Losing Weight as a Family

Posted: Feb 16 in Obesity and your Health by

Losing Weight as a FamilySomething as big and potentially life-changing as weight loss surgery cannot be relegated to the sidelines in your household. Losing weight may be an individual accomplishment, but you don’t need to go at it alone. Working with your family to help you lose weight is a great idea. Instead of making changes to your eating and exercise habits alone, figure out ways that you can incorporate those changes naturally into your household to help drive those healthy habits home for all the members of your family.

You can do this by:

  • Being open with your family about your weight loss goals
  • Incorporating your family into your exercise plans
  • Talking with your family about your dietary needs
  • Asking your family for support in the ways that you need it most

By making your family your at-home support network, you can create your literal home-base of weight loss success that you can turn to in moments of stress and temptation. In the process, you may find that not only is losing weight easier for you, but your entire family is benefitting from the process of getting healthier.

Healthy Habits for the Whole Family

It is statistically proven that children who are born to overweight parents are more likely to struggle with being overweight themselves. Researchers have been trying to determine whether this is because of genetic dispositions or environmental factors. While it is more than possible that there are genetic markers that are going to make you more likely to gain weight, it is impossible to deny the environmental factors that could be influencing a child’s eating habits.

Poor eating habits on the part of the parent can have a lasting impact on the life-long eating habits of the children. This includes poor habits like:

  • Eating in front of the TV
  • Having “seconds” every night with dinner
  • Snacking directly from the bag, box, or other container
  • Eating before bed

In addition to poor eating habits like these, it is possible for children to adapt their parent’s negative emotions towards food. Researchers have also found that when children hear their parents call foods bad, refer to themselves or others as fat, or use food as an emotional crutch to help ease tension or reduce stress, that children begin to pick up on these habits and think of food in similar ways.

Just as the past influences your present, your present will influence the future. You can start setting up for a healthier future by making changes to your lifestyle today. Weight loss surgery is a great resource to get started with those healthy changes for your entire family.

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