Many people perceive dieting as a periodic event. When a person's body weight becomes excessive, he might decide it's time to cut down the food intake until his weight drops. Once the weight returns to an acceptable level, it's okay to eat more again. This is the classic roller-coaster diet, and this way of eating and living is not only harmful, but also unpleasant.

Dieters feel that there is a constant struggle with their weight. When a parent imposes this kind of thinking upon a child, the regimen can strain the parent-child relationship and make the child feel helpless. This type of eating pattern should never happen. If it is already happening, this cycle must be broken.

Going on a Diet

First of all, it's not lack of will power that leads to obesity or over-eating. More often, obesity is caused by an eating habit picked up over the years from family or friends. Clearly, no one ever intends to become overweight. Regardless, changing one's eating habits is challenging.

One of the biggest myths about achieving an ideal weight is that overweight children must go on a diet to lose weight. This is perhaps the single worst misconception in the world of nutrition. In fact, if done inappropriately, it is dangerous and potentially life threatening.

Unlike adults, the bodies of young children are designed to grow, which means that they need to gain weight. The genetic blueprint of a growing child instructs the body to grow taller and bigger, and weight gain is virtually inevitable. Opposing this natural tendency is not only difficult, it can be hazardous to a child's health.

What can you do to help an obese child attain a healthy weight? Since children do grow, you can use this to your advantage. As they grow taller, if they're able to maintain the same weight or just gain a small amount of weight, these children will eventually grow into their height. If they are able to accomplish this weight maintenance, there is a good chance that they can achieve a healthy weight as an adult.

The Low-Carb Craze

The media in the past decade have blitzed the public with miraculous success stories about individuals losing an astonishing amount of weight by following a diet that is low in carbohydrates. Many parents have experienced some success themselves, and they are eager to apply the same regimen to their children. However, it is unclear whether this type of extremely strict diet is safe for children.

Carbohydrates are converted to sugar once they get into the body. The human brain can use only one type of fuel — sugar. If the body is starved of this vital nutrient, the brain essentially goes into an emergency mode. It does not function well when the brain is desperately trying to budget its sole source of energy. This constant state of starvation certainly doesn't bode well for the development of the brain in the long run.

The general consensus of pediatricians is that a restrictive low-carbohydrate diet is not recommended for children. It is more important to eat a well-balanced diet.

Going Overboard

Children who are overweight are especially at risk of developing an eating disorder. After years of obsession about weight control, many children become stringent in their eating and food selection. Some of them become bulimics who spiral down into a cycle of binging and purging.

In addition, make sure you have some flexibility in controlling your child's dietary intake. Prohibiting your child from enjoying a piece of the birthday cake on her own birthday is just plain unreasonable. A single indulgence on a rare occasion is not going to break her healthy eating habit. Going overboard and having absolutely no wiggle room can possibly encourage your child to rebel and start hoarding sweets secretly.