In today’s world image is everything to people. Everywhere you go people are looking at magazines, movies, televisions shows, and other people around them to compare how much better or worse they are. Instead of looking deeper into people and understanding their personality we are worried about how they look. Then again we do this to ourselves.

In a way this can be detrimental and cause self esteem problems. But for others it can be a good thing when used in the right way. There are people who care too much about themselves and then others who do not care enough. These people will let themselves go and become overweight – which in turn will cause numerous health problems.

Many of these people will realize this problem too late and then will continue to blame fast food restaurants and celebrities. They will claim that the food from these places are high in fat and it is their fault that they put on 100 pounds. Or maybe there are too many thin actresses flaunting their bodies and making it harder for them to feel good about themselves.

But in the end all I can say is that these people need to take personal responsibility. They should not be suing restaurants for making them fat or other people. Instead they need to rely on self control to pull in the reigns of their obvious addiction. They need to seek help through personal trainers and go from being obese to a weight where they can actually play with their children without losing breath.

Researchers from McGill University and Univ. of Southern California recently published a report showing post pubertal girls that have low levels of vitamin D experienced stunted growth and excess weight gain.

Richard Kremer the Co Director of the Health Center at McGill and his collegues examined serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, bone mineral density, height, body fat, and weight in 90 Caucasian and Hispanic girls between the ages of 16-22. 59% of the participants we found to have insufficient levels of vitamin D. Those who experienced the deficiency had increased body mass, weight gain, and body fat and were shorter than the subjects who had sufficient Vitamin D levels. In this study they saw no correlation with bone mineral density and vitamin D.

Dr. Kremer noted that it was surprising to see such a high prevalence of deficiency in young girls who lived in such a sun-rich region. He also noted that due to the higher levels of awareness vitamin D is often checked in older populations but ignored in what would seem to be healthy adolescents. This being the case the study found that women with vitamin D deficiency are significantly heavier, have a higher BMI, and more excess abdominal fat, than the young girls with normal levels.

According to Dr. Vicente Gilsanz, the coauthor of the study, more doctors need to identify deficiency in vitamin D levels, especially when it is as simple as a blood test. Since low vitamin D levels may cause increased fat accumulation and increase the risk of chronic disorders, further investigation must be conducted to determine if vitamin D supplements can produce significant benefits in the development of healthy young people.

Being overweight or obese is a growing problem among children. This has led to an increase in diabetes as well as other health risks. We all know that the best way to lose weight is by eating less and exercising. To do these things, you have to be motivated and determined. Since it is hard for some adults to keep focused and determined, it is even harder for children who may not necessarily understand the health risks that come with being overweight.

One weight loss tip for kids is to try and provide them with healthy meals and also encourage them to engage in regular physical activities. Providing them with healthy snacks is very crucial. If your child is already overweight, you will be forced to make some changes to his or her diet. You don’t have to be too concerned about counting calories, carbohydrates or even fat grams. Furthermore, it will be difficult to keep an eye on your child’s diet especially if he or she eats at school.

You will need to do a diet analysis which will involve determining the number of calories your child gets from each meal. You should also try to determine the number of snacks and the portions sizes that your child eats. When doing the analysis, you should keep in mind that a pound is equivalent to about 3500 calories.

Trying to cut back on the number of calories that your child consumes in a day will help to stop him or her from gaining weight. Another weight loss tip for kids is for you as a parent to make sure that your child exercises and becomes more active.

As you already know childhood obesity is a growing problem in this country and around the world. According to the Institute of Medicine over the past three decades the rate has more than doubled for preschool children aged 2-5 years and adolescents 12-19, and has more than tripled for children 6-11. As you can see the numbers are alarming. Here are some of the risks to your child if he or she is obese.

The Physical Risks

•Glucose intolerance and insulin resistance
•Type 2 diabetes
•Hypertension
•Dyslipidemia – A disorder of lipoprotein metabolism, including lipoprotein overproduction or deficiency. Dyslipidemias may be manifested by elevation of the total cholesterol, the “bad” low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and the triglyceride concentrations, and a decrease in the “good” high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol concentration in the blood.
•Hepatic steatosis- Fatty liver is the collection of excessive amounts of triglycerides and other fats inside liver cells.
•Cholelithiasis- The presence or formation of gallstones in the gallbladder or bile ducts.
•Sleep apnea
•Impaired balance
•Orthopedic problems
Excessive body weight is a real problem that cannot be taken lightly. As you can see these are serious health risks.

The Emotion Health Risks

•Low self-esteem
•Negative body image
•Depression
These risks are often over looked because they are not as apparent as the access weight. An open line of communication is needed to envision the feelings your child is experiencing. In this way you can help your child cope with their emotional distress.

Now that you know some of the risks of obesity in children you can take steps to elevate these risks in you own home.