wont and would bring with it a number of health problems too. Did you know that child obesity can cause heart diseases, musculoskeletal problems, diabetes, and asthma and in some cases may even be the precursor for cancer? Apart from the health related problems what about the psychological problems your child would grow with thanks to his obese body?

Fat people are unfortunately the favorite butt of all jokes. Unfortunately for obese children they get ridiculed amongst their peers at school and play which can be very discomforting for the psychology of the child. It hampers their self worth and may bring in with itself a self imposed hatred or self pity. It may make them aggressive, nasty, bad-tempered, and sadistic or may make them introverts and complex adults with serious psychological problems.  As a parent it is your duty to address the issue without any delay and jump into action at the very first indication that your child is bordering on obesity. So what are the options you have as a parent who wants their child to lose weight?

Before you start any weight loss program for your child study his whole day’s activity and plan where all you can “add” activities that induce physical labor. Activities like cycling, swimming, jogging, brisk walking are excellent options for children. Not only do they help in weight loss but they also help in the muscular development of the child. Depending on the choice of your child you may enroll him in a hobby class for games like basketball, football, cricket, baseball or any game that involves running and lots of physical strain. The idea is to “burn” the fat naturally to make the child leaner and fit.

Along with the above activities study the diet chart of the child. As he is still in his growing years it is not wise to restrict the diet. Hence give the child a balanced diet that has enough proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and good fats. Do not try to remove the fats and carbohydrates from a child’s diet as they are very essential for his complete nutrition and energy requirements. Cut down on empty calories and junk food and shift to natural foods high in fiber. Do not even think of giving your child any weight loss drugs. A child’s body is flexible enough to lose weight quickly as long as you employ the right means to do so.

Most people who say that weight loss programs are bogus and doesn’t work have obviously chosen the wrong program in the first place. As you must have already seen around you, there are numerous weight loss programs. What would be the need for so many programs if one program could work for all? The answer is simple; one program would not suit all people as our body constitution, medical history, genetic constitution and personality varies. Hence when you choose a weight loss program it has to be suitable for “You” and not one that suits your neighbor.  

When browsing through various weight loss programs it is imperative to study the detailed break-up of the program and see if you shall be able to do it “completely”. Say you come across a weight loss program that asks you to eat 2 eggs daily and you don’t eat eggs. Obviously it is not suitable for you. Don’t be under the impression that you can leave one aspect aside and still make the program work for you. For desired results you have to follow the program “exactly the way it is”. There are many programs that have scope for modulations but these modulations have to be discussed with a doctor or nutritionist and not be self decided.

If you want to go thorough some good weight loss programs you can surf the internet, read books, ask your doctor or see some related programs on TV that give you valuable insights on these programs. Let’s have a look at a famous weight loss program known as “High protein, low carbohydrates diet” and its salient highlights:

A high protein diet asks you to increase your daily protein intake and reduce the daily carbohydrate intake for effectual weight loss. This is very effective in losing weight quickly but the weight loss need not necessarily be sustainable. The whole idea is to get around 30-50% of your required daily protein intake from proteins.

The scientific explanation for this diet is that when the carbohydrate consumption of the body goes down the body starts burning its own fat that leads to weight loss. This body state is referred to as “ketosis”. In this state the appetite of the person reduces drastically and he feels less hungry that causes weight loss.

The disadvantages of this diet if you overload your body with proteins:

Strain on the kidneys: Too high proteins in your diet are not healthy for the kidneys and may lead to kidney disorders.

High cholesterol: A high protein diet directly ends up increasing your cholesterol as all food with high protein generally has high cholesterol too.

 Osteoporosis: High protein diets make the person excrete more calcium that deprives the body of the required calcium causing osteoporosis.

Kidney stones: Due to high protein intake the calcium excreted by the body also increases and as a result there may be formation of kidney stones too.

 Cancer: When you deprive your body of many carbohydrates you are also keeping your body deprived of many anti-oxidants that are required for keeping away cancer. So if you want a high protein diet then increase the intake of foods rich in antioxidants like fruits, whole grains etc so that your body’s antioxidant requirement is also met adequately.

 Unhealthy metabolism: The state of ketosis is acceptable to the body only for a while and not prolonged as then it starts harming the organs and can cause a very unhealthy metabolic state.

The Pritikin diet was developed in 1970 by Nathan Pritikin who was a PhD and according to his recommended diet a person needed to consume only 10% of his total calorie intake per day from fats. Hence the diet is also known as a low fat diet. The basic concept of this diet recommends natural foods that are high on fibers and nutrients. He also recommends regular exercise as a part of the diet. The logic behind this diet is that when 10 % of your daily calories come from fat there is no need to count your calories as they would not add to your waist line anyways.

This diet recommends frequent eating of regular meals, say 6-7 times a day, to prevent feeling hungry and thus reduces the scope of binge eating. Eat unprocessed vegetables, unprocessed fruits, non-fat dairy products, egg whites, lean meat and whole grains as per your requirements and supplement it with a 45 minute walk per day and see your weight vanish in no time. You may also consume low quantity of omega-3 fatty acids (like in fish). Caffeine, white pasta, processed food, egg yolk, white bread and fats are completely off the diet chart.

You go to any supermarket and you are surrounded by “fat-free” foods. Have you ever bothered to see what exactly is there in these fat-free foods and whether the food really contained any fat before being declared fat-free? Take juices for example, they never had any fat, so where does the question of “NOW FAT_FREE” arise? Understand one thing as a consumer that marketers are targeting to capture your attention “no matter how”. And since it is in fashion to be diet-conscious and eat fat-free food they are claiming every second food to be fat-free.

Remember that in a low-fat diet you are basically targeting on “low cholesterol” and not on completely eradicating fat from your diet. Fats are also an essential nutrient that MUST be consumed for a healthy body and proper metabolism. The catch is only in limiting the intake to healthy limits. Read the fat-free label carefully to see if it is really fat-free or not. Fat-free foods are supposed to have less than 0.5 grams fat/serving. Low-fat foods are supposed to have less than 3 mg of fat/serving and reduced fat foods should have at least ¼ less fat than their counterparts. Some products make up for the lack of taste in fat-free foods by loading them with sugar, syrups and many such items that are high in calories but not on fat. So take care of what you pick-up from the shelves rather than going just by the “fat-free” label.

Nutritionists argue that it is not advisable to stay away from fat but eat “good fats” instead. The good fats include poly-saturated fats and mono-saturated fats. Focus on foods with low LDL i.e. the bad cholesterol and have food with high HDL i.e. the good cholesterol for a healthy fat-free body all your life.