What is Childhood Obesity?

Obesity is one of the worst epidemics in society today. You might not be aware that obesity isn't just affecting adults, it affects children as well. Continue reading to gain more insight about the dynamics of obesity in children.

When it comes to adults, there are ways to readily determine obesity. Example: when dealing with adults one can look at a person to see that their weight fits their height and body style. Then, we have the dreaded scale. Getting on the scales at the doctor’s office is quite often an emotional moment and painful, yet as a measuring tool, it is crucial to determine if you're the ideal weight for your age as well as your height. This info forms the all important BMI or Body Mass Index which is the true measurement as it relates to obesity.

When it come to our kids, it’s not quite that easy. Just looking at a child won't always help you determine if they are over-weight. One needs a modified BMI charts used just for kids. At it's simplest, childhood obesity is considered an issue if a child has more body mass than is average or healthy for their age and height. According to the CDC, if a child has a BMI above the 95 percentile for their age, they're considered obese. Note that each age in childhood brings with it a variety of growth circumstances that also have to be taken into consideration.

Facing Up To The Obesity Problem

Don't feel afraid or embarrassed to contact your physician if you're thinking your child is becoming over weight. Allow your doctor to examine your child and tell you if there's anything to worry about. Some children gain weight just before a growth spurt. It can appear that your child goes from skinny to chunky and then chunky to skinny over night. That's why we have to be careful diagnosing children as obese without If so, now is a good time to take up the cause and do something about childhood obesity.

The Weight Loss Battle Is Won Or Lost In the Mind

I never thought that a weight loss problem would ever be an issue with me. I worked at hard labour jobs that kept me fit and stayed at 145 pounds until I hit 30 years of age. At that time I learned about computers and turned from hard labour jobs to sitting on my behind teaching others how to become proficient with their computer and software.

After 20 years of teaching I had gained 60 pounds of extra weight, a real strain on my heart. I saw that I was gaining weight but was just too busy making money and having fun to really care.

I also knew of the fact the males in our family line never lived to see 50. I even had two brothers die from heart attacks, one at age 21 and the other at age 47, but I still did nothing. I had that immortal mindset and figured it would never happen to me. Well I was wrong and at age 47 I had a major heart attack that wasn't fixable.

It took me 4 years of walking and taking meds to stay alive but I survived. I even lost a little bit of weight but later found that I was gaining fat while losing muscle, so I was still doing myself harm.

Now It's Time For A Healthy Weight Loss Program

I am already doing a weight loss step that is beneficial and that is walking daily. Now it's just a matter of eating properly and starting an exercise program that won't kill me but will help me gain muscle back and increase weight loss.