You might have suggested that your overweight or obese children “pay attention” to what they are eating. What you really were telling them to do was be aware of changing their response from the habitual or automatic to a response they actually choose.

Learning this act of studied choice is challenging for adults and more so for children. Is is valuable in all areas of life and career, and in particular when it comes to eating behaviors. On the way to becoming overweight or obese, children likely have experienced a negative shift in the confidence they place in their choices. Helping them now is critically important in determining the prevention and future health of the obese child.