Being an overweight kid isn’t easy. In fact, it can be downright stressful. Consider the following scenario: You are a 10 year old overweight kid, can’t run very fast as a result and you are in P.E. (Physical Education) class. The coach has picked two captains and they in turn are picking their teams for soccer. You stand there knowing you will be the last kid picked. The bell isn’t going to ring. Nothing is going to save you from the next 3 minutes of humiliation. Finally, one of the captains says. “I’ll take her.” The hit on that little girl’s ego continues, because she knows no one wanted her, even though she truly feels she could help the team.
The question that begs an answer is: does the overweight child really want to be on the team? After working with hundreds of Kids at That-a-Weigh Kids®, the answer is emphatically yes. Most kids want to be like all the other kids. They want to be able to run fast, they want to participate in sports and they want to wear regular size clothes. When they can’t do these things because their excess weight becomes a hindrance, they become upset about it and, all too often, begin to act out. In many cases, their response is also to eat even more. And so, a bad cycle for kids is repeated.
In an article in this month’s Web M.D., the author points out that overweight children “Are also more prone to develop stress, sadness, and low self esteem.”
Teaching a child who is overweight how to start making healthy food choices is a good first step to reducing his/her stress. At That-a-Weigh Kids Online, started by a pediatrician who deals with some of the problems with overweight kids on a daily basis in her practice, we have developed a program in which we provide an individualized daily food plan for kids based on their specific metrics and activity levels. This color coded plan is geared towards managing their daily food intakes to recommended serving levels. We then coordinate with our kids on a continuing basis to monitor their progress as they work to achieve their weight management goals. By staying with the plan, most of them do.
by Dorothy Verstandig That-a-Weigh Kids, LLC
Children can listen to a cute story on the Indigo Dreams: Garden of Wellness CD called “Caterpillar Choices” and follow the Caterpillars to see if the are making healthy food choices.