Starting a personal family journey to better health

This is my final entry for now on one child's battle with weight because changes will take time and it is a personal journey.  I hope to report some positive news in a few months.

But I wanted to share with you that we met together to discuss her thoughts on the family eating healthier.  We did talk together about the family's journey to healthier habits.  We did not make this about her weight although during the conversation, she said that some of the kids had called her "fat" and she wanted to lose weight.

We talked about National Nutrition Month and how this was a time of the year that was a great opportunity for families all around the country to take a look at their habits and how they could improve it.  We talked about the challenges in making healthier choices and agreed that some things would be easy and other habits may be a bit more difficult to change.

We agreed that a good place to start was to look at our current habits and then make one or two simple changes as a family.  Once those goals were part of the routine, we can then add more goals.  Sometimes we might slip up and that's okay.  We just start again.  We also shared ideas on how to celebrate our successes that did not use food.  I was surprised at how many ideas she came up with!

We had this great positive conversation about keeping our bodies healthy so that it was in the best shape to let us do all the fun things we wanted to do.  We did not talk about her being overweight.  We talked about the family needing to work together to be a healthier family.

And so our personal family journey begins...

Nourish Thought for the Day:  

Every journey starts with the first step!

Childhood Obesity Resources and Tips for Parents articles

Parents’ Guide - What Is BMI Score

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a number calculated from a child's weight and height that helps determine body fat. Article that explains how a child's BMI is calculated and what that might indicate about a child's weight status.

Calculate Your Child’s BMI-for-age Percentile

As a parent, you may want to know what your child's BMI score. We have a quick and easy tool that will do all the calculations for you. Calculate your child's BMI-for-age Percentile score.

Childhood Obesity Information For Families

Childhood obesity is now a significant concern in the United States and across many other countries around the world. Learn more about the health and economic concern surrounding childhood obesity.

Childhood Obesity Prevention- Parental Information - A Healthy Guide

Tips for parents with overweight children. How to know if your child is overweight and initial steps toward helping your child move towards a healthy weight.

Health Risks for Children Who Are Overweight

Our nurses have looked at some of the recent studies and trends from credible health organizations and studies. A comprehensive list of the health risks and complications associated with childhood obesity. 

Does My Child Need To Lose Weight?

Helping a child lose weight does not have to be a painful experience. We believe that nutrition can be fun and is most important for kids trying to lose weight. Tips for parents trying to help their child lose weight.

Why You Should Not Put Your Child on a Fad Diet

Managing your child’s weight as a family tips, Say NO to fad diets for children and YES to small steps and healthy eating habits for the whole family. Quick guidelines for eating a healthy diet for helping your overweight child. 

Guide To Helping Overweight Children Eat Healthier Foods

If your child is overweight, they will need to make changes to the eating habits. It is important that your child does not feel singled out from the family’s routine. This article has parenting tips to help guide parents in changing eating habits. 

Childhood Obesity And Increasing Daily Exercise

Exercise is a key ingredient to helping overweight children lose weight. Key stratagies to helping your child increase their activity level using positive messaging and supportive tactics.

Childhood Obesity Rates By Individual States

Data Resource Center for Child & Adolescent Health reports each year on the status of our children in the United States. It tracks the rate of childhood obesity not only nationally but also by individual states. See how your state ranks. 

Reports and Resources for Child Health Providers

Are you concerned about childhood obesity? Are you looking for more resources? Here is a guide of some of the best resources we have found worldwide.