Count down the pounds: six simple guidelines to helping overweight children
A common question that many parents ask us in the office is “Howcan I help my overweight child?”
Our newest podcast provides six simple rules for healthyeating. Listen in to find out the “5-4-3-2-1-0” rules of what to feed yourchildren, how to portion their foods, and how to change their behavior to helpthem lose excess pounds and maintain a healthy weight.
(If the podcast is not embedded in your RSS reader page,visit the www.TwoPedsInAPod.com home page directly.)
Julie Kardos, MD and Naline Lai, MD
©2010 Two Peds in a Pod
Download | Duration: 00:08:41
Posted by Two Peds in a Pod at 2/13/2010 10:55 PM 
Categories: 6. Tweens, 4. Preschoolers, 5. Elementary school kids, 8. Young adults, 7. Teens
Tags: obesity weight_loss how_to_lose_weight_children overweight_kids overweight_child diet_children
Categories: 6. Tweens, 4. Preschoolers, 5. Elementary school kids, 8. Young adults, 7. Teens
Tags: obesity weight_loss how_to_lose_weight_children overweight_kids overweight_child diet_children
Thank you for this information, it was helpful. Question i have is after you do all these things about how much time do you think it will take to see results? I also wonder what child activities you recommend to start out with. For example, my daughter loves gymnastics and tball. However that is only 2x a week. Are there other non-organized activities you would suggest doing to get that additional exercise in? Thanks again!
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Great questions! Within a week of instituting changes, you should see a change in behavior in your child, such as accepting more appropriate portions or becoming enthusiatic about increasing her activity level. Within a month you should expect to see that an overweight child has stopped gaining weight and maybe has lost 1-2 pounds from increasing exercise and cutting out calories. Remember to consult with your child's health care provider about her ideal weight for her height and how long it should take for her to achieve this weight in a healthy way.
Some examples of non-organized activities for kids to do inside include: hula hoop, jump rope, exercise to a video or game such as Wii Fit, or dance. You could join a Y or club and go swimming. For added outdoor activities, she could just play the usual "kid games" such as tag, hopscotch, and "running bases" (Two people play catch at two bases, the other kids have to run back and forth between them to try to get "on base" without being tagged out. Kids take turns being runners and catchers). Kids can also walk a dog, either their own or a neighbor's dog, go sledding (walking up the hill all those times really burns calories), just play in the snow, or ride bikes (depending on the weather where you live, of course!).
Again, keep it a family affair and make small but steady changes according to the 5-4-3-2-1-0 rules. We hope this helps!
Julie Kardos, MD and Naline Lai, MD
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Thank you!!
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