Q: My husband and I have been kidding ourselves for the past two years saying that our children are not fat. But we cannot do that anymore. The kids at school are teasing our 10-year-old boy, calling him fatso, and our 12-year-old daughter spends most of her time at home, alone, and clearly lonely. We need to help our children, but we are not sure where to start.
A: You are not alone. Obesity in children is a worldwide problem. Approximately 15 percent of the children in North America are obese, and with the rapid spread of computers and video games, that figure is escalating.
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In some parts of Africa, obesity is more of a problem than malnutrition. In Egypt, 25 percent of four-year-old children are obese, in Zambia, 15 to 20 percent of four year olds are obese, and in Chile, Peru and Mexico, 25 percent of the children between the ages of four and 10 are overweight. The International Obesity Task Force estimates that 22 million of the world’s children younger than five are obese.
Obesity is in many ways a medical problem and should be your starting point. Check with your family physician to get a better idea of how serious your children’s obesity is. She and her nutritionist can talk to you about proper diets and healthy foods.
For most families, obesity is a lifestyle problem. Children are spending too much time watching television or playing computer games. They are not active enough and their meal times are erratic. If you are serious about helping your children, take a look at their daily routines. I am reasonably certain that your family will survive if the TV and computers are turned off for an hour every night, and that the time is used to get your family into some robust activities. You can regulate your children’s bedtimes and have regular times for meals. You will be surprised at how much routines and consistency help your children eat properly.
The anchor for all of this is to let your children know how much you love and care about them, regardless of their weight. Everyone is busy these days. At times they are so busy that they forget to take a few moments every day to remind each of their children how special they are. Children who are consistently assured of their place in the family do better on weight programs.
The fundamental flaw of most weight loss programs is that they expect people to lose too much weight too soon. You can find any number of diets that will trim you and your children in almost magical time. The problem is that you will put those pounds on again almost as fast as you lost them once the diet is over.
Your children are still growing. They only need to lose two pounds a month to help them gradually capture the respect they need to feel successful. It is those small monthly successes that lead to better self-esteem.
Jacklin Andrews is a family counsellor from Saskatchewan who has taught social work at two universities. Mail correspondence in care of Western Producer, Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2C4 or e-mail “a href=”mailto:jandrews@producer.com”>jandrews@producer.com.
