Teenage obesity can lead to serious health problems, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. It can also predispose your teen to certain forms of cancer and might wreak havoc with her self-esteem. Encourage your teenager to make healthy lifestyle changes if she needs to lose weight. She might need to work around some challenges associated with being in school. Have her talk to her doctor before beginning any diet or exercise program.
Exercise Recommendations
Your teen should get at least an hour of physical activity every day, notes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This hour can be broken up over the course of the day in 10- or 15-minute increments if necessary. If you live close enough, encourage your teen to walk or bike to and from school. If the school allows it, she might be able to use part of her lunch break to walk around the perimeter of the campus. She might have room in her schedule to take a physical education class or to join an after-school sports team. If she is not interested in participating in school-based exercise, encourage her to play with younger siblings outside or to take your dog for a walk each evening.
Food
The food that your teenager chooses for lunch can run the gamut from the salad bar to junk food from vending machines. Talk to him about making healthy choices from what is available. If he does not care for the food offered in the cafeteria, encourage him to pack his own lunch. Stock the fridge and pantry with fresh fruits and vegetables, whole wheat bread or tortilla wraps, diced cooked chicken breast and whole grain crackers or baked chips. Also, encourage him to eat a healthy breakfast before school to stave off hunger through the morning and to avoid binging due to hunger at lunch or in the afternoon.
Calories
To lose weight, your teenager must eat fewer calories than she is burning. This will create a calorie deficit and allow weight loss to occur. Many teenagers find it inconvenient to count calories. Instead, show her how to choose lower-calorie options when possible and to avoid eating too many empty calories. For example, fresh fruit will keep her fuller longer than a glass of fruit juice, and a bowl of oatmeal with a handful of nuts or berries on top packs more staying power than a bowl of sugary cereal. Switch to skim or low-fat milk and dairy products, and cook meat and vegetables using only small amounts of healthy oil, such as olive oil.
Considerations
Explain to your teenager what a healthy weight for his height would be. Some teens have unrealistic body images and think that they need to lose weight when they do not. A safe and healthy rate of weight loss is 1 to 2 lbs. per week. If you are worried that your teenager is losing too much weight, is obsessed with weight loss or is losing weight too quickly, talk to his doctor about your concerns.
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