Structural Element

Is My Child Overweight?

The first thing to do is to determine if your child is either overweight or obese. The body mass index, or BMI, is the preferred measure of body fat and therefore it is the measurement of choice to determine if someone is overweight or obese. The BMI calculated by using your child's weight and height measurement is compared with data collected on thousands of U.S. children his/her same age and sex. This is done by plotting the BMI in a special growth chart.


Calculating Your Child's BMI


There are three steps needed to calculate your child's BMI:

  1. Multiply your child's weight in pounds by 703.
  2. Divide that number by your child's height in inches.
  3. Divide that answer again by your child's height in inches.

The number that you calculate is your child's BMI.

For example, if your son weighs 180 pounds and is 60 inches tall, you should do the following:

  • 180 multiplied by 703=126540
  • 126540 divided by 60=2109
  • 2109 divided by 60=35.15

Therefore, your son's BMI is 35.15

Next, print out the appropriate chart below and plot your son or daughter's BMI in the following growth charts according to his/her age:


Boys		 
Girls
  • If the BMI plots above the 95th percentile, he/she is considered OBESE.
  • If the BMI plots between 85th and 95th percentile, he/she is considered OVERWEIGHT.

Click here to calculate your BMI using our online tools!

The Essence of the Weight Management Program.

There are 3 components that are vital and necessary for a weight management program to be successful:

  • Eating healthy (nutrition): This includes learning about the right kinds of foods to eat and about how much food we should be eating.
  • Physical activity: This includes developing an individualized exercise program where you perform physical activity at least 30 to 40 minutes a day, 4 or 5 times a week.
  • Behavior changes: This includes eliminating bad habits and creating new, healthier habits. The idea is to embrace the concept of change. It is important to make changes slowly and not do anything too drastic. Small gradual changes help bolster success.

STEPS TO SUCCESS - "Get your family together"

  • Talk about the changes that need to be made.
  • Take three pieces of paper and at the top write the following headings: * Eating Healthy * Physical Activities * Behavior Changes
  • Under each one of them list all possibilities that come to mind, a great exercise called "brainstorming".
  • When you finish listing all the possibilities, rank them in order of importance.
  • Each week you will get the number one item in each list and practice it every day. The entire family will center in that particular item and do it the entire week until it becomes a habit (i.e. drinking 8 glasses of water, walking 10 minutes, complimenting each other at least once a day).
  • Decide how you will support each other to reach the three different goals.