Overcoming Teen Obesity

How To Reverse Teen And Childhood Obesity Today

Table of Contents

IntroductionChapter 1: Obesity testChapter 2: Causes Of ObesityDietary Causes Of Obesity In ChildrenCauses Of Obesity Related To Our LifestylesCauses Of Obesity Related To Genetics And Body ProcessesChapter 3: Why Obesity Needs To Be ReversedChapter 4: How To Reverse Childhood ObesityMake Diet Changes To Reverse ObesityLifestyle Changes To Reverse ObesityConclusion

Introduction

I want to thank you and congratulate you for downloading the book, Overcoming Teen Obesity: How To Reverse Teen And Childhood Obesity Today.

This book has actionable steps and strategies on how to overcome childhood and teen obesity.Obesity in children and teens is sky rocketing today and as much as no parent wants to hear that their child is obese, you must consider the possibility. In fact, childhood obesity has more than doubled over the past 30 years and more than quadrupled in adolescents in the same period. According to statistics, the number of obese children aged between 6-11 years has risen from 7% in 1980 to about 18% in 2012 in the US alone while the number of obese adolescents has risen from a low of 5% to a high of over 21% from 1980 to 2012. To put this into perspective, the number of obese children aged 6-11 years has increased from about 1.4 million to 4.3million between 1980 and 2012 while the number of obese adolescents has risen from 1.15 million to over 5.25million. Just to help you see why obesity is a menace, the total number of obese children aged between 6 and 17 years is well over 9.5million. Picture the entire New York population being made up of obese 6-17 year olds just to get a clear glimpse of how bad the situation is. This number is almost 4 times the number of people living in Houston, Texas and almost three times the number of people living in LA. Well, that clearly explains why the first lady, Michele Obama, has been on the forefront in fighting childhood obesity through the Lets Move campaign. If you suspect that your child is obese, this book is ideal for you if you want to take action. It will show you what causes childhood obesity, and how to deal with childhood obesity.Thanks again for downloading this book, I hope you enjoy it! Copyright 2015 by ______________________ - All rights reserved.

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The trademarks that are used are without any consent, and the publication of the trademark is without permission or backing by the trademark owner. All trademarks and brands within this book are for clarifying purposes only and are the owned by the owners themselves, not affiliated with this document. Anyone can become obese. Whether you are young or old, rich or poor, you are at the risk of becoming obese. Myth has it that mostly the rich folks and children have weight problems but frankly, no one is safe when it comes to obesity, since generally obesity is caused by eating way too much and moving way too little, anyone can be obese.

Study shows that most parents are usually in denial about their childs weight problem, which means that they don't take measures early enough. Therefore, the first thing you need to do is to come to terms with the fact that your child could be obese. When you have a feeling that your child is getting too chubby, start taking measures as soon as possible and don't just brush off the feeling with the excuse that the more chubby, the cuter they become. You must take the situation seriously because obesity comes with many health risks. However, how do you know that your child is obese and not just eating well?

Chapter 1: Obesity testAlthough it can be easy to identify an obese child by simply looking at him or her, it is better to calculate their BMI (Body Mass Index) to make sure that it is obesity you are dealing with and not just chubbiness. BMI is calculated using a persons weight and height. The weight should be in kilograms and the height in meters squared, then you simply divide the weight of the person with their height and what you get is their BMI. BMI is said to be strongly correlated to body fat content since it describes the body weight that is relative to a persons height. For instance, a person (adult) with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered to be overweight and a person with a BMI of 30 is considered to be obese. And for adolescents and children a BMI above or at 85th percentile but lower than the 95th are considered overweight and for those with a BMI above or at the 95th percentile are obese. However, for children, age and sex is considered. The BMI percentile is obtained by plotting the actual BMI on the CDC BMI-for age growth charts and then finding out on which percentile the BMI lies. You can plot the percentile for boys here and for girls here.After youve ascertained whether your child is obese or overweight, the next question that I know you are asking is; what causes it? What are the risks and what can you do to deal with the problem. We will go through all that in the subsequent chapters.

Chapter 2: Causes Of ObesityIn general, the balance between the amount of calories you take in and the amount of energy your body uses determines your weight. This simply means that if you eat more calories than you actually burn, then you gain weight and if you burn more calories than you eat, then you lose weight. Therefore, the common causes of obesity are being physically inactive and overeating. However, many more factors come into play where weight gain and obesity are concerned hence the need to be fully aware of the different causes so that you can combat the problem when you are already fully knowledgeable.The causes of obesity in children could largely be grouped into 3 main causes i.e. dietary causes, lifestyle related causes and genetic related causes. It is only in very rare cases that you will find medical related causes of obesity in children. Nonetheless, it is important to point out that no single factor causes obesity in children; the different causes work hand in hand and the end result is an obese child.Dietary Causes Of Obesity In Children

Eating foods high in simple carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the bodys primary sources of energy and are usually very high in energy per gram. Carbohydrates usually increase the levels of your blood glucose, which in turn stimulates the production of insulin by the pancreas. The insulin produced then encourages the development of fat tissues (this simply means more fat is stored), which can lead to increase in weight. Simple carbohydrates like sugars, soft drinks and alcohol are believed to contribute to gaining weight since they are absorbed faster in the blood stream than complex carbohydrates (raw fruits, brown rice), which means that they are likely to lead to a more pronounced release of insulin, which in turn is likely to trigger more fat storage.

Overeating

Dont just celebrate when your child has an unending desire to eat and hardly refuses to eat when you bring home some delicious treats. This is simply because when your child eats more food than his or her body needs, he or she stores the extra calories as fat for use later. So, when the child doesnt burn this stored energy because they have taken another large meal that is high in calories, this simply means that they will end up accumulating more fat, which ultimately means weight gain. As such, dont get into the habit of rewarding good behavior with food, expressing your love with food or seeking comfort with food for your children because this will ultimately fuel their overeating tendencies that are likely to fuel obesity.

Additionally, when your child is constantly seeing TV ads showing food (candy, sweets, fast food etc) every day, they are likely to overeat. Another thing that fuels overeating is that as parents, we have the notion that children have to eat until their plates are clean even if they say they have had enough. This continuous forced overeating fuels a habit that is hard to break.Keep in mind that overeating doesnt mean that you are taking piles of food in a single session. Arent we the ones that we give our children money to buy snacks or pack them snacks to eat during the day? Well, if your child is always snacking, this means that they are definitely taking more calories than necessary. Actually, 27% of childrens daily calorie intake comes from snacks with snacks accounting for about 586 calories per day.Causes Of Obesity Related To Our Lifestyles

Lack of exercise

We want our children to stay indoors and not loiter around the neighborhood. And in order to do that, we buy them as many computer games and interesting TV programs to keep them glued to their seats all day. Obviously, this means that your child will not have a lot of time to engage in any physical activity, which burns the calories they have been taking. As such, they will pile up more fat thus becoming obese. Additionally, our children are often picked up by the school bus early in the morning and dropped in the afternoon after they come from school; but this in fact only fuels laziness and lack of physical activity on our kids.

We stack our fridges with unhealthy foods

When we constantly keep unhealthy foods in our fridge or kitchen cabinets, this simply means that our children are likely to eat these more and even prefer them since they are usually sweet. And when we go to eat out as a family, we always buy the tasty foods that are often high in fats and calories, which means that our children are bound to become overweight or obese.We do nothing

As parents, we mostly live sedentary lifestyles and advocate for our kids to copy what we do so that we can have peace of mind; we dont want to waste too much time running after our kids or going round the neighborhood looking for where they are. Isnt it funny that the children who are not as physically active in our homes are considered less of a pain? Well, this attitude fuels obesity in our homes. In fact, if you are obese, your children have a high likelihood of being obese.Lack of enough sleep

Sleep plays a fundamental role in managing stress and other body processes. So, when your child doesnt get enough sleep, this simply means that they are bound to trigger hormones like cortisol, which trigger the body to start storing fats. This sleeplessness could also be linked to the fact your child sleeps late in the night playing video games or watching TV. Fatigue, often linked to lack of enough sleep, has been proven to alter the levels of appetite besides just triggering excessive storage of fats in the body, which ultimately results to weight gain. We hardly cook real foodIn our busy lifestyles, we have become microwave parents who buy noodles and other foods that are fast to prepare because we dont have all the time in the world to prepare proper meals for the family. These noodles are often chemical laden, high in calories and unhealthy fats. Besides, they are really tasty, which means that many kids are likely to overeat these thus resulting to excess calories in the body so the body has to store these excesses as fat for later use, which we all know never really comes.We eat too muchIf you have a family where the adults are really very fond of overeating, your children will probably take up this behavior in order to fit in. Actually, the adults in the family will probably pressure the children to eat more in order to grow bigger as they are, which eventually leads to overeating, which is a sure ticket to being overweight or obese.Causes Of Obesity Related To Genetics And Body ProcessesA child is more likely to become obese if both parents are obese. The hormones that are involved in the regulation of fat are also affected by genetics. For instance, leptin deficiency is one of the genetic causes of obesity. Leptin is a hormone that is produced in the placenta and in the fat cells. Its work is to control weight by signaling your brain to eat less when the fat that is stored becomes too high. If for any reason your body is not able to produce enough leptin, the control is lost, which means that you end up eating more thus resulting to excess calories that are stored as fat thus weight gain and obesity. Currently, leptin replacement is being explored for treating obesity.

Slow metabolism

Muscle tissues have the ability to metabolize more calories than other tissues. Naturally, men have more muscle than women, which means that women have a less metabolic rate and as such are likely to put on more weight than men since the excess calories are stored as fat. You could also have slowed metabolism because you are not physically active, which means that you are piling up more calories, which are converted to fat. Children (and teens) are expected to be full of energy and high metabolism so if they dont engage in physical activity to burn the excess energy, this is stored as fat.*Slowed metabolism could as well be linked to aging (but this doesnt affect children). Being diabetic during pregnancySuffering from pregnancy diabetes is likely to increase the likelihood of your child becoming obese in his or her early years.

Low birth weight

If you delivered an underweight baby (less than 2500g), this increases their risk of becoming overweight or obese in later life (when they are still young).

Excess weight gain during pregnancyExcess maternal weight during pregnancy has been proven to result to increased birth weight and cases of being overweight for the child.

Feeding on formula

Although the clear link between the two has not yet been identified, statistics show that feeding your child formula increases his or her risk of suffering from childhood obesity.Eating disorders

Eating disorders like binge eating could also result to obesity especially in adolescents since children turn to food for emotional comfort.As you can see, the number of possible causes of obesity is literally unlimited. Nonetheless, this doesnt mean that your child is doomed to be obese for the rest of his or her life. If you are still not motivated to take action, perhaps the reasons we will discuss in the next chapter will give you some motivation to take action about your childs obesity problem.Chapter 3: Why Obesity Needs To Be ReversedObesity should not be just a cosmetic consideration but also a serious health consideration. Here are some health risks associated with obesity. *Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes: Insulin is important in your body for the transportation of blood sugar to the fat and muscle cells. Through this transportation, the insulin is able to keep the blood sugar at a normal range. For a fact, fat cells are more resistant to insulin than muscle cells making obesity one major cause of insulin resistance. Ironically, your pancreas responds to insulin resistance by producing more insulin thus making it hard to detect insulin resistance. However, when the pancreas can no longer produce insulin, blood sugar level begins to increase. This in turn causes type 2 diabetes. Actually, research has it that one in every 3 children born after 2000 will develop type 2 diabetes in their lifetime. *Asthma and other respiratory problems: Many obese children have been found to be asthmatic.

*Gallstones*High blood pressure/hypertension coupled with elevated levels of blood cholesterol*Liver problems

*Bone and joint problems

*Sleeping problems due to obstructive sleep apnea, which has been linked to obesity

*Skin infections often caused by excessive moisture/sweat being trapped in the skin folds

*Menstrual problems: This includes earlier than normal menstruation/puberty, uterine fibroids, and menstrual irregularities in later life. *Metabolic syndrome, which is often a precursor for diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, abnormal lipids, insulin resistance, and obesity for life*Chronic fatigue

Besides the above health risks, there are also psychological risks of being obese as a child.

*They are likely to be bullies or to be bullied or teased by other children*They are likely to have self-esteem issues and will probably feel isolated

*In many instances, they are likely to have poor social skills

*They are likely to be isolated by other kids because of their body size (they dont look like kids). They may also not play the games that kids of normal weight are likely to play, which means they will probably be more isolated in different aspects of kids life.*They have a high risk of suffering from depression, stress, and anxiety

*They may also have behavior and learning difficulties due to the psychological issues that come with childhood obesity.*They may turn to emotional eating and various eating disorders like anorexia navosa and bulimia.And if the problem is not addressed early, they are bound to be obese as adults. So, what should you do to reverse the problem? Lets discuss that in the remaining chapters.

Chapter 4: How To Reverse Childhood ObesityReversing obesity will not be a walk in the park so you need full commitment to it. Before everything else, you should first get out of denial and accept that your child is obese and then start taking the necessary action, and in taking this action, you need to:Note: The explanations here are addressing you as a parent not because the book is meant for parents but to teach you first how to address obesity with different food choices so that once you have mastered everything, you can provide the needed help to your children to lose weight.

Make Diet Changes To Reverse ObesityAs said earlier, one of the major causes of obesity is overeating and taking in more calories than you burn. Here are some practical ways to help you to avoid this. Note: It is best to take the lead as parent to teach your children healthy eating habits. You dont want to be preaching water and drinking wine. As such, even if you are not obese and your children are, you shouldnt just assume that the regime is just meant for the children. You MUST lead the way if you want them to embrace the lifestyle that you want them to lead to end obesity.Kick out all the sweet beveragesThe fastest way for you to help your kids cut off some weight is by getting rid of all the juices and sodas (you can give them some homemade fresh fruit and vegetable juice instead of the processed juices and soda). Otherwise, you should teach them to have water as their only beverage. Water will not only reduce the amount of calories they take in, but it will also keep them feeling full. At times, people confuse thirst for hunger making them eat excess so getting enough water will keep this from happening. Besides, the amount of sugar in juices and sodas can be shocking. For instance, most sodas can contain 6 or more teaspoons of sugar in one serving. But water can be boring to drink alone since it is just plain and your kids may be resistant to drink it. Here are some ways to make water fun for you and your children:

*Add some flavor: To add some flavor to your water, you should add natural sweeteners like mint and some watermelon chunks. If you want to get the flavor really in there, you should leave the water for some minutes in the fridge and then enjoy it. It will be sweet and healthy and you wont think of shifting to a soft drink.*Eat water-based fruits: Some fruits, contain a lot of water with watermelon being the highest in ranking. Others are like grapefruits. Eating water-based fruits will be like killing two birds with one stone since you will be taking in water and some essential nutrients.

*Chew on fresh ice: Chewing on ice is simply a way of drinking water but in a less boring way. Chewing on ice can be said to be two weight loss tricks in one since you will be able to take in water and since you will be chewing, your body will be under the impression that you are eating and you will feel a sense of fullness in the end. In addition, when you chew on ice, your body will burn a bit of calories to enable you to melt the ice and increase your general body temperature. However, take caution; you should not take it in excess since it could be harmful for extremely sensitive teeth and if you have braces. It could also be harmful to your throat when taken in excess. Alternatively, you could crush the ice and drink the freezing cold water. *Use a straw: A straw will have you drinking more water without even knowing it since you don't have to keep on raising and lowering your hand as you drink. Get rid of all the junk food

Actually, you should get rid of all processed foods, junk food and anything that contains sugar. Drastic times call for drastic measures so if you decide to leave out some junk food, you will not be able to help yourself and kids overcome obesity. Whole unprocessed foods reduce inflammation, balance out your blood sugar levels and they can also reverse insulin resistance. You should replace your usual meals with:

*Whole meal foods and fresh vegetables and fruits. Additionally, your snacks should be foods like fresh vegetable sticks, and some hummus, bean dips or simply fresh fruits. *A lot of omega 3 fats and olive oil and coconut butter

*Nuts, seeds and legumesTo make sure that no one purchases junk food behind your back, you should give your children fixed allowances or not give them at all. Ask them what they need and buy them yourself. Giving them money will be a temptation to buy fast foods because lets face it; its difficult to keep away from junk foods especially if you are so used to them. Your kids might also not see the point of you trying to control what they eat so you ought to be the bigger person and lead the way.You should also make sure that you go with enough amount of money when you go shopping. Leave your credit card at home since this might probably make it easy for you to buy your kids the unhealthy foods that you are trying to avoid. Work to balance out your blood sugar

Imbalanced blood sugar not only makes you gain weight but it is the reason you get food cravings (especially sugar cravings) in the first place. Here are some useful tips to help keep your blood sugar balanced:

*Always take breakfast: You should never skip breakfast if you don't want your blood sugar levels to be in a mess. Skipping breakfast has an immense effect on you since breakfast is the only meal that can help you keep your blood glucose balanced throughout the day. You might think that skipping breakfast will help you lose weight but when you miss breakfast, your body breaks down muscles to get energy and not fats. Ensure you take breakfast within 40 to forty five minutes of waking up. *Eat healthy fats: Healthy fats help in the absorption of sugar to your bloodstream. They also curb your cravings by preventing sugar highs and sugar cravings. These are fats like tallow, butter, and egg yolks. You should not get rid of fats in your diet since it will have a negative effect on your body. For instance, if you don't take fats and your body is still producing bile, the bile remains unused, which will cause mayhem to your blood sugar. *Have proteins in every meal: You should take every meal with some healthy proteins. Proteins help in balancing blood sugar by pulling sugar to your body cells to provide the energy needed in your body. However, taking in proteins alone without any other nutrient is somewhat useless. Carbohydrates, fats, and proteins (macronutrients) work best together. It is important to go natural to obtain these essential nutrients; dont just settle for whey powder as your first option. Eat foods that fight and control hungerThe foods that help keep hunger away are foods that are hydrophilic and contain a lot of high filling and soluble fibers. These foods help you keep your arteries unclogged and keep your blood sugar balanced since they help in breaking down carbohydrates. Some of them are:

*Pears: Pears contain more pectin and hydrophilic fiber than apples. The skin of the pear is especially important since it contains an antioxidant called quericitin and is the part that is richer in fibers. The quericitin helps your body fight the risk of developing cancer cells. *Barley: It can be the easiest food to work with since it contains a delicious nutty flavor and has a strong hydrophilic effect. It can be used in salads or even soups.

*Oatmeal: You should make this your number one breakfast. It has soluble fibers that are guaranteed to keep you satiated until your next meal. Research also shows that oatmeal can lower cholesterol and reduce your chances of getting heart diseases.

*Beans: Beans are naturally hydrophilic especially kidney beans. You should substitute any unhealthy protein in your salads with kidney beans. You will get the nutrients you want and keep your stomach full for hours.

*Okra: Most people shun okra because it is well so gooey. But the goo is so worth it considering the number of nutrients okra contains like vitamins, folate and magnesium. But to keep off the slime, you could use okra in soups, stews and stir fries.*Chia seeds: These tiny seeds are amazing with their ability to absorb water ten times its actual weight. It will keep your hydration intact and keep you feeling full. *Agar: Agar is one meal you should get your family used to especially because it contains no sugars, no fats, no calories and no carbohydrates; it contains just plain fiber. It prevents your body from storing any extra fat and reduces your cholesterol levels.*Meats: Meats are high in protein. The body digests proteins slowly, which means that they are likely to remain in your stomach for longer, which in turn means that you are unlikely to feel the need to eat in between meals. This can actually help you reduce the amount of calories you take each day.*Veggies: Green vegetables are high in fiber, which is satiating given that fiber takes a longer time before it is moved down the digestive system. This means that you will probably feel fuller for longer.

Tip: Get your children to take more of these and ensure to prepare delicious recipes using some of the ingredients mentioned above for the family. You will be amazed that your obese children will probably reduce the amount of food they have to take because they will be feeling full after taking the above foods.

Eat small and regular meals

Eating regular meals like four or five instead of the usual 3 can help balance out your blood sugar levels and also keep your metabolism rate high. But it comes with conditions. You should make sure that the meals are small and that they are healthy. If you take in extra calories in your meals, you will be doing nothing that will help you lose the extra weight. Your meal should contain no or the least amount of carbohydrates since carbohydrates contain more calories than the other food groups; taking in more calories than your daily intake of calories will only lead to weight gain. Instead, you should ensure your small meals contain lean proteins, fibers, and vitamins.Drink yogurt

You can drink yogurt as an exception of the drinks you should take in. Study has it that yogurt is possibly the most effective food for weight loss and preferably Greek yogurt. This is because Greek yogurt contains a generous amount of the essential mineral calcium, which is amazing in burning fat.

The mineral calcium is also associated with healthy BMI levels. Yoghurt is also packed with active cultures, which help in pulling out nutrients from the food you eat. As such, make sure you sip some yogurt just after you take a meal. It also contains lean proteins, which are a filling nutrient that will help you keep feeling full until your next meal. Curb cravings

Food cravings can be most disturbing since you cannot just ignore them. You might feel at times that you crave for a certain food. Whether it is junk food or just any other kind of food, it will add you extra calories if you succumb to the craving. One great way to curb a craving is to eat nuts. You should eat an ounce of nuts and then sip a glass or two of cold water. You could eat nuts like almonds or walnuts. Nuts are great in dampening your cravings in just twenty minutes especially because they are high in magnesium, which is very helpful for curbing cravings. Some other foods other than nuts, which are great for cravings (especially sugar cravings) are raw cocoa, avocado and brown rice. You could also sniff foods that are known to curb cravings. This might sound weird but the truth behind this is that the foods send signals of satisfaction to your brain satiety center. The signal calls for the release of a hormone that shows you that you have had enough to eat. Some of these foods are bananas, fennels, green apples, and garlic.

Go spicy

If you like spices, then you are in luck. Research has just shown that chili peppers can help reverse obesity. The component, which gives the peppers that strong spicy heat can help fight obesity through the stimulation of energy burning and the turning of white fat into brown fat. Once the brown fat is activated, it can burn up to 300 calories in a day (24 hours). In simple terms, brown fats mean more calories will be burnt.

Lifestyle Changes To Reverse ObesityFor you to conquer obesity, you will need to start doing some things differently; it could be the way you think, your daily routine or the way you live. You just have to change whether you like it or not if you are really determined to overcome obesity. Besides, it is for your own good and for your childs. Here are some changes you should make in your daily life routine:Get MovingAs said before, one major cause of obesity is physical inactivity. For a fact, nowadays children prefer to have their faces stuck on their smartphones than go for dance classes. Not only smartphones but also watching TV, playing computer games and surfing the internet is what is trending making movement and other physical activities impossible to perform.

You should cut back any form of screen time whether TVs, computers, and everything else that would deter you and your children from being physically inactive. Cutting back on this will not only make you more active but also it will help keep your kids from all those commercials that are aimed at addicting your kids to all sorts of junk food. To make the kids more active, you can:

*After school, you could have your child go for dance classes or even sport classes. You should ask them first what they would like best instead of just imposing on them. Make them understand that it is for their own good because most probably, they would be resistant to join because they are not comfortable with their bodies. Once they agree on one, sign them up, and make a follow up to make sure they attend daily.

*Have a long walk with them: Make sure that every day you take a long walk with them or if they are still too young, take them to the playground. Not only will they have fun, they will also get to interact with other children and burn some calories as they run around.

*Have fun at home: You should keep them moving in the house too and not just let them watch movies. You could skip rope with them in the yard, play tag or even hide and seek. In simple terms, ensure they engage in anything that will keep those little feet moving.

*Enroll your kids for a competition: In most instances, you will find the competitions that involve young people entail lots of movement. As such, this can be a great opportunity to help your obese child burn some calories and eventually lose weight. Even if they are not in it to win, make sure that they participate in the competitions; this could be swimming, dancing, athletics etc. The more physically active you keep them, the higher the likelihood that they will be able to fight obesity naturally.*Go for a hike: You could also take the weekend off and take a hike as a family. Hikes and adventures in the wild could be all you need. Your kids will be away from all the electronics and all the junk food, which means that there will be no temptation. Another benefit associated with going for hikes is climbing the steep hills or mountains. Study shows that an inclination, no matter how steep, gets you burning more calories than you would have if you were walking on level ground. The great thing with hiking is that when you go hiking, you dont feel as if you are exercising as opposed to going to the gym.

Therefore, if you have staircases at your home, use them also. Have your kids go up and down the stairs; it could be knowingly or unknowingly.

Morning routine: Establishing a morning and evening routine that involves physical activity can be a great way for you to help your obese child to deal with obesity. For instance, you can have them run round the house or up and down the stairs every morning when the alarm goes off. You could also have them run up and down stairs or round the house every evening before dinner. This will definitely burn a good amount of calories every day. It is best to keep a log of the time they take to do that then reward them for every new progress they make (i.e. the faster they run) but ensure you dont reward them with food. You could do a new pair of shoes whose points are accumulated over a month etc. Make it interesting and challenging such that the child feels that they are working towards a goal. And when the going gets tough, join a Gym or hire a trainerYou don't really need a gym to get the right kind of exercise. Your aim in exercising should be helping your kids do vigorous activities that will get their heart rate up and therefore burn calories, which is the sole reason for exercise. The best kind is high intensity interval training (HIIT), which, according to research, can help to fight obesity. You could also get a personal trainer at home, who will guide the family through a series of exercises. And if you must, you could all sign up to join a gym. Going to the gym together gives your child the motivation to know that you will be with them each step of the way as they try to lose weight.Other than that, you should take every opportunity you get to walk with your children. For instance, you should leave early in the morning and walk your kids to school instead of taking the bus if it is not so far. You should always keep moving. Control And Manage Your Stress/PressuresBeing obese can put you under a lot of stress, whether socially, mentally or physically. You might feel that you are not fitting in or you just have a lot of pressure because there are some things you are not able to do because you are obese. However, the fact is that being stressed will not help you get a solution to your problems. In fact, it only makes it worse. When stress levels rise, your levels of cortisol, cytokines (inflammatory substances) and levels of insulin increase to a much high level. This leads to metabolic dysfunction, which leads to insulin resistance and weight gain. Additionally, stress may make you run for food for comfort, which is called emotional eating. This makes management of stress one critical component of obesity. It is impossible to get rid of stress but it is very possible to manage it. You can control stress through:

*Meditation and some deep breathing exercises: You should give yourself about half an hour daily to just sit down in deep silence and have your thoughts in order. Choose a suitable environment of your choice and clearly think through what is really bugging you and you will see how well it will work. You should also practice some yoga. It could be at home or you could also sign up for yoga classes. Note: Try this with your children. If you could teach them to just sit still and meditate, this could be the best thing you will ever teach them in life. And if they see you doing some wonderful yoga poses, they are likely to join in, which means that they will end up burning some more calories in the process since yoga entails physical activity.*The best medicine: As you know, laughter is the best medicine. No matter what you are going through, laugh it off with some friends or you could simply go for some hilarious comedies and watch them. You could also do it by yourself by remembering something really funny that happened and then laugh about it again and again. Tip: Have sessions with your kids where you can crack jokes and laugh yourself silly. This can help a lot in managing stress for anyone who is stressed (especially teens). *When you are just idle, you tend to think about your problems a lot. As such, you should try to keep yourself busy so that the stress does not get to you. When you feel it kicking in, you should quickly find some distraction like taking a walk, dancing, or listening to music. Kids love music and love dancing. As such, if you could find them something interesting to do when they are idle, they will be in a good position to burn some calories. Get Enough SleepPoor sleep or lack of sleep is likely to increase stress levels, make you eat more and is likely to cause hormonal imbalance. At its worst, if you dont get enough sleep, you are also at the risk of getting a number of diseases like type-2 diabetes. A study even showed that partial poor sleep could cause insulin resistance. That is why you should make sure that you and your kids get eight straight hours of sleep (keep in mind that when you are obese, your kids are also likely to be obese). Here are some tips you could use to make sure you get enough sleep:*Create a sleeping ritual: As you go to sleep, ensure that you provide the necessary conditions for sleep; this will make your body to go naturally to sleep mode when it gets used to the cycle. You can do that by taking a hot shower before going to bed, switching off the lights, and creating quietness in the house by switching off all appliances that make noise. These should trigger the body to go to sleep naturally.*Establish a consistent sleeping time: You should choose a specific time to go to bed and to wake up. This will condition you to feel sleepy when that time comes and when the time for waking up comes, you will wake up naturally even without an alarm. *Limit exposure to electronics before going to bed: These emit too much light that is likely to affect melatonin levels, which means that you are likely to have disturbed sleep. Additionally, when you limit smartphone and computer games exposure for your kids at night, it means that they will not use these gadgets late into the night thus sleeping less hours than is necessary.*Make up for lost sleep: If by any chance you are not able to have your 6-8 hours of sleep, you should make up for them by taking a nap during the day. *Sip some milk: Some warm milk is bound to get you sleepy. Drink it just before you go to bed or when you are in your bed. Tip: Track Your ImprovementsResearch shows that people who keep a record of their progress lose twice as much and do twice as well. You should have a journal, or a notebook or even a spreadsheet in your phone or computer, whatever works for you. So, what do you track? You should track everything you eat and all of your measurements i.e. your weight, height, waist size, BMI and if necessary, your blood pressure. Many people get inspired when they see their progress written down.ConclusionThank you again for downloading this book! I hope this book was able to help you to learn how to help your child to overcome childhood or teen obesity. The next step is to try implementing the strategies that this book suggests so that you can start seeing results now.

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Thank you and good luck!