Weight Loss - Obesity in Children

Obesity in Children has reached epidemic proportions and has become of serious concern to the medical community. This is because obesity in children is often the root cause of many serious illnesses in adulthood. Obesity in children has reached dangerous levels where in the past 10 years the cases of Child Obesity have doubled, such that one in four children are now classed as clinically obese! It is of no surprise then that the medical community are calling this an epidemic. The irony of this crisis is that it is far easier to implement and manage a weight loss program specifically designed to target the child obesity problem than one designed for the adults. This is because children's lifestyle and diets are determined by their guardians and the approach they adopt to weight loss. It is far too easy to blame the society for child obesity, but research has shown that in families where the parents are obese, due to an unhealthy diet and lifestyle, then the children too develop weight related problems.

Child obesity and weight loss

Weight loss in targeting child obesity must be carefully monitored and controlled, as children are growing and a diet based on food depravation will result in malnutrition and be therefore dangerous to their health. Weight loss for child obesity must be based on an approach that combines a healthy lifestyle with education. Educating children in understanding the causes of Child Obesity is vital to sustaining a healthy diet. The reason educating children in the causes of obesity is because children are constantly bombarded by clever marketing strategies designed specifically to promote products that are often unhealthy and are the causes of obesity. The effects of these marketing ploys are minimised if children are made aware of their existence and how they are being manipulated by clever marketing, exploiting people based on the temptations that are dormant in all of us, especially children. It is also important to be a realist when trying to encourage children to adopt a healthy lifestyle, as people (be it children or adults) will initially find it hard to adapt to change in what has become routine, however, it is easier for children to adapt to change than for adults. Even so, getting children to adopt a healthy lifestyle and diet is not going to be easy, but perseverance is the key!

Once the awareness part of the weight loss is addressed, the next phase is to implement healthy lifestyles, but the approach must be to lead by example. Targeting the child obesity problem should be a family affair, where the whole family adopts a healthy lifestyle. With the exception of children suffering from a rare genetic disorder known as Prader-Willi syndrome, the children obesity is the result of poor family diet and lifestyle. It is a known fact that the parents who negligent towards weight loss and obesity also have obese children. This doesn't come as a surprise as parents buy and prepare the food that children eat, which ultimately dictates their health and weight. The danger with child obesity is that obesity in children inevitably be the trigger for the more serious diseases in adulthood, including Osteoporosis, diabetes and heart disease.

The causes of child obesity

One of the biggest contributing factors in child obesity is the psychological manipulation adopted by the food industries (in the form of advertising and clever marketing). Poor diet however is only one side of a double-headed coin, as it is often accompanied by a poor lifestyle. This poor lifestyle has been demonstrated by the statistics that has proven that the children in today's society are less physically active than those a decade ago. This is because more children are being inactive than ever before (because this is a generation of TVs, Computers and games consuls). In today's society, even the socialising that children do can be done without having to leave their bedroom! Statistics has shown that more children spend time socialising in the Cyber World than they do in the physical world. The disadvantage of this is that the chat room forums and the Internet have made it unnecessary to walk to a friend's house for socialising. However, the Internet and the TV are not the only culprits in the rise of obesity in children, as children who are overly focused on the academic achievements tend to also be less physical activities and are therefore more likely to be obese. Another contributing factor is the parental lifestyle, as children are eventually influenced by and imitate the lifestyle of their parents, and hence why targeting child obesity should be a family affair.

Using a healthy weight loss approach to help child obesity

A healthy weight loss approach targeting the obesity epidemic can only be achieved if a healthy diet and lifestyle is adopted. Children will only be able to sustain a healthy lifestyle if adopted by the whole family. PLEASE NOTE: Before embarking on any diet and lifestyle changes, it is vital that a medical practitioner is consulted to ensure the changes are suitable (An example of a healthy weight loss diet is provided as a guide, but any suggestions made must be consulted with the medical practitioner before adopting it). In addition to a healthy diet, the parents must consider providing a child with a physical activity timetable, and ensure that it is adhered to. Research has shown that a child is far more likely to undertake an activity that is part of a routine than those sprung on them as ad-hoc. To ensure the timetable is sustainable, children should also have an input into the physical activities they partake in, as to retain their interest. Ideally, any physical activity should be undertaken about an hour before a heavy meal, as the physical activity will raise the child's metabolic rate and ensure the energy consumed through food is used up. Remember that burning calories for weight loss is about raising the metabolic rate and ensuring that the calorie intake is slightly less than the expenditure. It is important to emphasise again that weight loss must be achieved through a healthy weight loss lifestyle and not through any food depravation diet!

Weight loss lifestyle is much more than just following a weight loss diet. The weight lost using diet alone is often not sufficient enough to ensure a sustainable weight loss, and as such to make it sustainable an approach that promotes a healthy lifestyle should be adopted. A weight loss lifestyle ranges from adopting a healthy diet to the right sleeping pattern and exercise that have been shown to promote weight loss.

Calories are the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1kg of water by one degree Celsius. The secret to weight loss is about controlling the amount of kilogram calories taken in through food (please note that when people talk about calories, they are in fact referring to the Kilogram Calories). The human body requires certain amount of energy to function normally and any additional physical exertions require additional energy.

Weight loss diet is a kind of diet specifically designed to promote weight loss in people who follow it. A healthy diet is the single most effective way of achieving a healthy weight for a given individual. However, a weight loss diet is not always the same as a healthy diet as their objective is to help lose weight, even if it causes long term damage.

A Weight loss supplements designed to promote weight loss in conjunction with a healthy lifestyle. But it is important to recognise that these supplements are not miracle pills, and a weight loss supplement pill on its own cannot achieve weight loss without incorporating it with a healthy lifestyle.

Exercise for weight loss is defined as the type of physical activity that promotes weight loss. Physical exercise is any bodily activity that enhances or maintains the over all health and fitness. The type of exercise in general is grouped into three categories. The importance exercise to weight loss is understood by most people, but not many appreciate that exercise is important to the normal functioning of the organs and the nervous system.

Fat loss tips are designed to help people with weight loss but fat loss must be approached with care. Before following any fat loss tips it is important to consult your medical practitioner. Fat loss is the primary objective of any weight loss program but this fat loss is not sustainable unless all the aspects of obesity have been addressed. A healthy sustainable fat loss is only achievable if the approach adopted addresses the physical as well as the psychological parameters.