Kids' Nutrition: Losing Weight as a Family

The safest way to lose weight is to cut back gradually on the number of calories that you get from the foods you eat while increasing the number of calories that your body burns during exercise. It's never a good idea to skip meals or to eat fewer than 1,000 calories a day, especially when the body is growing and developing. Everyone's bodies and brains need nutrients and energy from food to stay healthy and strong.

One of the best ways to eliminate excess calories from the diet is to replace junk foods with nutritious snacks and meals. When you grab an apple and a bottle of water instead of a bag of chips and a soft drink, for example, you'll save about 300 calories. When you spend an hour walking or jogging instead of watching television, you can burn up an extra 200 calories. If you and your family did both of these things every day, you'd each lose a pound in a week's time and 4 pounds in a month. When you lose weight slowly and gradually, it's more likely to stay gone for good.