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Home › Articles › Preteenagers › Fit or Fat?

Fit or Fat?

Self-esteem and "Big" Preteens

By Kelly Burgess

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An Early Start

Adolescence can be a tough time for a variety of reasons. Children want to be more independent, and there are often clashes with parents over issues such as clothing, curfews, grades and anything else a volatile preteen or teen can think to push the envelope on. Needless to say, this is not the best time to begin talking to them about healthy eating and body image issues. In addition, because of the slowing of growth, if they're near puberty and are still quite heavy, it can be difficult for them to lose weight.

Woodward-Lopez says the ideal time to start talking about body image and healthy eating is the preschool years. This is when they are still under parental control, food-wise, and are amenable to physical activity. The more they see their parents promoting healthy eating and physical activity as a way of life, the more likely they are to remain at a healthy weight and to continue healthy practices.

However, it's never too late to start a healthy lifestyle. What Woodward-Lopez cautions against is the parent who, maybe having one or more thin children and one heavy child, treats the heavy child differently.

"On a parental level there needs to be the same rules of eating and exercise for all the children," says Woodward-Lopez. "If you allow the thin child to have cookies, but not the heavy one, he will soon get the message that it's not my health, it's my weight. Parents may be a very small piece of the child's environment, but to a child the parent's acceptance is most important and this acceptance equips them to go out into the world."

Here are some other tips for keeping kids fit and healthy:

Limit TV time. TV has a negative effect on weight in a couple of ways. First of all, it's a sedentary activity. If children are watching television, they're not out moving around. Secondly, the media promotes an image of perfection that few kids can ever live up to.

Find healthy substitutes for unhealthy foods. If your child is a cheeseburger lover, try one of the frozen veggie burgers available in the freezer section of your supermarket. There are substitutes for chicken patties as well that make good sandwiches. Bake your own French fries from whole potatoes. Have a meatless meal once a week. Buy a vegetable cookbook and start making two vegetables in place of starches and other richer side dishes.

Get your kids involved in the process. Having children help plan and prepare meals gives them ownership and makes them more interested in and knowledgeable about foods and what the effect of those foods are on the body. Kitchen skills will also help them with life skills.

Go out and play. Sending a child outside is often only effective if they have someone to play with. Otherwise, they may just sit on the swing and play Game Boy! Besides, if you send them out and then plop down in front of the TV with a pop, what message does that send? Be an example and a partner in your child's health.


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