Helpful steps to take
Step 1: Act early. Experts agree that the earlier you can make changes to your child’s diet and lifestyle, the better chance of success you have.Don’t despair if you’re the parent of an overweight teenager. “It’s actually easier to talk to teenagers about their weight than younger children,” says Dr Chadwick. “By the time they reach teenage years, they are well aware of their weight status and are often willing to work with you.
Step 2: Check that your child really is overweight. You can calculate your child's Body Mass Index BMI (comparing their weight to their height). If they are within healthy weight range for their age and height, that’s great. But it’s still a good idea to adopt healthy practices for the family as a whole – to keep you all in good health.
Step 3: Don’t panic. “Many parents of bigger children don’t realise that their child is above the healthy weight range for their height and age,” says MEND experts. “Even if they do, it’s common for those extra pounds to be put down to ‘puppy fat’ that will disappear as their child grows older. Dr Chadwick adds: “Evidence suggests that overweight parents, or parents of overweight children, are less accurate in identifying whether their children are obese or overweight. The younger the child, the more pronounced the errors in perception are. By the time the child is an obese teen it’s probably a lot more obvious.”
Step 4: Talk about it. The easiest way to make something into a big issue is to have a 'big talk' about it, says Paul.