Helping You and Your Child Lose Weight

When you�´re overweight yourself, you tend to be hypersensitive to your child�´s weight issues. We, as parents, want to set a good example but jumping from one fad diet to another doesn�´t help either the parent nor the child. The best way to cover all your bases is to establish a healthy eating pattern right now, one that your kids will follow when they�´re grown up and out of the house. It�´s a healthy life-style that everyone benefits from.

So, how do you get vegetables and good food into a family that�´s on the run from morning �´till night? It�´s not as difficult as it might seem. The first thing you need to do is set up some ground rules.

No eating in front of the t.v. is a good one. Research shows that we don�´t notice how much we are eating when we�´re being distracted by the television set. Another good rule is that after-school snacks have to be fruit or veggies. Carrot sticks and apple wedges dipped in peanut butter are a good alternative to cookies.

Next, remove all temptation. On your next grocery run, get fruit and veggies and skip the cookie aisle altogether. Don�´t buy any sodas, either. You�´ll find yourself saving money as well as dropping pounds! If you usually have sugary cereals in the morning for breakfast, take a couple of minutes to find one with more nutrition that sweetness, granola or cornflakes with honey, for example.

Make sure that you have quick nibblies for when hunger pangs hit between meals. In a spare moment, cut up carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and stick them in a container of water to keep them crisp. A little tub of homemade dip will make veggies more interesting for chip-obsessed kids. You can make a lowfat dip with a cup of yogurt, 1 Tablespoon chopped parsley, 1 tsp. mustard and a dash of garlic powder.

Whenever you have time to actually cook, cook two or three times what you actually need and freeze the rest for those rushed dinners during the week. Having a fast option at home means you�´ll be more likely to skip the McDonald�´s run.

Exercise is just as important as eating right and in our gas-driven society, we could use a walk or two! Even just to save some cash. Walking around the block each night after dinner if you have time is a great way to bond with your kids and spouse and to get some fresh air. If you can�´t manage that, try going to the park or beach on weekends and playing Frisbee or catch. Your kids will love the extra attention and they won�´t even notice that they�´re working off that chicken dinner from last night!

By working together, your family will not only lose weight, they will grow closer! So what�´s stopping you from making some family lifestyle changes?