OH! Magazine - Australian Version January 2014 (Australian Version) | Page 19

HOW TO PROTECT
KIDS FROM BECOMING
OVERWEIGHT

KATE SWANN &
KRISTINA
MAMROT

www.yourweightlossexperts.com

(OH, REALLY?)

Leading Australian psychologists and weight loss
specialists, Kate Swann and Kristina Mamrot, are on a
mission to teach parents the strategies needed to
combat child obesity.
tatistics reveal that 25 per cent of
Australian children are overweight
or obese1. Obesity and weight gain have
been hailed as a modern day epidemic,
and Australian kids are not immune.
As psychologists specialising in
working with overweight clients, Kate
and Kristina see first-hand the
devastating effects weight gain has on
children and teenagers. And the research
agrees with the psychologists. Kids who
are overweight are more prone to suffer
low mood, anxiety, low self-esteem and
also have an increased incidence of
being bullied2.
So, why don’t we just pop them on a
diet? Isn’t that the best way to help kids
lose weight? It’s not as easy as you may
think, because research has found that
dieting is the single most important risk
factor for developing an eating disorder3.
So, what can concerned parents do
when they realise that Junior is carrying
more than just puppy fat? Kate and
Kristina offer these tips for helping
children slim down and develop life-long
healthy eating habits:
• Children learn their eating habits by
observing their parents. So if you reach
for a snack the second you walk in the
door, break open the chocolate when
you’re upset or celebrating, or eat
quickly without savouring your food,
your kids will do the same.
• Sorting out your own dysfunctional
eating habits is the number one way
to protect your children from excess
weight. And we don’t mean go on a

S

•

•

•

•

diet – this sends the wrong message
to those young ears. Work out why you
overeat and eat when you’re not
hungry. Understanding why gives you
space to make some changes.
Beware of talking about dieting,
calorie counting, or eating ‘special’
diet food. This gives kids the message
that you’re not okay with yourself and
your body shape. And it’s a short step
from there to ‘I’m not acceptable
when I’m overweight’ for your kids.
Never criticise or point out overweight
people. This is not a sport, and
again, gives your kids the message
that the only way to be acceptable is
to be thin.
Stop buying junk food except for once
a week treats. If it’s not healthy
enough for your kids to eat, it’s not
healthy enough for you.
Demonstrate to your children how
you can take just one chocolate
biscuit from the pack, slowly savour
it, and don’t need to go back for
another because you know you can
have one the next day. It’s not okay
to let them see you giving yourself

permission to ‘once I start I can’t
stop’ and eat the whole pack.
• Make exercise part of your regular
routine. Like seeing Mum and Dad
reading a book encourages children
to read, seeing them exercising
encourages this healthy habit.
• Make sure you have family dinners as
often as practical. Serve the food in
the centre of the table and allow
children to help themselves (as long
as they try everything).
• Don’t pass on the ‘clean plate rule’ to
your children. Leaving food they don’t
want on a plate is an essential life
skill, which as an adult, you may well
have lost touch with.

Kate Swann and Kristina Mamrot are the authors of Do You Really Want
To Lose Weight. The book provides a fascinating and confronting insight
into not what people are eating but why they are eating it. The whole
approach behind Do You Really Want To Lose Weight is to urge readers to
be genuine, realistic and sensible in their weight loss objectives. Do You
Really Want To Lose Weight ($29.95) is available from Amazon, other eBook platforms
and from all good bookstores, including Dymocks. Visit www.YourWeightLossExperts.com
or www.pscounselling.com.au for more details.

( OH! MAGAZINE ) ISSUE 6

19