fbpx

Weight Loss for Kids: Is it Safe?
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Tips to help children attain a healthy weight in the long term 

Is weight loss for kids safe? Five key messages to help children attain healthy weights long term.

Recently I was asked about the specific portion sizes for kids. I looked bewildered. My innate response was “I don’t know”. Having carried, birthed, fed and nurtured four kids of my own and counselled several families, I was a little embarrassed by my ignorance. As I relaxed into my emotion, I realized, I don’t know it because I don’t recommend it! We don’t eat like robots!

We provide a good balance and variety of foods and let kids eat from what we provide according to their fullness cues.  

Portion sizes for kids, while well-intentioned, can indirectly put kids at risk of dieting or restrict eating, and so it’s not the approach I recommend for helping kids attain a healthy weight. While it is true there is an obesity epidemic among us, encouraging dieting and hyper-focusing on weight loss in general, will in fact backfire and result in yo-yo-ing weights.

A recent study from Contemporary Pediatrics, shared that focusing on dieting over healthy eating habits can result in long term generational health problems, including the development of eating disorders and other mental health consequences, as well as consistently having extra body weight regardless.  

Here are my five key messages to help children attain a healthy weight long term:

1. Kids are growing! We want to support healthy developmental growth.

  • Focusing on weight loss during childhood can affect proper development. The focus should be on assessing healthy behaviour rather than simplistically just looking at weight.  
  • This approach is more sensitive to weight diversity and can create a more positive environment for kids to develop physically but also mentally and emotionally.  
  • For example, Body Mass Index (BMI) can show that a child is overweight, but they play soccer regularly, eat 3 balanced meals, sleep well and limit screentime. While they may enjoy second helpings on a regular basis, I am not so concerned about their weight because they are building generally good healthy habits. If a growth spur comes along this could naturally place them at a “healthy weight” (or not! if genetically speaking they are simply above standards).  
  • What truly matters is that they and their families develop the resiliency to keep striving and maintaining healthy habits through the many seasons and stressors in life. As well as remain connected with themselves and others throughout (see point 5).  

2. Kids are asserting independence and autonomy through feeding themselves.  

  • Ellyn Satter’s Division of Responsibility (DoR) helps establish a healthy eating relationship. Parents decide when, where and what is available to eat and kids decide whether they eat and how much.  
  • This approach lessens power struggles and helps kids feel confident in their food choices. 
  • The power of success in this method comes from parents developing skills to provide nutritious meals with balance and variety while learning to respect children’s responsibility in feeding themselves well.  
  • This approach also encourages family meals which have great health outcomes. And yes, they do require some effort and a lot of good humour! 

3. Kids need structure, not rigidity. 

  • Division of Responsibility is not permissive parenting. It truly aims to provide adequate structure that supports children’s learning process.  
  • This structure includes setting the right consistent meal pattern (such as 3 meals and 2 snacks), aiming to feed them regularly and predictably every 2-3 hours, providing balanced meals with all food groups and plenty of variety including some foods that are familiar and some that are new.  
  • Above all, being a good role model by eating with them and enjoying the same meal is one of the simplest ways to nourish children and oneself well! 

4. Kids need big picture, not nit-picking

  • It is a big temptation these days to control weight by controlling food, but ongoing research in weight management is unanimous in stating that many factors come to affect weight gain.  
  • Creating healthy habits around sleep, screentime, sedentary activities, exercise, body positivity and emotion regulation are all part of the big picture process. 
  • Parents can educate themselves about portion sizes from a resource, as a way of gaining understanding of what to provide, but should move away from portioning meals for their children according to what they think is reasonable for the child. 
  • Recommendations need to be made in a holistic way, looking at the challenges in lifestyle of each individual child and the family unit as a whole.  
  • Remember we all need joy, so making health habits fun and enjoyable is super important. If there is no joy, there really isn’t any reward. Higher rewards such as feeling purpose, love and connection are key to creating healthy eating relationships. You can find out more about these bio-chemical associations from Emotion Brain Therapy.  

5. Above all: Kids need connection and attachment. 

  • Kids can have issues with weight gain or weight loss or feel body shame while being in a “perfectly” healthy weight.  
  • The reality is helping kids handle deep emotions is essential to helping them become happy healthy eaters and resilient adults.   
  • Food can so easily become a way to cope with stress and emotions and can therefore rupture a good food relationship. 
  • So many adult clients I know talk about how their problems with food and weight started when they were children, and are connected to deep emotion and a poor sense of belonging and connection.  
  • More and more neuroscience is discovering how important connection and attachment to ourselves and others are in overcoming unhelpful habits. A good place to start understanding the importance of connection with our children is the Neufeld Institute 

So, when thinking about weight loss for kids please keep these five ideas in mind. Seek a medical provider to help you navigate adequate growth and a dietitian to help you meet your kids’ needs holistically and with a great dose of fun! 

    Action Plan

    Be a role model for healthy happy children! As a parent or caregiver, assess where you could display healthier eating habits. Then make a resolution to eat better like, “I will have 2 different coloured vegetables at dinner” or “I will place 2 types of carbs for dinner a whole grain one and a white grain and aim for half of each” or “I will have one portion of a dessert after dinner for all to enjoy twice a week only.” This small step YOU take can have a huge impact on how kids learn good habits, but also, goal setting and self-compassion through the process.  

    Need more support with family meal planning and supporting children in attaining healthy weights long term?

    Our Registered Dietitian team specialize in nutrition for children, weight concerns, mental health, meal planning, emotional eating, eating disorders, digestive health and more.

    If you have more questions about weight loss for kids or looking for more support when it comes to family meal planning. We can help!

    Find out more about our Dietitian Nutrition Counseling Programs here.

    If you liked this blog on healthy weight and weight loss for kids, check out these posts below:

    Print Friendly, PDF & Email

    As seen in

    •  

    Success stories

    "I am a psychologist in private practice and it is very important to me that my clients have the best care with other health care professionals. For that reason Health Stand Nutrition is my only source for exceptional Dietitians. Andrea and her team provide highly knowledgeable, compassionate, and real world support to my clients who require assistance with food lifestyle. I trust my clients to them and you would be in excellent hands making them part of your health care team."
    Adele Fox, Psychologist
    “This is the first time I feel satisfied; my cravings have diminished dramatically and I have a whole new relationship with food. I am eating guilt-free for the first time in my life. My energy has also dramatically increased and I feel great!
    Rhonda Jenkins, Nutrition Counseling Client
    “The Dieticians at Health Stand Nutrition help you to take action on the science behind eating well by making it practical, understandable, and fun. Their office is cozy and not at all clinical or intimidating. I felt like I was sitting down with a really smart, caring friend who wanted to help me make the best choices for my lifestyle and food preferences. They really are the best in the business.”
    Marty Avery, Nutrition Counseling Client
    “I have come to think of the program as a one stop shopping excursion for everything one needs to know about creating a joyous relationship with food and our bodies. In a single word, the course has gifted me with freedom from the punishing rigidity of disordered eating, old stories that never were true, and body dysmorphia that did nothing but make me lose sight of a body that has done everything I've asked, despite my careless dismissal of her needs. Now when I look in the mirror I find myself shifting from harsh criticism to gentle gratitude.”
    Lynn Haley, Pursuit of Healthiness Online Course Participant
    “I spent 3 hours when first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I learned more from my Dietitian about food in those 3 hours than I had learned in all the years of my life. I also love the newsletter, there is always something to learn.”
    Peter Whitehead, Nutrition Counseling Client
    “I didn’t realize how strong my “diet mentality” was, and all the rules I had in my head about food. I was in a cycle of reward/punish/binge/cringe. I booked with your business very reluctantly, on the repeated advice of my doctor, to get my slowly rising cholesterol levels in check. I thought I knew everything about food, and my behaviour with food, but I was definitely re-schooled. My weight is creeping down, I feel good about my diet, exercise, body image, and lifestyle.”
    Amy Floyd, Nutrition Counseling Client
    “Thanks Andrea for an amazing presentation, I have heard all positive remarks from attendees and the evaluations show the same sentiment. It is really gratifying when a speaker does their “homework” and weaves in our profession’s day to day challenges within their content, you did an awesome job of this! You truly took the “die” out of Dietician! Your information on healthy eating and simplifying how we can work towards this as we are all so busy really hit the mark. Andrea connects very well with her audience; she is energetic, funny, and very approachable.”
    Carole Ann LaGrange, Transfusion Medicine Safety Officer

    Event Planner for Laboratory Diagnostic Imaging Annual Event

    I am a family physician who sees patients with a myriad of eating concerns – from wanting to know how to plan healthy meals for active families, to weight loss, to eating disorders, and so on. I cannot recommend the Health Stand team highly enough. I have worked with (and been to!) other Dieticians in the past and too often find that they just ask for food logs and make suggestions that are easily obtained online or in books. The Dieticians at Health Stand offer much more than just telling clients what they “should be eating.” In contrast, the team really does more of a counselling practice, and they work hard to help their clients learn more about why their eating habits may be off track and not optimal for them, as well as helping people to effect change at a deep level that, most importantly, is sustainable for lifetime health.”
    Dr. Deb Putnam, Family Physician

    Nutrition Counseling Client & Referring Physician

    “I am a busy mom, with kids in high level sports, working full-time downtown, and running our home acreage outside the City. I now have the knowledge and tools I need to plan for and manage the chaos of meal planning.”
    Gillian Gray, Pursuit of Healthiness Online Course Participant
    “As a construction company, we select speakers who can relate to our industry and its employees. Andrea’s message was delivered with humor and empathy. She makes people feel as though they can make changes without leaving behind every favorite food. Andrea focused her presentation on healthy eating as a way to keep energy high throughout the day. This message and the way it was delivered resonated with our predominantly male, blue collar culture. I would highly recommend Andrea as a speaker for groups such as ours. She will get your message across without alienating anyone in your audience – which is a huge hurdle when trying to introduce a wellness program in the workplace!”
    Stephanie Wood, HR and Safety Manager

    Fisher Construction Group, Burlington, WA

    I found my Dietitian warm, funny, and skilled at teaching nutrition concepts without the overwhelm. The general approach of each session was to mix science with emotion, which was exceedingly effective in helping me shift my perspective on food from one of anxiety to one of joy and curiosity.”
    Erin Kronstedt, Nutrition Counseling Client
    “Excellent presentation! What a refreshing change to have a speaker inspire rather than “lecture” about nutrition. Your captivating stories, tips and overall approach to healthy eating uplifts and puts people at ease. It was great to hear we don’t need to strive to be perfect eaters, and that small changes really can make a difference in how we feel and in our health. Thanks to Andrea, we have solutions to our everyday nutrition challenges that can actually work in real life!”
    Tina Tamagi, Human Resources

    ARC Resources Ltd.

    “Had I not joined this course I would have struggled with no focus, low energy, and mindless eating. Excellent teaching and motivation. This is not just a course, it is a nutrition club with mentorship, support, and connections with other people with similar situations.”
    Lorri Lawrence, Pursuit of Healthiness online course participant

    Pin It on Pinterest

    Share This