Obesity is a more common disorder than many believe, it goes beyond having one extra kilo, since it not only affects the physique, but also general health. Throughout this text we are going to give some tips to help our son lose weight in a healthy way, without miracle diets and without starving.
Childhood obesity is reaching historic figures and it is not a reason for joy, on the contrary, it is time to stop and reflect and see life in perspective. We lead a sedentary life and the vast majority of young people and adolescents even more so. We do not see it as a bad thing that they play a lot of video games, on the contrary, the development of capacities that it offers has been well demonstrated, what we do want to value are the hours that young people spend sitting in a chair.
It is no longer just having a sedentary life, but having a poor diet and that responsibility falls on the parents. We also understand that you don't always have time to cook healthy, or maybe cooking is not our forte, so we must look for alternatives such as prepared meals.
As we can see, reaching obesity is a path that is built from an early age and where there are several guilty factors, and that is what we come to remedy with these tips. It will not be easy, but we must start today to change our lifestyles, and the responsibility lies with all family members, not only with the parents, now the roles have changed and a new phase begins.
Tips to lose weight with health
When there are small children in the family, adults and older siblings are the most direct example for the little ones, so you have to take care of vocabulary, the way you act, food, schedules, customs, etc. So, if we want to start improving our life habits, we must be an example for children, older siblings and for ourselves as parents and adults.
Improve diet
When we refer to improving nutrition, we do not want to disrespect any father, mother or grandparents who prepare food daily with all their love, passion and dedication. We are only referring to making small changes to make that exquisite menu even healthier.
For example, we can introduce vegetables every day, make gazpachos, lasagna with vegetables, make vegetable pasta, reduce red meat, eliminate soft drinks and ultra-processed juices, introduce more fruit, eliminate or reduce commercial sauces, eat more foods with fiber, add recipes with legumes, eat sugar-free yogurt, change Cola Cao or Nesquik for pure cocoa powder, change children's cereals for options with less sugar, buy whole wheat bread and leave sliced bread aside, etc.
Teamwork
We are a family, and if our son is going through a difficult time, he is not our enemy, which is why there are many psychologists and psychiatrists who recommend that These types of changes in life habits and eating habits are made in the whole family, instead of creating a special menu for the boy or girl.
In this way we will all join forces, we will support each other and the minor will not feel guilty, frustrated or displaced. Also, how hard it is, to see everyone eating pizza and him a salad, to give a very extreme example.
Also, if we all have some extra weight, it will be a sign that something is not quite right in our routine, so we will help each other to improve our quality of life.
Do sports activities to lose weight
Exercise is our best ally to lose weight, but nothing to put the child to spin to lose weight, no. It must be something progressive and also take into account your state of mind. We can start by going for a walk every day, showing you all the sports that are practiced in the area, encouraging you to visit those centers, talking about the importance of doing sports, etc.
Once he opts for a sporting activity, encourage him to improve, without forcing him, and maintain direct communication to detect if he doesn't like that sport or if he is forced to continue because we are excited about it. It is usually a very common attitude in children, not saying anything because they see their parents very happy, and that creates dissatisfaction and frustration.
The important thing is that they do sporting activities and do it happily and eagerly. It does not matter if it is karate, athletics, soccer, dance, canoeing, swimming, aerobics, spinning, etc. You have to get out of the house and do minimum 2 hours of sport and outdoor activities to keep fit.
Reduce the amount of sugar daily
This step is really important. According to the WHO, an adult or child should consume maximum 25 grams of sugar a day. We mean added sugar. However, we are all aware that this amount sometimes triples. The grams of milk, cereals, juice, buns, sliced bread, fried tomato, yogurt, soluble cocoa, cookies, ice cream, etc. We add up and end the day with 40 grams of sugar.
We can make changes in food looking for healthy alternatives. For example, instead of an ultra-processed chocolate custard we can take a bowl and add a natural Greek yogurt and add 1 tablespoon of pure cocoa powder, stir it and that's it. Another option would be to make cookies with oatmeal and banana, use erythritol to sweeten, put fruit in yogurt, use honey, drink at least 75% chocolate, etc.
Reduce eating out to lose weight
Many times we get used to creating as a kind of rewards that we do to ourselves, such as going out to dinner on Fridays, having pizza for lunch on Saturdays, eating sweets and ice cream at the movies, eating fried foods, industrial pastries, etc. We must eliminate all of this or at least reduce it a lot.
If we do not want to reduce those outputs, we can look for alternatives such as healthy restaurants, choosing healthier options such as not eating fried foods or soft drinks, looking for outdoor plans, walking to the restaurant, increasing the amounts of vegetables and fruits on the menu, etc.
Spend more time outdoors
The fact of being outdoors activates our hearts Since we have to move more, we will walk, we take the opportunity to meet more people, the children run and play together, we enjoy nature and the sun, etc. In short, they are different plans that also improve our family relationship and our self-esteem, and make us celebrate the moment, be happy, change scenery, meet new people and so on. All this is very important for health, almost as much as a correct diet and doing moderate sports several times a week. In short, this is a healthy lifestyle.
It doesn't work, what do I do?
If we see that despite all the efforts we make, our son does not lose weight, it is time to consult a specialist. It should be said that before starting changes in the eating routine and introducing sports activities, if we see that our child could be obese, it is best to consult a doctor who is an expert in nutrition. Only he will be able to give us the steps adapted to the case of our adolescent.
In the case in which we have not consulted, then now is the time, since we have seen that the whole family has made an effort to reduce red meat, fried foods, sweets, we have done much more sports, we have become aware of our food, needs, we have learned to cook new dishes, we have spent more time together, etc. but one or more family members have not been able to lose weight.
This situation is quite frustrating for everyone. As we said before, it is not recommended to leave "alone" someone who has not achieved their goal, but it is a team effort and we have all committed to improving and changing our lifestyles. Now is when he needs the most support and that is where the specialist appears and the relevant tests are done to see why our son has not lost weight.