Having an obese child.

Let's face is obesity can and does cause damage to your body.


This blog doesn't encourage obesity, but accepts that parenting has different challenges when obese.


When you see your child is obese, what do you do?


I can't speak for anyone but myself, but growing up overweight was hard. No only was I bullied horribly, but activity was difficult. When I was in 9th grade I was almost 300 pounds. My biology class took a hike on our nature trail, and I was so out of breath that I thought I'd pass out.


I think or thought I fed my kids fairly well, I've always made it a very personal goal to keep them healthy.


So when I took my son in to have his tonsils checked, not only did I find out he'd gained EIGHT POUNDS in 6 months, but he may have sleep apnea.


My son is quite large for 6, he's 4'3" 65lbs, but obese was NOT something I thought he was.


So the doctor made it clear that this is dangerous, and I set out to get him healthy.....without him knowing.


My son is a fairly active boy, he does have asthma which has held him back, but with good maintenance of his treatment it hasn't been an issue.


So my goal was to keep him going as much as I could. Trampoline...check. He'll jump on it for hours, always breaks a sweat. Good for his balance. Just make sure to keep an eye on kiddos on trampolines, they can be dangerous, but are amazing for exercise....plus he sleeps like a baby.


Swimming. We live in rural Southern Oregon and have access to numerous rivers and lakes. So this is an excellent exercise for him. He excels at it too. Its a VERY good skill to have. My sons biological father died in a drowning accident, and I think its a must for parents to teach their children especially for emergencies.


Next, we enrolled him in every sport we could. Soccer, team swim, karate, etc. We found out which he liked, and kept him in some and removed him from others. The last thing I am is a soccer mom, but I surprisingly am an awesome cheerleader! Its so amazing to see your child have such an amazing time though. Organized sports are excellent, especially for your children's self esteem.


Now to the "diet"


This is where I felt slightly stumped. Alex eats massive amounts of fruit, and only 3 meals....but that was were the problems are. He was eating TOO MUCH! Well duh right? No...

I've always heard want to know how to diet, ask a fat person....well this fat person had NO idea about 1. Too much fruit ISN'T good and 2. PORTION SIZES!

So I did remove a few things from his diet(juice, soda, absolutely no fast food), but mainly made the amount smaller. More water to fill voids in his tummy and making him listen to his body more.

As a child of an obese parent, I know children are much more likely to do as you do, and not as you say.

So until I lead by example, my work may be in vain...