6 Ways To Help Kids Lose Weight & Live a Healthier Lifestyle

Sadly childhood obesity is something we are seeing more and more of and it’s our jobs as parents to help our children have the healthiest childhood possible.  I hear parents blame other parents for their children being overweight, but it’s not like a parent can breakout the whip and follow their child to school, friends, and stay up guarding the kitchen all night.  The best thing we can do as parents are teach our children how and why it is important to live a healthy lifestyle and it’s never too late to start.  There are ways to help kids lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle without hurting their feelings or causing self-esteem issues, but you have to be willing to support them.

I do my best to teach my kids how to live a healthy lifestyle by showing them.  However, I’ve had to stop and take a look at myself and the things I’m doing because my kids look up to me and are going to do whatever I do.  As parents we have to lead a healthy lifestyle if we expect our children to do the same and it may involve learning how to live a more healthy lifestyle.    

6 Ways To Help Kids Lose Weight & Live a Healthier Lifestyle

If you are trying to get your child to live a healthier lifestyle and maybe drop a few pounds, by eating healthy foods and exercising here are a few things you might want to try.

What kind of lifestyle are you living?

I know, I know it sounds rude, but seriously.  I’ve had to take a look at myself, and my kids are the reason I’ve decided I NEED to live a healthier lifestyle.  Not only do I want them to know how to eat right and understand why it is important, but I also want to be around for a long time to see them start families. 

Plus, if you could stand to eat healthier or lose weight there is no better way to do it than the right way, with your child.  They will see you make the lifestyle change and understand it’s important.

Food diary

This is one of my favorites, and it doesn’t have to be done just to lose weight it can be to learn how you can eat healthier.  Plus, sometimes seeing in black and white everything you’ve put into your body or your child is putting into their body is a real eye-opener.

Shop smarter

Everything starts with what you are bringing home from the grocery story.  It’s okay to have an easy dinner night if it’s not every night.  You can also cook meals ahead of time and freeze them, so the kids have good meals.  Fruits and veggies are the perfect snacks and side for every meal.  We’ve recently started eating more greens, and if the kids want a snack, it is fruits or veggies with dip. 

Be kind

It’s a hard subject but one that cannot be ignored.  If you have noticed your child put on a little weight, don’t be rude, or say things that can make them feel worse about themselves.  Remember, kids are mean, and home is the last place they should have to feel uncomfortable being themselves.  Rather than saying something hurtful, get involved and teach them how to be healthier and live a healthier lifestyle. 

Support

The most important thing you can do is help your child by being a good role model and being there for them.  Answer questions, and lead the way.  Teaching your child how to live a healthy lifestyle is something they will be able to use for the rest of their lives.

Reach out for help

If you’re not sure what your child should be eating or what you can do to help them without hurting their self-esteem more, reach out for help.  Contact your doctor, or you might even want to get your child involved with Kubor.  This way you both can work becoming healthier together or as a family. 

Kurbo can help parents and children lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle

Have you heard of Kurbo?  It’s an AWESOME online and mobile health and weight management program that was created for not only parents but children and teens too.  This program wasn’t just tossed into the mix either; it’s based on 30 years of childhood obesity research at SUNY Buffalo and Stanford University.  The program uses their state of the art mobile app that includes an expert health coach to help families take control of their weight to become healthier and more confident by learning better eating habits and exercising more.

The Kurbo app includes all sorts of great features, like:

• Food tracker
• Visual progress reports
• Educational videos
• Educational games
• In-app messaging with your coach

Users can even get the full Kurbo experience by meeting with their Kurbo Healthy Coach on Skype or FaceTime to discuss any successes, challenges, find motivation, and even set goals.

We just downloaded the Kurbo app and I’m excited to continue using Kurbo because I think the live coaching and the fact that it’s an app will help keep me and the kids motivated to get healthier together as a family.  Unlike many other apps out there Kurbo doesn’t teach children to count calories, it’s NOT a diet.  Their goals are help kids learn to reduce the yucky foods that are high in calories and low in nutrients and increase nutritious and low-calorie foods by suing a traffic light system.  See red foods are the yucky foods we don’t want our kids eating too much of – cake, cookies, pizza, etc. and the green light foods are the nutritious foods we want them to eat more of. 

The Kurbo coaches allow the parents to be still parents.  The coaches provide motivation, support and accountability to someone other than the parents.  Which means you don’t have to be the food police any longer.  There is no need to worry about whether or not the coaches are experienced because they are specially trained, experienced coaches who are from Stanford and have the direct experience parents want when it comes to working with their children.  The coaches are passionate about their job and helping kids lead a healthy lifestyle.  They understand the challenges our children are facing, which in my opinion is critical.

If you’re wondering why Kurbo works it’s because it helps you learn about basic nutrition and behavior modification tools to help, you and your children make healthier choices when it comes to food and being active.  You’ll find great topics, like:

• Portion control
• Benefits of exercise
• Understanding food labels

Kurbo helps parents and children learn and make changes that can not only be life changing but become a lifestyle change for the better. 

Did you know that last year 85% of the kids to take part in Kurbo programs for 12 weeks lost weight and reduced their BMI?  Yes, which also helped with increased self-esteem, less fighting over food concerns, healthier families, becoming more active, and even significant parent weight loss. 

Teen weight loss is a hard subject to talk about, Kurbo makes it easy because it’s not focused on weight loss, they focus on teaching your and your teen how to live a healthier lifestyle.  Swing by iTunes and download this mobile coaching app for FREE.  To sign up for the coaching plan visit Kurbo.com/Plans and learn more be sure to check out these weight loss success stories.