Pre-Teen Obesity: An Ounce of Prevention Is Worth 100 Pound Cure

By: Dorthy Weatherbush

Everywhere you look, you'll see the signs of an obesity epidemic in the United States. Adults struggling with their weight, levering themselves into and out of cars. Many so morbidly obese that they'll circle a parking lot four or five times before parking rather than be forced to walk an extra hundred feet.

For some people, this is tied to genetics - there are several genetic triggers that, when we lived hand to mouth as a species, were survival traits. Being able to store fat in prosperous times was an insurance of survival in the winter. Also in that calculus lies the fact that we have, as a population, become more sedentary as technology has progressed.

This becomes even clearer when we witness the growing problem of children with obesity. Nutrition counselors agree that for every 3 to 5 pounds a child is over their normal weight level before they reach puberty, that child will become on average 15 to 30 pounds before they reach the age of thirty. To add to this, Type II diabetes is now become one of the fastest growing diseases among teens.

This is troubling because young people are most impressionable during their teenage years. Think about it, going through puberty was hard enough when you were approaching puberty at a normal weight. Just imagine how difficult it must be for kids these days that now carry an additional 45 to 70 pounds around. What is really startling is the enormous growth taking place within the dieting industry. Teens are quickly become the best potential customer bases before they are able to vote.

On the positive side of things, I want to let you know that there is hope. There is an easy way to solve this downward trend.

Remember when you were a kid? You know, before video games like the Nintendo Wii. You actually had friends who played outside with you. You had energy and used it.

When you were thirsty, mostly you grabbed milk, sometimes orange juice, not sodas. Cookies were a treat, not a staple of your diet. Snacks were things like apple wedges or an orange, maybe some peeled carrots.

This same attitude can be instilled in your kids, but you have to be strict about it. Keep your kids on the smallest amount of soda you can. If you do give your kids soda, give them diet soda, or a mixture of diet and regular; the key here is that you don't want to give them a sugar addiction early on. Humans are evolved to prefer sweet as a flavor, and the amount of sugar in a can of non diet soda has increased 30% since 1970.

Another simple trick is to schedule snack times along with family style meals. As an example, rather than Johnny eating a snack whenever he is bored, you establish certain times during the day when he will have a snack and what his choices are. By doing this early, it minimizes the impulse eating and helps children make proper choices.

Staying physically active is an absolute necessity. Children are usually mirror images of their parents. If you as a parent live a sedentary life, the chances of your child duplicating your example are very high. If you have little league teams in your town, encourage your children to participate. Not all kids are athletic but all kids need to be active. In addition, set aside at least one day in the week where the entire family is physically active together. It could be a walk in the park or playing tag in the backyard.

The key to providing life long health for your kids is inculcating these habits early in life, so they become habits. Explain why you're doing it when they ask, but don't preach. Your kids will adopt the behaviors they see you doing - you're their parent, their role model, and these are the habits they'll stick with as they get older.

Article Source: http://www.yesparenting.com/articles

If your teen is obese, what options do you have? Author Dorthy Weatherbush has taken the guess work out of figuring out if your teen would benefit from a doctor recommended meal replacement diet. Learn more about her suggestions at www.StephensonandCompany.com

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