By Subin Han
"You can never be too rich or too thin." This motto bombards teenagers every day. The wealth part of the quote falls to the wayside but thousands of teenage girls and many teen boys attempt to live the second part. Yet, even though our teens focus on the anthem, "thin is in", obesity plagues over 15 percent of the age group 12 to 19. Another 15 percent are overweight and have a high potential to cross the line to life threatening obesity. Fad diets and teenagers go hand in hand, but until good eating habits and physical fitness prevail the numbers can only go up.
Those teenagers that follow fad diets suddenly find themselves thin for a while and back up, many times heavier than before the diet. This yo-yo dieting creates havoc on the on the still developing teen body.
Some of the fad diets that teens follow bear no resemblance to well rounded meals. Teen girls often take laxatives and diuretics, vomit and fast to lose the desired pounds. The result is dehydration, stomach and colon problems, malnutrition, compromised dental enamel and esophageal distress. Cabbage diets, coffee and diet pills and diets that eliminate certain food groups eventually fail and take a harsh toll on a developing body.
With all this said, what is the right thing to do? Start with education.
Work with your teen and impart the importance of a well balanced diet. Discuss the problems of fad diets and teenager's maturing bodies. Examine the times when the teen tends to overeat. Look for patterns that identify comfort eating and emotional eating.
Discuss weight goals.Make sure that your teenager has a realistic weight loss goal. The loss of large amounts of weight in short periods are both unrealistic and unhealthy. Help the teen to create a goal that sets them up for success. If your child is already thin and wants to lose even more, be alerted to the potential of anorexia.Work with professionals to establish a diet plan. Use the expertise of a qualified nutritionist or physician to create a diet that works and gives all the nutrients necessary for growth and development. A good diet contains long-term changes in eating habits. The habits established in teen years carry through for the rest of the teen's life.
Get out and move. Establish a family time each night for a walk or ride on bicycles. Pack a healthy lunch and ride to a park for a picnic. Join your teen in exercise and encourage any activity to get them healthy. Team sports, dance class, aerobics, bicycling or even walking the mall gets the body moving. Emphasize that the exercise not only strengthens muscles but also improves metabolism. It takes more calories to move muscle than it does to move fat.
Join in the fun. Getting healthy is a family plan. Keep healthy snacks in the refrigerator, nutritious meals on the table and a healthy attitude for all family members.
Be a good example. Children are never too old to learn from their parent's actions. Follow the same regimen that you lay out for your teen. Your example and support mean more than 1000 lectures. Fad diets and teenagers often come together when the teen knows no other course of action.
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