| "We all know our nation has a problem with obesity. Unfortunately our children have not escaped being a part of this problem. Overweight children are likely to become overweight adults. There are many serious complications that develop from obesity over the course of a lifetime, including heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and diabetes. " "A child is considered overweight if he or she has a body mass index (BMI) greater than the 95 percentile. Your doctor uses height and weight calculators to determine the BMI, and should do so at each well visit once your child turns 2. You also can check out the online child BMI calculator on the Centers for Disease Control Web site (" "). Your child is considered being at-risk of being overweight if he or she measures in the 85th to 95th percentile group." "If your child has a BMI of 85 percent or higher, it is definitely time to pay more attention to what he eats and how much he exercises. Being overweight is a tough issue to tackle: It involves not only diet but also commitment, time and self esteem. What your child needs to know is this is not just her problem. It typically is an entire family problem that requires everyone to be involved in making changes so the child can succeed. It's also a tough issue because there is no pill and no quick fix for weight loss. We gain weight when we increase our calorie intake without increasing our energy output or exercise. Thus, to lose that weight, we need to decrease calories taken in or burn more calories off." "First, it's important to meet with your doctor, get an accurate BMI and discuss things such as your child's diet, food preferences, access to physical activity and his or her general nature and cooperativeness. Sometimes weight gain can be due to medical reasons, however most of the time this is not the case. If your doctor has concerns, he or she may order additional testing. Your doctor may refer you to a nutritionist." "For some, the goal may not be actual weight loss but to slow the gains. Your child will continue to grow in height until the late teen years, which is an advantage adults don't have. Right now, there is no clear evidence based approach to lose weight but that does not mean there is nothing parents can do." "Taking in an extra 100 calories a day can really add up over the course of a month and it does not take much to do this -- a cup of juice, 30 goldfish crackers, two Oreo cookies or one tablespoon of butter. This is an extra 3,000 calories in a month that your child did not need. " "The little day-to-day
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