Over the years, you’ve seen your child struggle to maintain their weight. You’ve probably watched them get teased about it. And maybe you’ve even seen their weight cause a number of health issues like asthma.
Of course, you haven’t just watched your child go through this. Like any parent concerned for their child’s well-being, you’ve done your best to help them through their weight struggles. Perhaps, you and your teen tried a number of fad diets to no avail. Or perhaps you simply considered choosing fat-free food products in the hopes they wouldn’t add to your child’s weight. Whatever the case, you want your child to be happy, and it can be hard for them to feel that way when dealing with childhood obesity.
But overcoming childhood obesity doesn’t have to be such a struggle. Instead, consider the following suggestions to help your teen overcome childhood obesity with relative ease.
1. Make sure your family doctor is aware of your teen’s health concern.
The first thing you’ll want to do — if you haven’t already — is to make sure your family doctor knows what’s going on with you and your teen. After all, they can’t help you if they aren’t aware that there’s something bothering you. So let your doctor know about your concerns and your teen’s condition.
Chances are, the doctor may not consider your child to have childhood obesity. While the extra weight on your teen can seem concerning, it does not always mean they have a health problem. Sometimes it simply means your teen has a larger-than-average body frame or that they are still developing.
But if your doctor does deem your teen to have childhood obesity, there are treatments they can recommend your teen to go through to maintain a healthier weight. Some treatments may involve the use of the weight-loss medication XENICAL®, which you can have shipped for cheap from a pharmacy referral site like RxConnected.
2. Consider changing mealtime plans.
After your trip to the doctor’s, it’s time to start working on upgrading your family’s mealtimes. So, put away the convenience meals like those ones you can just pop into the microwave, and keep the following notes in mind for your next grocery shopping trip:
- Look for healthy snacks that involve fresh fruits and vegetables and other products low in sugar, fat, and calories.
- Reduce the amount of fruit juice and pop your household consumes, as they can provide high calories for little nutritional value.
- Minimize how often you and your teen eat fast food to avoid eating foods high in fat and calories.
- Make sure everyone in the household is served appropriate portion sizes, and that means allowing your family and teen to eat only until they’re full.
3. Encourage physical activities.
Outside the kitchen, you’ll want to start heavily encouraging everyone in the household to get active. After all, you and your partner are role models for your teen. So if you’re often seen engaging in unhealthy, sedentary activities, your teen is likely to follow suit.
To avoid that dilemma, start thinking about physical exercises that would interest you and your family. Think of ones that look fun and friendly for your teen, such as the examples given by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, which includes:
- Biking
- Hiking
- Dancing
- Swimming
- Playing basketball
4. Keep providing your teen with the emotional support they need.
As you and your teen go through this childhood obesity battle together, your teen will need all the emotional support you can provide. It can be difficult to change your entire lifestyle to combat a health condition. And without the strength of their own self-esteem and your unconditional love, your teen will have a much harder time maintaining their weight effectively. So don’t forget to be patient and to see how your teen is feeling; it will ease you and your teen’s fight against childhood obesity immensely.