Childhood Obesity - Do you have an overweight child? We offer tips to help your child lose weight and get fit!

The My Overweight Child blog will help you keep informed about the latest research, findings, and resources available to parents of overweight or obese kids. There are many knowledgeable people working on the increasingly dire problem of childhood obesity - and we want to give parents a place where they can check in regularly to see the latest studies and tips available to help you help your child lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

We invite you to add your comments - if you have feedback for the blog, would like some specific topics covered, or you just want to share your experience as a parent dealing with childhood obesity.

Thursday, May 08, 2008

Emphasis on Weight Can Backfire

With childhood obesity becoming more and more of an issue, parents are eager to keep their kids healthy and help them lose weight. But the well-meaning words and actions of parents can backfire, causing kids to resort to disordered eating in order to lose weight. A group of teens recently talked with U.S. News and World Report about the things they wished their parents had never said.
"Maybe this new diet will help. 'I'm always hearing about how bad food is; they showed Super Size Me, [a documentary about the dangers of fast food] in school,' says [Leah] Schumacher. 'I would have like to have learned from my parents or teachers about the positives of food, like why I need some fat to build cells and what fruits and vegetables do for my body.'"
All of the girls interviewed were undergoing treatment for eating disorders which they feel they developed, in part, because of comments from parents and friends. Source: U.S. News and World Report

Labels: healthy_eating, pressures, eating_disorders

Posted By: Aspen Education Group