There are countless articles written about weight loss and hundreds of weight loss programs available. Yet few address the fact that our children are also overweight. This is even more alarming when you consider the number of overweight children and teenagers has tripled in the last twenty years and those numbers continue to grow.
The percentage of overweight children from 6-11 years of age has risen from 4% in 1974 to 17.5% in 2004. The numbers are no better for teenagers. Overweight children between the ages of 12 and 19 have increased from 6% in 1974 to 17% in 2004. Today, 32% of children are overweight. 16% are obese. And 11% are considered extremely obese.
Children are under even more peer pressure about their weight than most adults can imagine. Adolescent girls, as young as 13 years old, are begging for, and some are actually having, gastric surgeries to reduce their weight quickly. Some see bulimia or anorexia as their only solution.
The biggest threat with childhood and teenage obesity is these children are much more likely to become obese adults. The difference is they’re being affected at a much younger age with the same health issues that plague obese adults. It’s predicted this generation of children will be the first in history to have a shorter life span than their parents.
It’s pointless to discuss here the reasons we’ve let our children get fat. We all know the reasons, and as adults, we’re the ones primarily to blame, not the kids. Our children are fat because we feed them junk instead of healthy, nutritious foods.
Too much sugar laden cereal and not enough oatmeal for breakfast. Too many overly processed, nutritionally bankrupt, calorie-laden snacks and not enough fruit and vegetables. And so much fast food, too much and too often.
On top of that, we’ve ceased to insist, or even encourage our kids to be active. It’s too easy to let them spend one mind-numbing hour after another in front of a TV screen or a computer monitor. They’re growing up so sedentary that even playing outside seems like work. What have we done to our children?
If you have a child struggling with weight issues, it’s time to step up and take responsibility for it. The damage is not only being done to their physical body, inside and out, but it’s wreaking havoc on them emotionally.
Children shouldn’t have to suffer with issues like depression and a lack of self-esteem. They shouldn’t have to endure the daily teasing and rude comments from thoughtless classmates that chip away at their self-image.
It isn’t fair to take a young body that’s still struggling to grow and put the added demands of carrying around extra weight on it. I’m encouraging all parents and grandparents who have overweight children in their life to do something about it.
Get active with your child. Find the time, make the time to prepare healthier meals and offer healthier, wholesome snacks. And try my program Weight Loss Breeze to bring your child’s weight back to a normal, healthy level. It’s a natural, sensible approach to weight loss. And best of all, it works.