The Blood Detective: Kids and Weight Loss Should Be a Side Effect of Having Fun
So you think you’ve heard all you need to know about how kids should lose weight? Guess again.
As a consequence of being overweight, children are at greater risk of diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers, not to mention depression, cognitive problems, joint disease, brain fog and Attention Deficit Disorder. It is my belief that the prevailing approach to weight loss, namely eating less, is not only incomplete, but unhealthy for the body, mind and soul.
Many adults have had weight problems and know that diets usually don’t work. Sure some people lose weight through diets, but most gain the weight back after a year and sometimes end up weighing more than when they started the diet.
Weight loss, for children and adults, must be a part of a new way of living and a new way of thinking about oneself. If a child is having self-confidence issues, he or she will likely be unsuccessful with their long-term weight loss efforts.
The double-edge sword is if someone is successful losing weight it can reinforce the unhealthy association between weight loss and success. They often think “I’m only a good person and should feel good about myself if I am successful with weight loss.”
Re-framing this thought process is essential to have long-lasting benefits. It should be “I want to enjoy life to the fullest. I want to run and play and be happy. I choose to eat and play in a way that supports this want.”
People should be concerned about their health and not their weight. Shifting one’s focus to health and not just weight will produce a better mental attitude and positive long-term results.
In my clinical experience, many adolescents are overweight. Children are the fastest growing population of diabetics. This is a horrible consequence that results in myriad health problems that significantly reduce quality of life and lifespan.
The truth is most parents have little knowledge on how to improve their child’s health. They first must recognize that change is needed and have the desire to make the change happen. Parents, the media and other social influences are often the reason why children have failed to learn how to stay fit, but these influences will never go away.
However, a child and adult can learn new coping skills and new ways of thinking to offset the negative influences around them. It is never too late to learn new ways of thinking and living. If we don’t, our children will continue to suffer and fail to learn the skills they need to live as well as they could. There is no room for blame, only action. What’s at stake is the quality and length of our children’s lives.
Unfortunately, pediatricians are often not trained in nutrition, and at best, will refer their morbidly obese patients to a dietician when the problem has already been going on for years. The traditional dietician is ill-equipped to handle the child-obesity epidemic because their knowledge base is routed in antiquated governmental guidelines. In my experience, most pediatricians wait too long, do not adequately screen children for the many hidden health consequences of being overweight, such as nutritional blood tests. What kids need is a trained clinical nutritionist, one that knows how to speak with them and use laboratory work and common sense.
Many parents are also overweight and don’t know how to teach their kids proper eating habits and how to make exercise fun. This is why I joined in partnership with Bounce! Trampoline in Rockland County, which is all about fun. I was asked to be a part of their efforts to combine practical knowledge about nutrition with play. The result is a program that is sure to foster health and wellness, reduce disease risk for children and be fun for all.
Only when the nutritionist, parents, family and child are on the same page can children lose weight and become well-balanced adults.
Dr. Michael Wald is a board certified nutritionist, certified dietician and nutritionist and is director of nutrition at Integrated Medicine of Mount Kisco. He works with adults and children to encourage healthy attitudes about weight loss and well-being. He can be reached for a consultation at 914-242-8844 ext. 1. Also, visit his website and view his Twitter and Facebook pages at www.intmedny.com and www.BloodDetective.com.
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Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
