Best diet and exercise for an overweight or obese child or teenager?

Answer 1

As a rule of thumb, the diet needs to be free of empty/junk calories. Frequent small meals (five or six a day) are better than skipping meals or eating larger quantities less often. Other options to choose for children's diets with concerns about obesity in mind

would be: lower fat (no fast food, no fried foods), lower sugar and other simple carbohydrates, higher fruit and vegetable content and low glycemic index complex carbohydrates, and normal amounts of lean proteins (especially fish and poultry).

A very good daily strategy for reduction of obesity in kids is the 5 2 1 0 Strategy :

Five servings of fruits and vegetables, two hours of exercise, one hour of TV maximum, and zero sugar intake.

This strategy is best implemented through a well thought out plan of complete family participation.

Answer 2

BEST DIET AND EXERCISE FOR AN OVERWEIGHT OR OBESE CHILD OR TEENAGER

Listed on this page are excellent strategies to use for overweight children or teenagers.

Then, at the bottom of this answer, there are the free lists, charts, diets and exercise plans to get you started or to take you further.

Ideally, weight loss for a child is best approached through family participation if and when possible.

So, what is the best diet and exercise for an overweight or obese child or teenager? Well, let's show you in detail:

1. Refined processed carbohydrates should be strictly limited (apart from an occasional treat)

2. Over-consumption of refined processed carbohydrates is a major cause of weight gain, obesity, insulin resistance, Heart disease, high blood pressure, borderline and type 2 Diabetes, and many other diet related diseases and conditions. If you are unsure what these foods are, you will find more information via the page link at the bottom of this answer or use the blue page link given above.

3. Use more of the specific 'fat burning proteins' to replace the refined processed carbohydrates. Make good use of the thermic effect of these nutritious foods. Drinking plenty of plain fresh water will enable your body to process these foods effectively. If you are unsure what these foods are, you will find a list of the specific fat burning proteins, plus more about the thermic effect of food, at the bottom of this answer.

4. Restrict all products that contain added sugars.

5. Limit all processed foods.

6. Limit bad fats, no fast food, no fried foods.

7. Use beneficial fats and oils; they are essential for health and to sustain life.

8. Eat a protein breakfast to help stop food cravings later in the day.

9. Eat healthy snacks, such as vegetables. If vegetables are not liked, buy a natural (no added sugar) vegetable juice that has a surprise taste to it. Then gradually introduce more vegetables.

11. Use low glycemic index carbohydrates.

12. Use more (non-starchy) leafy green vegetables and low carbohydrate fruits such as berries. Bear in mind that too much high carbohydrate fruit, especially fruit juices, even natural fruit juices, will not help with weight loss because they are high in fructose (a type of sugar).

There are free carbohydrate and calorie fruit and vegetable charts at the bottom of this answer, so you can choose your vegetables and fruits wisely.

13. Use fresh unprocessed lean proteins, especially fish, and, even better, fish that is naturally oily.

14. Regularly engage in cardiovascular (cardio) exercise or cardio sports, anything that gets the heart rate up. Cardio exercise ranges from mild to intense. Children exercising should be supervised by an adult and not left alone. Cardio exercise is good for burning calories, especially intense (brief) cardio. Cardio exercise can be such things as brisk walking jogging, running, outdoors or on a treadmill, cross-country skiing, Nordic walking, trampolining, or mini-trampolining, etc.

15. There are three free cardio exercise plans at the bottom of this answer. There is one easier plan, one slightly harder plan, and one brief intense cardio exercise plan. Intense cardio must always be brief because it is intense. Whereas mild cardio, such as brisk walking, is much lengthier. Again, an adult should always supervise a child.

17. The 5 2 1 0 Strategy is a good strategy to be used with the best diet and exercise for an overweight or obese child or teenager: five servings of vegetables and a little low carbohydrate fruit such as berries, two hours in total of exercise or physical activities or sports, one hour of TV (apart from weekends and holidays of course), and zero added sugar intake.

18 Eat several small meals per day and make sure each feeding includes some of the specific fat burning protein. This will help to avoid hunger pangs and food cravings for refined processed carbohydrates. It will also stop you from losing muscle. As muscle burn calories 24 hours per day, and not just when you are exercising, you need to build muscle rather than lose it. Eating several small meals per day does not mean eating more food, it simply means spreading the food throughout the day.

19. Many overweight people, and many normal weight people are addicted to refined processed carbohydrates. However, as deliciously addictive as these foods are they must be strictly limited. As stated earlier in this answer, over-consumption of refined processed carbohydrates is not only a cause of weight gain or obesity, it is also the major cause of heart disease, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and many other diet related diseases and conditions.

So, for the free diets, lists, charts, and plans, to show you how to do it step-by-step use the page links given below.

• List of Refined Processed Carbohydrates (to avoid or limit apart from an occasional treat)
• List of Specific Fat Burning Proteins (to replace the refined processed carbohydrates), and more about the fat burning thermic effect of food
• What is the Best Diet and Exercise for an Overweight or Obese Child or Teenager in Relation to Speeding Up Metabolism
• Mild Cardio 1 (easier plan) & Mild Cardio 2 (slightly harder plan) do under adult supervision
  
• Intense Cardio Exercise Plan (must be done under adult supervision)
  
• Carbohydrate in Fruits Chart (for weight loss or weight maintenance)
• Carbohydrate in Vegetables Chart (for weight loss or weight maintenance)
• Calories in Vegetables Chart (for weight loss or weight maintenance)
• Calories in Fruits Chart (for weight loss or weight maintenance)
• What Causes Childhood Obesity (and the statistics)
  
• How Many Calories Per Day

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* Because we do not know the health status of your child, please seek the approval of your own physician regarding diet and exercise for your child. You may wish to print the 'best diet and exercise for an overweight or obese child or teenager' answer page and use it for reference.