Ways To Combat Childhood Obesity In The Home

• You consider your child’s weight is a problem
• Both you and your child believe you are able to change the family eating and lifestyle habits

It has been proven that for a child to have the best chance to combat childhood obesity in the home the entire family must be willing to join the effort. If only one member of the family is willing to change, the success will be less likely.

Ways To Combat Childhood Obesity In The Home - A Good List

The best way to combat childhood obesity in the home is a combination of both healthy diet and active environment for children. There are many ways which this can be accomplished.

• Making time for family activities – walking, bicycling or other outdoor activities the entire family participates in
• Plan active family events such as hiking
• Assigning active chores to all members of the family
• Find a structured activity that your child will enjoy – dance, martial arts and gymnastics classes are good examples. Pick something the child wants to be a part of.
• Limit TV watching to no more than two hours a day
• Provide everyone a healthy diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean meat.
• Plan times to make food together
• Plan time to eat dinner together – eat at the dinner table at the same time each day without rushing
• Do not allow other activities to intrude with dinnertime
• Do not force your child to eat
• Use portion control
• Avoid using food as a reward or punishment
• Limit the use of fast food and prepackaged food

Ways To Combat Childhood Obesity In The Home - Other Ways Of Helping

In order to combat childhood obesity in the home, it will take more than changing your child’s habits. Children will only follow if they see positive roles and reinforcement.

• Model healthy choices as examples – showing the child there is meaning behind the words provides positive results
• Keep yourself active and in shape – teaching by doing is always better than words alone
• Compliment and positively acknowledge good behavior in children always – it takes five compliments to equal one negative remark

Being ready and willing as a family will greatly enhance the success in any efforts to combat childhood obesity in the home. Without family supports, the chances for failure and lower self-esteem can increase dramatically.