It is generally easier for a child to lose weight than an adult for a variety of reasons. The biggest reason being that a child is still growing, still developing and hormones are coursing through their body in increasing amounts as they get older, making it easier for them to get rid of excess weight because they're body naturally adapts better than an adult.

Despite this, there is a growing percentage of overweight or obese children, especially in North America. It is estimated that 15% of children in North America are overweight or obese. That is ridiculous considering the advancements we've made and the knowledge we have regarding the human body and how to properly treat it.

The good news is, armed with the proper knowledge children can lose weight & actually enjoy doing it!

The first step for a child to lose weight is to adjust their eating habits. In general children do not eat well, especially if their parents set poor examples. Things like fast food, fruit juices (except 100% fruit juices with abosutely nothing added), sports drinks/energy drinks & high sugar foods like cookies, cake, etc. should be removed from their meals.

Once in a while it's ok to have unhealthy food. In fact, it helps to eat unhealthy once in a while because it keeps the cravings down. You know how badly you want something once you can't have it, that's why many people fail when on strict diets. So eating something that's not so good for you once in a while is ok. But most of the time they need to be eating food that is actually good for them in order to lose weight.

The second step is to get up and exercise. Children and adults need about 30-60 minutes of exercise a day in order to get & stay in good shape. This doesn't have to be all at once, but it is important to make sure that they are getting daily exercise.

Video games and watching TV play a large role in the high percentage of overweight children. Rather than going outside and playing with their friends, kids are staying home sitting in front of the TV or the computer like zombies, burning few calories and often eating mindlessly while they are playing/watching.

This means in order for a kid to lose weight, they need to cut down on TV watching & video game playing and do things like playing sports, swimming, bicycling, even doing chores to burn off calories.

You shouldn't have to force your child to go out and exercise. Just find something they enjoy doing. It could be jump rope, throwing a football, shooting hoops, playing street hockey, building forts, having snowball fights or water fights, the list is endless. There are so many ways to get exercise, you don't have to limit it to playing a team sport or going out for a run.

Lastly, one of the most essential components of kids losing weight is having an example in their parents. Many parents do not set good examples for their kids, and unfortunately kids do what their parents do.

If your child is overweight & you want them to lose weight, then you need to set an example and clean up your act. Eat proper food, exercise regularly, and be supportive of them in their efforts to lose weight.

Author's Bio: 

If you are a parent with a child struggling to lose weight & you would like a step by step guide walking you through why your child is overweight, what psychological issues an overweight child faces, the secrets to weight loss for your child - including proper nutrition & how to motivate your child - then I highly recommend you visit Raising Fit Kids Weight Loss Program for Children.