As a parent, you are concerned about providing the correct messages to your teen about health and body image. As a teenager, you've heard the stories about the destructiveness of eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia, but you also want a trim figure. A teen weight loss program can aid both parent and teen to reach their positive goals.
Starting Point
You're concerned about your teen's health, including his weight. If he hasn't come to you with his own concerns, you need to approach him. Offer to help him make good decisions about his weight and health, but let him know that ultimately, losing weight is something only he can do.
Consult your health care provider first to establish a health baseline and to ensure that weight loss is necessary. If your teen insists on pursuing weight loss even when her weight is within normal limits for her age and body type, consulting a counselor or therapist may be in your teen's best interest. If weight loss is indicated, your health care provider can recommend safe and effective weight loss programs or changes in lifestyle to promote weight loss.
Nutrition
The best weight loss program for teens is the same as for an adult: a nutritious, balanced diet adequate in calories and development of a daily physical activity program. Adequate nutrition is important for a teen's yet-growing body. MyPyramid.gov provides individualized information for nutritional requirements and caloric needs. Explain to your teen that by developing healthy eating habits at this stage of his life he is setting himself up for success in the future in controlling his weight -- and his health.
Resist Temptation
It is tempting to seek out the "quick" solution or the magic bullet to make unwanted weight disappear. But fad diets often greatly reduce or eliminate food groups, meaning important nutrients are left out. Diet pills and weight loss supplements should only be used through recommendation by your health care provider. For weight loss to be sustained and maintained, changes in lifestyle are necessary and require persistence and patience.
Physical Activity
Teenagers need approximately 60 minutes of physical activity daily, but those 60 minutes can be broken down into shorter increments throughout the day. Many teens are not interested in team sports, but there are many individual activities that teens can incorporate into their day such as walking, bicycling, roller skating and dancing. Many of the newer video game programs are physically interactive and appeal to all age groups. If your teen is currently physically inactive, encourage her to begin including short increments of physical activity into her day, working toward the goal of 60 minutes total per day.
Formal Programs
Your teen may benefit from a support group or formal weight loss program, but it should be something that you and your teen discuss together. Individual counseling may be in order if your teen's self-esteem is an issue. Talk with your health care provider about support groups and established weight loss programs in your community.
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