If your child is telling you that they want to get “skinny fast” it is crucial to change their thinking and mindset towards getting healthy by taking a balanced approach with small and incremental changes.
Nothing dramatic or stringent will work in the long term for children or adults. Children are still growing, and their bodies need the right nutrition to achieve the full potential it is designed for and restricting diets will severely limit it. Here are 10 positive, supportive, and practical points you can discuss with your child:
- Aim for Healthy, Not Skinny – Discuss with your child that being strong and energized throughout the day is more fun rather than just thin and lacking energy to do what they love. Explain to them that being healthy means they’ll have more energy to enjoy activities they love, play longer with friends, and feel confident and happy doing things they care about. Emphasize that health is about having the strength to fully experience life — not just looking at a certain way or fitting into a specific size.
- Don’t Skip Meals – Encourage your child to not skip meals. As skipping meals can lead to hunger and unhealthy snacking at the wrong time. Have you noticed that when you go grocery shopping when you’re hungry you tend to buy a lot more unhealthy foods and snacks than you normally do? It’s the same response for children who are hungry, they will look for immediate relief from their favorite snacks.
- Eat Balanced Meals – Children need a balanced plate to stay satiated longer and limit snacking between meals. Research shows that combining protein, veggies, fruits, and whole grains will keep you fuller longer. Why? Because simple carbohydrates and juices digest in 1-2 hours while complex carbs and proteins take between 2-5 hours to digest and keep your child feeling fuller longer. So mix it up a little and add some chicken, black beans or their favorite protein to their meal even if the meal is a slice of pizza.
- Drink More Water – Sounds simple right? But it’s actually true, staying hydrated prevents overeating and boosts energy. Encourage your child to develop a habit of drinking water after every meal and reaching for water instead of soda’s first. If your child has already developed a habit of drinking soda several times a day, start slowly and swap out one soda for a fruit infused water. Then work your way up from there. This way you can avoid creating cravings in your child. Your success lies in consistency and not making any dramatic changes.
- Choose Fun over Exercise – Help your child find a movement that they love be it dancing, biking or walking the dog. Show them how to develop a variety of movement activities so it helps them move joyously and as a habit. It’s not about lifting weights or running in the gym; movement must be done throughout the day, so it becomes second nature for them. Encourage them to walk up the stairs if they’re 1-2 floors up, walk them home from the bus stop, take them grocery shopping or walk in the mall, etc. Help them make small changes so they don’t feel that it’s a chore or being singled out.
- Limit Junk Food, Don’t Eliminate Completely – Denying your child any food or drinks that they enjoy will only increase their cravings and will lead them to feeling guilt and shame. This creates an unhealthy relationship with food which is detrimental for a child. So, instead of completely giving up potato chips, chocolate or ice cream, let them treat themselves to smaller portions or split the snack with a friend. In this research study from Cornell University, recommends, “If you want to control your weight, here’s the secret: Take a bite and wait. After 15 minutes all you’ll remember – in your head and in your stomach – is that you had a tasty snack.”
- Eat Mindfully – Today, many children and adults eat in ways shaped by a hyperactive and busy lifestyle. Often characterized by eating on the go, frequently snacking in cars, at activities, or in front of screens rather than seated family meals. Unfortunately, meals eaten while distracted by screens or multitasking reduce awareness of fullness or hunger signals. This fast-paced eating style often leads to unhealthy habits, weight gain, and poor overall nutrition. Now that we can’t change our busy life, encourage your child to eat without distractions; to savor the food, the flavors and texture, eat slowly and eat until feeling somewhat full can can significantly improve their eating habits despite a busy lifestyle.
- Get Enough Sleep – When children don’t get the right amount of sleep every night, it affects more than just their cravings and overall weight – it affects their mood, energy levels, ability to learn and their overall well-being. Children who are often sleep-deprived will struggle with attention, memory, and problem-solving skills at school and experience mood swings or irritability at home. Additionally, it will weaken their immune systems. So it’s critical to ensure your child gets the appropriate amount of sleep every night to help them get healthy, focused, emotionally balanced, and better prepared to thrive each day.
- Manage Stress in Healthy Ways – When a child doesn’t know how to handle the daily stress in their lives they will get easily overwhelmed. This causes their body to release hormones like cortisol, which studies have shown will increase hunger and trigger cravings for sugary or fatty comfort foods. As a result, these kids will resort to emotional eating as a way to cope with their feelings, consuming extra calories and gaining weight over time. Teach your child effective stress-management skills to help prevent emotional eating; techniques like meditation, yoga, arts and crafts, or talking to someone can help tremendously
- Set Small, Achievable Goals – Last but not the least, getting healthy is a journey that has a long road ahead of it. So, setting small, realistic goals and celebrating small victories will go a long way in creating a positive experience for your child. Small goals like dancing for 20 mins 3 times per week or switching out 1 soda for a fruit-induced water every day for 2 weeks or going to bed every school night at 9 PM, etc. are some examples.
Nothing written here is rocket science, or something you’re reading for the first time. It’s discussed across all media channels and a favorite topic of discussion and debate for both parents and children. So why do we still have a growing obesity epidemic? Because life gets in the way! So having a steady constant partner or coach to encourage your child and you to stay focused will make the difference between success and failure. A coach that can monitor and help you overcome life’s little challenges each day without reproach or blame is the secret sauce to your child getting heathy!
