When your daughter was a baby, you probably found her chubby cheeks and belly cute. As she grew up, she either lost her chubby cheeks or remained fat. Moreover, some girls even gain a lot during puberty. Sometimes, being overweight or obese can be a sensitive issue for your daughter as it may lead to body shaming. This problem can make her less confident and feel shame. As parents, you may also be confused about how to talk to your daughter about her weight.
Furthermore, bringing up this topic may cause your daughter to be offended. Since having a conversation with your daughter is a little bit tricky, we have compiled several strategies on how to talk with her carefully. From how to start the conversation to some tips to help her lose weight, you will find them all in the article below. We hope you will find the best way to understand your daughter and find the ideal solution.
Be Her Best Friend
Go talk to your daughter as her best friend, a person who is trusted to keep her secret and share her problems. When you are considered as her best friend, she will be open about her problems. Whether she is stressed with school or having arguments with her peers who may cause her to eat more, let her share her stories with you. Be sure to listen when your daughter talks to you about her weight-related emotions and let her know that you understand. As you know the root cause, then you can help her to find a solution.
Get Rid of The Judgment Mindset
Judging your daughter’s body may have long-lasting negative repercussions on her relationship with food and her perception of her body. Set a positive example for her by talking positively about both your own body and other people’s bodies. Tell your daughter that you love her no matter what, and that people come in all various sizes and forms. With parents that are less critical of her weight problems, she will feel comfortable discussing them.
Give Her a Variety of Healthy Meals
Let your daughter know that there are various kinds of delicious and nutritious foods she hasn’t tried before. Start to serve those tasty meals on the table before talking to your daughter about her obesity issue. As long as she enjoys the food, you can advise her to start eating healthy meals instead of junk food. This is indeed a smart move on how to talk to your daughter about her weight.
Encourage Her To Do Physical Activity
Besides healthy food, you can ask her to do fun physical activities together. This tip allows you to burn calories in a fun way. Limit the amount of time your daughter spends playing video games or watching TV. You can start to open up the conversation after having enjoyable and engaging activities to do together.
Be Gentle To Your Daughter
Your daughter is a sweet and sensitive girl, especially during her teens. So, you need to talk carefully to her. Never threaten or punish her due to her weight, diet, or physical activity. These problems can become fraught parent-child conflicts, which can have negative effects. Your daughter is more likely to overeat or develop eating disorders when she feels bad about her weight.
Ask For Family Support And Encouragement
Having support from other relatives is also important. They will be additional motivators for her to lose weight. So, you should communicate this issue to your relatives. Make sure they are on the same page about weight problems. Conflicting messages regarding weight can make your daughter confused.
Give Her Advice From Professionals To Change Lifestyle
Since your daughter is a curious person, sometimes we need scientific proof when talking to her. While discussing your daughter’s weight problem, you can give her advice from health professionals. Read books by health enthusiasts to support your message to your daughter. They will give you several tips to change family habits, including your daughter’s eating disorder and activity levels.
Talk With Your Nutritionist To Start The Healthy Diet
In case you don’t know how to start a proper healthy diet for your daughter, then you can talk with your nutritionist. Find a registered dietitian nutritionist who specializes in children’s health. Numerous clinics and hospitals offer extensive programs with learning opportunities and entertainment for both children and their adult family members. Ask your daughter to join the program together.
Focus On Health, Not The Weight
Still, your daughter’s health is the first priority. We recommend your daughter to do a slow but healthy diet rather than the unhealthy instant diet program. Tell your daughter to not focus on how many kilograms she’s lost as she needs to enjoy the diet in a happy and healthy way.
Be A Good Influencer
Take action on your own to set an excellent example before engaging in lengthy conversations with your daughter on how to handle her weight. You can start by purchasing more organic produce. Stop purchasing processed, low-nutritive foods. Reduce how often you eat out and prepare more meals at home. Begin regular exercise as well, and don’t forget to bring your daughter.
Talk In A Comfortable And Private Environment
For your daughter, discussing weight and body image can be quite unpleasant. Avoid discussing weight loss in front of other people. Additionally, try to avoid broaching the subject when she is eating because this could make her feel self-conscious or bad about her eating habits. Your daughter will be more inclined to discuss her thoughts and worries regarding her weight if she feels at ease with you.
Family Meals Are A Priority
Eat as many meals as you can as a family because it’s one of the most effective tactics you can use! Making a heartfelt family meal every day will make your daughter consume fewer junk foods. This will help your daughter to lose weight and decrease the risk of obese. In addition, having a family meal together will make a great way to start a conversation with your daughter.
Encourage Her To Indulge In Sweets And Delicacies Guilt-free
Tell your daughter that having a healthy diet doesn’t mean she can’t enjoy her favorite sweets and snacks. Let her enjoy them for a certain amount and time. Making her avoid all sweets will stress her out, which will lead to another eating disorder.
Focus On Mindful Eating
Eating while playing games or watching TV tends to make your daughter eat a lot. So, you can introduce her to the mindful eating habit. When she practices mindful eating, she will pay attention to her senses and how the food makes her feel. This habit will control her food intake and make her more grateful for the food she has.
Tell Her That This Like Is A Challenge At The Game
Just imagine all the diet programs are like a challenge in the video game your daughter needs to complete day by day. With this mindset, your daughter will be more excited to exercise and consume healthy food. We don’t want your daughter to feel it as a burden but as a great challenge to accomplish. So, let the game begin!
Show Your Appreciation For Every Small Progress
Lastly, emotional support is important for your daughter with her weight problem. Compliment your daughter on her healthy lifestyle behaviors. You can also give her rewards, such as new clothes after she loses a few pounds. In addition, having a healthy body will be the best reward she will get after having a better habit.
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How do I tell my daughter she needs to lose weight?
Before you talk carefully, consider giving her an example by eating enough healthy food and doing exercise. After she watches you as the role model for a few days or weeks, you can start to open the conversation topic with her. Tell her about the benefits you have got after eating healthy food and doing workout for several days, so she will be influenced to follow your lifestyle.
How do I encourage my daughter to lose weight?
You should join her during her diet program. While she is trying to have a low calorie meal diet, you can accompany her by eating the same food. Moreover, you can ask her to join her workout program, so she will feel less lonely and excited about losing weight..
How do I approach my teenage daughter about her weight?
Instead of focusing on your weight, consider telling her the advantages of nutrition and exercise. Keep the topic on health since you are discussing a health issue. Never bring up beauty or attractiveness while discussing weight with your daughter..
When should I worry about my daughter’s weight?
Use the BMI (Body Mass Index) as the indicator to determine whether your daughter’s weight is still normal or already obese. A BMI percentile of 95 or more denotes obesity, while a percentile of 85 to 95 denotes an overweight child. At this point, you should tell your daughter to lose her weight step by step.
Over the years, I have seen my fair share of teenage issues. I have also seen plenty of worried parents at a loss of what to do with their children.
My aim with Talking Teenage is to put a stop to this and help you to communicate with your teenagers better. This will leave you with a better relationship and help you to keep such a close bond.
Please take the time to read my website and learn anything you can - we were all teenagers once!
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