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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers the following general tips for parents with overweight or obese children, tips that could very well apply to any family, regardless of weight issues:
- Encourage healthy eating habits for the whole family by offering a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, low- or non-fat dairy products, and lean meats, fish or non-meat proteins such as beans.
- Stick to reasonable portion sizes, removing the temptation of junk foods by not purchasing those items.
- Develop a family culture of physical activity, encouraging your children to play sports and limiting sedentary time to homework as well as leisure activities such as playing computer games or watching television — but no more than two hours a day!

In addition to these tips, remember that even juices labeled "100 percent fruit juice" are rich in sugar, and that not eating breakfast in fact increases the odds of weight gain.
What Else Can You Do?
OK, you already know you shouldn't yell at your child for asking for a donut, make fun of their body, or tell them hurtful things about how they would be able to fit into pretty clothes if only they lost weight.
Balancing your child's needs to feel good about themselves and about their body with the need to get them healthy is tricky, and it is highly possible that you will accidentally say things that turn out to be very hurtful. As such, seeing a counselor — you, not your child — can help you gain tips that enable you to discuss your child's weight in a beneficial, rather than harmful manner. While you try to find the right counselor, here's one tip: always emphasize health above weight.
Positive Changes
Something far more powerful than talking about weight is living a new life with healthier habits, however. Our children are far more likely to do as we do than they are to do as we say. You can become a powerful ally to your overweight or obese child by being physically active together, and by making sure you have respect for the many benefits of that physical activity. Rather than seeing and portraying it only as a vehicle to enable weight loss, remember that sporting or walking in nature together reduces anxiety and stress, releases feel-good chemicals, aids academic concentration and work performance, and is a wonderful bonding opportunity for the whole family. Children who see that these changes are being implemented by the whole family and hear them talked about in a positive way are much less likely to feel resentful about the new routine.
The British NHS advises that all children be physically active in some way at least 60 minutes a day, and reminds parents that overweight children do not need more exercise than children who are at a healthy weight as "their extra body weight means they will naturally burn more calories for the same activity."
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Food, in fact, has a similar potential of being turned into a positive rather than negative experience. The right foods don't just make you feel healthy, but also, when eaten together during family meals, offer everyone the chance to enjoy time together, both while cooking and while eating.
Finally, if in doubt, consult your child's pediatrician. However, if your child is facing other health issues that are being ignored because the only advise you are getting is "lose weight", then it's time for a second opinion — doctors should never lose sight of the fact that overweight and obesity don't exclude the possibility of other medical conditions.
- Photo courtesy of skohlmann: www.flickr.com/photos/skohlmann/14105273675/
- Photo courtesy of Pedro Simoes: www.flickr.com/photos/pedrosimoes7/6179133644/
- Photo courtesy of Pedro Simoes: www.flickr.com/photos/pedrosimoes7/6179133644/
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