Do you do meal plans for children?
I don’t think the “diet” plan is the problem. I don’t think it ever was.
I get asked by parents a lot if we do diet plans for children. My answer was always a firm “No, we don’t do diet plans for children”.
Overweight children don’t need diet plans, they need educated parents who will understand exactly what needs to be done and who will act decisively.
When you have an obese child (meaning the child is not clinically healthy anymore) you have to change the way everyone in the family eats. Everyone, from the youngest to the eldest. In order to help the child. Correct?
After all, what is more important than the health of your child?
✅ THE FIRST CHANGES
The first changes have to do with the child’s surroundings and it’s called “The Big Clean-Up”.
The following items will disappear from the house:
the little cupboard full of treats, cereal, bread, potatoes, “natural” juices, the ice cream in the freezer.
The following items will appear:
the 9 PM bedtime;
soups and main courses without any bread, rice or potatoes;
“We’ll go and have some cake together on Sunday”. You know. Like in the old days.
✍️ I wrote more about the Big Clean-Up here: CLICK.
✅ THE SECOND CHANGE
The second change is the mindset change.
We have to understand that us parents need to be the best example for our children. And when the situation calls for it, we even need to “exaggerate”.
Here is an example: You have a bottle of Coca-Cola on the table, you fill your glass and then you tell the child: “Coca-Cola is not a children’s drink, you’ll have some when you grow up”.
Do you think that’s the correct approach? I don’t think so.
If you have children, then you know how this works.
Your children won’t do what you tell them to do. Children will do what they see you doing.
Children function on the principle of “Monkey See – Monkey Do”.
✅ THE REAL CHALLENGES
If you have a diabetic grandparent who is about to get their leg amputated because of the diabetes, I believe your way of thinking will not be: “Let’s keep baking more cakes, it’s grandpa who needs to abstain from eating them”.
It’s not really good or productive to think like that, isn’t it?
I keep hearing: “I weigh 100 kg, my husband is very thin, he buys junk food and eats it in front of me and he says he doesn’t have to change and it’s me who has a problem. What can I do?”.
Or the classic: “I bust my chops to cook every day and when the kids go visit their grandparents, they receive sweets <<on the low>>”.
“When I ask them to support me, I get an answer along the lines of <<But how were you all raised?>>”.
The real challenge is EDUCATING your family members, not the “diet” itself.
I don’t think the “diet” is the problem. I don’t think it ever was.
✅ OBESE SINCE CHILDHOOD
Ever since I was in 2nd grade, I was either overweight or obese. Until 13 years ago, at the age of 29.
It’s already a quarter of a century since I started looking for ways to lose weight and maintain my figure.
If you have an obese child, are you still comforting yourself along the lines of “he’s going to grow up and he’s going to get taller”?
Do you nead fear in order to instill some changes? Alright, then get in touch with a specialist who will explain what obesity means for children.
I’ll drop you a few hints in here: precocious puberty in girls and delayed puberty in boys.
Any specialist will explain to you what this means. Ask him and you’ll get a very detailed explanation.
You will then maybe monitor their seric insulin and blood sugar levels and calculate the HOMA-IR index.
There is a big chance you’ll find out that both you (the parents) as well as the obese child are pre-diabetic. The grandparents are diabetic themselves, but they definitely don’t want to find that out.
“I’m not going to the doctor, they’ll definitely find something wrong with me and make me take more pills”.
Would you like me to get into more negative detail? Think about bullying, depression, lack of self-confidence, low self-esteem.
Do you have any idea of the sheer devastating effect being overweight has on a child?
Most likely you’ve been slim up until a few years ago. Perhaps you’ve gained 20kg well after the onset of your 30s.
It’s normal you can’t possibly understand what it means to be an overweight child.
Do I lie?
✅ TO CONCLUDE
The child doesn’t need a “diet” plan.
I believe obese children need educated parents and grandparents who will offer them help and support, who will carefully select people inside the social group, who will improve surroundings (no processed foods in the house, no TV in the children’s room) and so on.
I don’t think a child needs to eat small portions of food on a fixed timetable, nor does a child need quantity restriction. On the contrary – a child needs as much food and as many nutrients as possible (building blocks for muscle and organ development).
I believe a child needs parents who walk a lot, cycle, rollerblade, swim.
I believe the child needs parents who will leave the car in the parking lot from time to time and just walk the child to school. Or take the subway and climb up stairs.
I believe the child needs a “clean” house: no junk food, no bread, no cereal, no juices, no sodas, no ice-cream, no cookies. Not even one gram. (He’ll probably have some at school with his classmates).
You’re probably thinking the little one will get frustrated because he’s being denied access to junk food.
I think he is already frustrated enough that he’s getting mocked by the other kids in school. That he can’t run fast. That he’s always red in the face and sweaty.
After a lifetime of searching, now I have 2 children of my own “in my portfolio”. That’s why I created an educational program for the entire family and that’s why I started this here publication.
Many families in our community have lost a combined 100 kg (parents + children + grandparents) within one year.
It’s very important to me that I get your feedback.
There are a lot of articles just waiting to be translated and popularized. But those can wait. Please leave a comment and tell me what I can write about so I can help you and/or your children.