Teen Weight Loss

By Dr. Edward F. Group III, DC, ND, DACBN
updated on 11/19/2007 at 03:05PM

If you’re a teenager, you know all too well that the teenage years are marked by explosive change, both mentally and physically. And your physical appearance may seem more important than it ever has (or ever will again!). You may have been thin as a child, only to gain weight as a teen while your body grows and develops. This excess weight may be a source of great anxiety. The good news is that it’s not too late to make a change for the better.

Right now is the perfect time to make positive changes in your eating habits and behavior patterns that can help you ,manage the pressures of teen weight loss and stay healthy into your adult years. A healthy relationship with food will bring you a lifetime of feeling and looking good.

Here are some tips for Teen Weight Loss:

Eat Up: Losing weight does not mean that you have to starve yourself. Remember, your body is still growing, so severely limiting food intake isn't the best way to go about shedding extra pounds. Instead, be more careful about the foods you choose to eat.
Eat A Rainbow: Teen bodies need over 40 different essential vitamins and minerals each day to function properly. Fresh fruits and veggies are your best source for these nutrients. Try eating a rainbow of these foods, your tummy and your taste buds will thank you for the variety.
Eat Smaller Portions: Portion control is the absolute key to teen weight loss. You don’t have to completely deprive yourself of the foods you love, just limit their portion size. Split a candy bar or soft drink with a friend and use a smaller plate at mealtime to help you control the amount of foods you eat.
Eat On A Seat: Teens are always eating on the run, grabbing food from a vending machine or from a fast food joint? Try to plan your meals so that you can sit down, relax and enjoy your food (even if it’s only for five minutes).
Eat With Your Family: Enlist the support of your family to help you achieve your teen weight loss goals. Your parents and siblings can help to make sure that nutritious foods are always on hand, such as fresh fruits for afternoon snacks and whole grain cereals for breakfast. And, equally important, they can make sure that tempting foods, such as sodas, chips, candy, and cookies are not in the house.

Info for Parents on Teen Weight Loss:

We know that as parents we play an essential role in setting examples of proper nutrition to our kids. But is it really possible to compete with fast food, sodas and vending machines? Yes, it is.

A recent survey by the American Obesity Association (AOA) found that almost 30% of parents were concerned about their children's weight and 12% considered their children to be overweight. Those fears are not unfounded. The AOA notes that the prevalence of childhood and teen obesity has more than doubled in the past two decades, leaving experts and parents scrambling for a solution.

Not surprisingly, the problem boils down to this: physical activity and good nutrition are the cornerstones of balancing teen weight loss. It may sound like common sense, but how do you translate words into action at mealtime? Here are a few ideas:

Teen Weight Loss - Having "The Talk": If your teen is suffering from weight problems, it’s time to sit them down and have a talk about nutrition and healthy eating. There’s no need to lecture them about their bad habits. Instead, work on developing a plan together to help her get back on track. Make certain that your teen knows how to read a nutrition label and compare products for consumption.
Teen Weight Loss - Ditch the Chips: If your teen is going to lose weight, they need all the help they can get. Keep the house free of temptations that will throw them off track. Instead, keep the pantry stocked with fruits, veggies and whole grain snacks. And try to eat at home as often as possible. Research shows that people eating out more than twice a week eat more fat and fewer vegetables, and gain more weight than those that eat at home.
Teen Weight Loss - Set An Example: Losing weight is difficult, and it even harder when everyone around you seems to be eating cake and ice cream everyday. Teach your teen about healthy eating by preparing and eating healthy meals yourself. Who knows, you may even lose few pounds, too!
Teen Weight Loss - Let Go: You can give your teen advice, and you can help them find the resources they will need for teen weight loss. But after that you simply have to let go. Constantly nagging about their diet or questioning what they ate will not help. And it may cause them to rebel against the whole idea of losing weight.

About the Author

Dr. Edward F. Group III continues to develop, sell and evaluate exclusively high-end natural and organic healthcare products to support a wide range of health conditions. The products we promote are free of toxic tag-along herbicides, insecticides, pesticides, heavy metals, fumigants, irradiation, liver-toxic glues, binders, or gelatin capsules with animal-source risk and toxic preservatives.
For more information, please visit the Web’s best resource on weight loss.