How to Get My 6-Year-Old to Lose Weight

Helping your 6-year-old lose weight can be challenging, but changing lifestyle habits at an early age will help him maintain healthy habits as he grows older. To help him lose weight, set a good example, teach healthy eating habits and increase his level of physical activity. Improving his physical and mental health early in life will make him an overall healthier person in the future.

Commit to practicing what you preach when you start to teach your kids about living a healthy lifestyle. If she sees you setting a good example, chances are, she will follow in your footsteps.

Meal Plans for 7-Year-Olds

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Eat smaller portions when you eat meals as a family. Do not feel the need to fill his plate with food. If he eats healthy, nutrient-rich foods, he will have adequate nutrition to grow and develop.

Eat healthy foods at home. Cook and provide meals that offer a variety of fruits, vegetables, legumes, complex carbohydrates, lean meats and low-fat dairy products. Introducing healthy foods to your child while she is young will allow her to develop a preference for these types of foods. Use healthy seasonings or low-fat sauces or dips to help your child enjoy the flavors of healthy foods if she does not like the taste.

My 5-Year-Old Does Not Eat

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Avoid high calorie foods such as candy, cookies and chips. Allowing your child to eat too many calories will result in weight gain and difficulty with weight loss 1. Because a pound of fat contains 3,500 calories, reduce his intake of calories to lose fat. Replace high-calorie snacks with fruits, vegetables or other low-calorie alternatives. Each snack should be no more than 100 calories. Reducing the amount of high-calorie foods he eats is an easy way to help him lose or maintain his weight.

Allow your child to perform at least one hour of physical activity per day. Physical activity can be structured exercises such as, walking, jogging, running or biking. However, free play, organized sports and motion-dependent video games are also acceptable. Participate in physical activities with her as often as possible.

Tips

Teach your child that losing weight is about being healthy. Avoid concentrating on "looks" or cultural body type preferences.