Healthy Diets to Lose Weight for Kids

Losing weight can be a sensitive and difficult situation for a child. It is crucial to teach children the importance of maintaining a healthy weight while they're young. By using a visual and interactive tracking system, you can make losing weight an easy and even fun task for your child. Rather than putting your child on a diet, help him make lifestyle changes that will last a lifetime.

Diet

Counting calories is the most effective way to jump-start weight loss. While reducing calorie intake will surely result in weight loss, implementing a well-balanced diet is a much more effective way of promoting a healthy lifestyle. Create a healthy living chart that requires your child to eat two to three servings of vegetables, two servings of fruit, two servings of dairy, two to three servings of protein and six servings of grains daily.

You can calculate how many calories your child needs using an online calorie calculator, but it's best to consult your health-care provider regarding appropriate calorie intake. Involve your child in creating the chart. The more involved he is in the planning, the more likely he is to use the chart effectively. Once your child eats his required servings for the day, and if he has calories left over, he can enjoy a treat. Be careful not to reward weight loss with food, which could be counterproductive.

Exercise

Exercise is a crucial part of weight loss and can be fun as well as rewarding. Bike riding, basketball, soccer and tag are all cardiovascular-intensive exercises that children can enjoy without ever realizing that they're exercising.

Add a field in your healthy living chart to track exercise. As your child loses weight, you can reward him with new toys that promote active living (e.g., balls, sports jerseys). An increase in activity may require an increase in the number of calories consumed---consult your health-care professional regarding a change in calorie intake.

Attitude

The last, yet possibly most important, factor in promoting healthy living and weight loss for your child is your attitude. Society, peers and the media are tough critics; whether or not your child shows it, he is likely to be self-conscious about his weight. Take the focus off of the scale and put it on his athletic and dietary accomplishments. Teach your child how to cook a handful of healthy meals and verbalize how delicious the meals are when he makes them. Demonstrate how impressed you are with the amount of exercise she did this week.

The scale is just a number and does not gauge how healthy your lifestyle is. Make sure your child knows how proud you are of his healthy lifestyle changes, regardless of what the scale says.