Teen obesity is a growing epidemic in our nation. With today's lifestyles consisting of instant meals and giant televisions, there are millions of teens being effected by excessive weight gain. Obesity poses health risks, can create a social disability, and often results in a poor self image. Teens who become obese may develop severe depression, antagonistic behavior, and any number of weight related illnesses. With the effects of obesity causing so many problems, they bring many concerned parents to seek advice on how to help their teens maintain a healthy weight.
Approximately 14% of teens in the United States are overweight. Those who are more than 20% above their recommended weight range are considered to be obese. Diabetes, heart disease, gall stones, hypertension, and cancer are all risks that one takes in being obese. Overall, it will shorten your lifespan to be significantly overweight. However, the more immediate effects of obesity are the devastating social and emotional challenges that become seemingly unavoidable. Obese teens generally have difficulty making friends. Often they are involved in bullying, either as the perpetrator or the victim. Plus, their self esteem greatly suffers as they are criticized by others and recognize that they don't fit the mold for what society considers attractive, healthy, or normal. If a teen is obese and happy, they are usually the exception rather than the rule. Overall, their weight problem may lead to extreme teen depression, which can affect every aspect of a teen's life.
By the teenage years, kids are generally responsible for feeding themselves and choosing how to spend their free time. This can make it particularly challenging to help a teen overcome a weight problem. In order to have any success, you must first get the teen on board with the weight loss goal. Weight gain can be a very sensitive subject for many teens, who might respond with unhealthy dieting tactics that often fail. The only key to real weight loss is healthy eating and regular exercise. Therefore, help your teen set some goals that revolve around these behaviors and being healthy. Make sure all goals are attainable and have a set time for completion. Positive encouragement is most effective, whereas being critical of your teen will only make the problem worse. Although teen obesity can negatively affect every aspect of your teens physical, social, and emotional health, it can be overcome. However, if your teen continues to maintain an unhealthy weight or shows signs of a binge eating disorder, consult a professional for help.
