Helping your child to lose weight can be difficult and should only be done under the direction of his pediatrician and a registered dietitian. You must make sure that he is still meeting his nutritional needs for growth and development, while at the same time creating a caloric deficit that will facilitate a slow and steady weight loss. Regular exercise and physical activity are especially important to weight loss, and children should aim for 60 minutes of physical activity each day.
Meet with the Experts
Step 1
Schedule an appointment with your child's pediatrician to determine if she needs to lose weight.
Step 2
At the doctor's appointment, ask the physician what your child's weight should be and if there are any medical conditions that would be compromised if your child did lose weight.
Step 3
Ask your doctor for a referral to a registered dietitian who would be able to help create specialized nutrition goals for your child.
Step 4
Schedule a follow-up appointment with the pediatrician 6 weeks from your first visit. At this visit, the physician can re-weigh you child, monitor his medical status, and discuss any physical changes.
Eat Healthy at Home
Step 1
Invite your child to go to the grocery store with you, and have her pick out a variety of fruits and vegetables to eat at home. These fresh foods will make good low-calorie snacks and can replace high-fat side items at the dinner table.
Step 2
Ask your child to participate in the preparation of dinner at home. Have him prepare the salad or wash the vegetables. Getting the child involved in healthy food preparation makes him more interested in eating these types of foods.
Step 3
Serve meals at home on small plates versus the large dinner plates. This will help to reduce serving sizes and to control fat and calorie intake.
Step 4
Avoid consuming and having sugary beverages in the home. Consider sodas and fruit punches to be special treats that are only allowed on special occasions. Offer low-fat milk and water with meals.
Step 5
Choose restaurants with healthy options when eating out. Allow your child to pick between two or three restaurants that have healthy food options, and look up the online nutrition information of the chosen restaurant before you leave the house.
Get Active
Step 1
Ask your child what activities she likes to perform. Children need to participate in a minimum of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity each day.
Step 2
Find a group or organization that offers the sport or activity your child likes, and sign him up with this group. If he is too young to play on a sports team, find a small group of children who also like this sport, and start your own practice team.
Step 3
When your child is not playing sports or other group activities, challenge her to be active each day by performing individual activities. For example, buy her a bicycle and challenge her to pretend she is racing in the Tour de France and see how long he can cycle each day.
Step 4
Keep an exercise calendar on the refrigerator at home, and let your child put a sticker on each day that he performs at least 60 minutes of activity.
Step 5
Take the television out of your child's room, and put in a bookcase or bean-bag chair instead. Children with televisions in their rooms tend to be less active and burn less calories than children without televisions in their room. Challenge your child to limit his TV time to less than 2 hours per day.
Things You'll Need
- Food preparation equipment
- Utensils
- Water bottle
- Exercise clothes
- Exercise/sporting equipment
- Calendar
- Stickers
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