Is it wrong to put an overweight child on a diet?

The signals on this are very mixed. You have on the one side, articles and articles about obesity in America, how kids are fatter than ever and how something should be done to stop this growing epidemic. Then on the other side when you see an overweight child or a child who could stand to lose a few, you have the bleeding heart types who say things like "leave them alone" or "let them be", and frown on trying to get them to lose weight because it supposedly conforms to superficial standards about beauty and unhealthy body image, and that all sizes should be embraced, etc. Do you think it's inappropriate to put a child on a diet?

If the child is overweight, then I think a change in overall lifestyle (which includes parental behavior and household culture) is in order. I wouldn't push my one hundred and sixty pound ten year old to be as thin as a print model, but I wouldn't allow them to continue on the path that got them to where they are.

Chris wrote:If the child is overweight, then I think a change in overall lifestyle (which includes parental behavior and household culture) is in order. I wouldn't push my one hundred and sixty pound ten year old to be as thin as a print model, but I wouldn't allow them to continue on the path that got them to where they are.

To allow a child to become obese does an disservice that I think borders on neglect.

Yes it is appropriate to put the child on a diet. Better yet let the child get involved in some kind of physical activity several times a week and then maybe it won't be overweight at all.

I don't think it is wrong. Putting a child on diet and encouraging or getting the child involved in more physical activity is improving the child's health.

A diet is what you eat. Changing what he/she eats isn't wrong if they're seriously overweight.

It's inappropriate to put a child on a low calorie diet for the sake of losing weight. It is TOTALLY appropriate to offer them healthy choices, and to show them how to have a good time being active, and to limit their screen time so that they will get more activity. Diets fail all the time, those kids need a complete lifestyle change. The goal with children is to have them "grow into" their weight so they continue to grow but don't grow any fatter. There may be some kids who are so obese that this isn't an option, but that's a medical issue and they should be supervised as they lose weight just like an obese pregnant woman should be offered nutrition advice so she doesn't have to gain weight but will still be able to provide all the nutrients that her growing baby needs.

Studies show that children whose parents are the most controlling over what they eat are more likely to grow into overweight adults and eat to rebel and see food as a reward rather than fuel. They also are more likely to develop eating disorders as teenagers, especially girls.

I think it's unrealistic. Most adults fail at diets, so the likelihood of a child being able to maintain one is pretty much nil. If your kid is fat and you want him to lose weight, push him to be more active, reduce the amount of junk food you bring into the house and stop preparing enough food for him to go back for 4th and 5ths.

I think a lifestyle change is more appropriate. Who's the one buying the food? Not likely the 8 year old. I worked with a family who had a very overweight daughter. The Mom wanted interventionists to come in and work with the daughter and teach her about healthy eating. The girl was 12 and severely autistic and certainly not making her own food choices. Mom gave her tons of carbs - white flour, white bread, and so on - but expected someone else to come in for a couple of hours a week and teach her daughter to eat healthy foods. The family needed a lifestyle change, with Mom buying HEALTH food, rather than stuffing the girls with unhealthy food.

TSJFan4Ever wrote:I think a lifestyle change is more appropriate. Who's the one buying the food? Not likely the 8 year old. I worked with a family who had a very overweight daughter. The Mom wanted interventionists to come in and work with the daughter and teach her about healthy eating. The girl was 12 and severely autistic and certainly not making her own food choices. Mom gave her tons of carbs - white flour, white bread, and so on - but expected someone else to come in for a couple of hours a week and teach her daughter to eat healthy foods. The family needed a lifestyle change, with Mom buying HEALTH food, rather than stuffing the girls with unhealthy food.

And there is the problem in the US...Parents aren't living a healthy lifestyle, how can they expect their kids to? Kids don't buy the food or make the rules about activity.

Chris wrote:If the child is overweight, then I think a change in overall lifestyle (which includes parental behavior and household culture) is in order. I wouldn't push my one hundred and sixty pound ten year old to be as thin as a print model, but I wouldn't allow them to continue on the path that got them to where they are.