Children/adolescents and weight-related concerns

Supporting Health… Without Harming the Relationship with Food

If you are here, it is likely because you have questions about your child’s weight or lifestyle habits.

Often, parents come to us with a mix of worries: wanting to help their child be healthy (for example, having more energy, sleeping better, being more comfortable during activities) and preventing future struggles (such as health issues or body discomfort), while simultaneously fearing that bringing up the subject might do more harm than good (causing pressure, guilt, or a difficult relationship with food and body image). You might feel like you have “tried everything” and are no longer sure what to do or where to begin.

Some parents also carry their own history. You may have experienced difficult times yourself regarding your weight or eating habits (diets, comments, pressure), and you want to protect your child from going through the same thing. At the same time, you do not want to stand by and do nothing.

This is exactly where our support comes in: transforming your worries into concrete actions that are adapted to your family’s reality and, above all, sustainable over time.

A Reality That Is Often More Complex Than It Seems

A child’s weight does not depend solely on their lifestyle habits. It is influenced by several factors:

• Biological and genetic factors

• Environmental factors

• Stress, sleep, and emotions

• Eating behaviors

• As well as many elements completely outside of your control

With so many variables influencing weight, it is completely normal for the situation to feel complex. The challenges you are facing are not due to a lack of willpower, nor a lack of effort on your part or your child’s part. For this reason, we do not use weight as a primary goal; instead, we work with the daily habits and routines that you can actually influence.

A Different Approach

We do not aim to “fix weight”; we aim to support health. Rather than focusing on the scale, we concentrate on what influences daily health:

• Structuring meals without rigidity

• Reducing tension around food

• Helping your child recognize their own cues (hunger, fullness)

• Integrating movement in a positive way

• Understanding what drives behaviors (fatigue, emotions, routine)

The goal is to make daily life simpler, more stable, and more peaceful for your family.

The Role of Parents

Supporting you so you don’t have to carry it all alone. You play a central role in your child’s environment, but you do not have to manage everything on your own.

We help you:

• Structure the “what, when, and where” of meals

• Reduce pressure around eating

• Intervene in a consistent, caring way

• Better understand your child’s reactions

Often, the challenge is not knowing what to do… it is knowing how to do it without creating more tension.

Where to Begin?

Nutrition as the entry point.

The first step begins with nutrition. Jasmine Brousseau, Dietitian-Nutritionist, will help you assess your child’s situation and better understand what might be impacting their health and daily life. This is often an excellent starting point when you are worried about their weight, eating habits, energy levels, or how they feel about food and their body.

Concretely, a nutritional assessment can help to:

• Understand your concerns and what you observe at home

• Identify and encourage existing habits that already support their health

• See which changes would be helpful and realistic within your routine

• Identify, if necessary, elements that deserve special attention—such as metabolic risk, concerning eating behaviors, or a difficult relationship with food

The role of your dietitian-nutritionist is to help you target priorities and move forward with practical strategies. Afterward, if necessary, we can guide you toward other professionals, such as mental health specialists or kinesiologists, to complete the care team, given their crucial role in these situations.

When Mental Health Support Can Help

In certain situations, mental health support can be valuable, particularly when:

• Mealtimes are highly emotionally charged

• There is anxiety surrounding food or body image

• Self-esteem or body image is negatively affected

• Family dynamics become strained around these issues

Your social worker can help you:

• Navigate how to approach weight and food-related topics

• Reduce guilt, shame, or pressure

• Support your child in their relationship with their body

• Work through emotions and family interactions surrounding meals

Often, it’s not “what to say” that is difficult… it is how to say it without causing harm.

When Kinesiology Can Be Helpful

Kinesiology can help your child:

• Move for the joy of it rather than out of obligation

• Find activities tailored to their interests and reality

• Develop confidence and feel more comfortable moving

• Better understand what motivates them to want to move

• Gain confidence in their ability to make realistic lifestyle choices

• Progress gradually, at their own pace, without unnecessary pressure

The goal is not to push your child to exercise more at all costs, but to help them develop a more positive, lasting relationship with physical activity and feel good in their body.

What This Approach Is Not

• It is not a diet.

• It is not a rigid meal plan.

• It is not an approach centered on weight loss.

The objective is to improve overall health and well-being, while preserving a healthier relationship with food and body image.

You do not have to choose between helping your child and protecting their relationship with food and their body. Nutrition is the starting point to clarify the situation and initiate concrete changes, and we then adjust the support to match what is most helpful for your family.