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Teen Weight Loss

There's a growing need for Teen Weight Loss information, as an increasing number of adolescents are becoming overweight and obese.

Although today's society seems obsessed with being 'thin', about 20% of teens are overweight or obese, and their numbers are rapidly increasing.

Teen Weight Loss: Future Consequences of Teen Obesity

Potential Adult Medical Problems

The alarming fact is that many of these adolescents are also displaying some medical problems which were previously experienced only by adults such as:

heart disease
high blood pressure
type2 diabetes
high LDL cholesterol levels
respiratory ailments
sleep disorders
pregnancy complications
gall bladder disease, and
depression

Recent research indicates that there's an urgent need for teen weight loss programs as many obese teens also run the risk of developing cancer as adults. They also face the risk of becoming obese adults.

Your Ideal Weight

In choosing a teen weight loss program, you should always take into consideration your body composition and body type.

Problems Associated with Teen Obesity

The more immediate problems associated with teen obesity are psychological and emotional in nature, such as:

low self-esteem,
social discrimination, and
depression.

These in turn can adversely affect their academic performance and career prospects.

The immediate physical consequences include restricted mobility and lack of physical endurance.

Many of these immediate problems can be alleviated by means of an effective teen weight loss program.

Teen Eating Disorders

Facts About Eating Disorders and the Search for Solutions: (written by Melissa Spearing)

Eating is controlled by many factors, including: appetite, food availability, family, peer, and cultural practices, and attempts at voluntary control. Dieting to a body weight leaner than needed for health is highly promoted by current fashion trends, sales campaigns for special foods, and in some activities and professions. Eating disorders involve serious disturbances in eating behavior, such as extreme and unhealthy reduction of food intake or severe overeating, as well as feelings of distress or extreme concern about body shape or weight. Researchers are investigating how and why initially voluntary behaviors, such as eating smaller or larger amounts of food than usual, at some point move beyond control in some people and develop into an eating disorder. Studies on the basic biology of appetite control and its alteration by prolonged overeating or starvation have uncovered enormous complexity, but in the long run have the potential to lead to new pharmacologic treatments for eating disorders.

Eating disorders are not due to a failure of will or behavior; rather, they are real, treatable medical illnesses in which certain maladaptive patterns of eating take on a life of their own. The main types of eating disorders are Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa.1 A third type, Binge-Eating disorder, has been suggested but has not yet been approved as a formal psychiatric diagnosis.2 Eating disorders frequently develop during adolescence or early adulthood, but some reports indicate their onset can occur during childhood or later in adulthood.3

Eating disorders frequently co-occur with other psychiatric disorders such as depression, substance abuse, and anxiety disorders.1 In addition, people who suffer from eating disorders can experience a wide range of physical health complications, including serious heart conditions and kidney failure which may lead to death. Recognition of eating disorders as real and treatable diseases, therefore, is critically important.

Females are much more likely than males to develop an eating disorder. Only an estimated 5 to 15 percent of people with anorexia or bulimia.4 and an estimated 35 percent of those with binge-eating disorder5 are male.

For more detailed information click on: Eating Disorders

Causes of Teen Obesity

The causes of teen obesity often include some of the following:

Genetics - some teens have a hereditary tendency to gain weight
Metabolic - some have a hormone disorder affecting their metabolism
Lack of Physical Activity
Unhealthy Eating Habits
Sedentary Lifestyle of Teens
Psychological and emotional factors that could lead to compulsive overeating.

In developing an effective teen weight loss plan you need to first determine and understand the causes of your excess weight. Then you tailor a plan that meets your particular needs. For more details click on Causes of Obesity.

Teen Weight Loss Methods

The teen weight loss methods used include both good and bad practices. Teens, with their "independent" attitude, don't adhere easily to adult control when dealing with their problems. Rather, they could benefit from corrective health education, encouragement and support.

Many teen weight loss methods include behavior changes such as:-

Increased Physical Activity - Exercise is the preferred teen weight loss method, of the majority of teens. Once you increase your level of physical activity or exercise your body increases it's rate of calorie utilization. When your body utilizes(burns up) more calories than you consumed in your food, it uses your body fat as a source of energy. This results in lower fat levels in your body. You will notice this in your waistline and in the way your clothes fit you.

Keep in mind that as you reduce your body fat, through an increase in physical activity, you may not notice much of a decrease in your body weight. This is because as you exercise your muscles increase in strenght and density, and muscle tissue is heavier than fat tissue. So don't use a bathroom scale to check your progress; use a tape measure instead.

Changing Your Eating Habits by eating more nutrient-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, grains and low fat proteins in place of starch-rich, fatty and sugar loaded junk foods.

Other non-recommended teen weight loss methods used include:-

Fasting or skipping meals
Diet Pills - some teens use diet pills and other diet supplements without consulting a medical professional
Vomiting
Laxatives

Good Nutrition to Aid Teen Weight Loss

Nutrition

Nutrition is the process by which nutrients, in the form of food, enters your body. Proper nutrition should always be an important part of any teen weight loss program.

Nutrients are essential chemical substances required by your body for growth and health maintenance. Your body supplies many of the nutrients it needs. Those nutrients that your body does not supply are known as essential nutrients and are supplied through the food you consume. Essential nutrients include... Read more on Nutrition

Teen Weight Loss, Nutrition and Development

Improving nutrition habits will also be beneficial to teen weight loss.

Adolescence is characterized by growth spurts during which teens require extra nutrients. These nutrients can be obtained by eating nutrient-rich foods, such as fruit, vegetables, grains and low fat proteins.

During this intensive growth cycle adequate calcium and iron are essential for healthy bone development. A rich source of calcium is dairy products.

For those who prefer non-dairy products alternate sources of calcium are green leafy vegetables, calcium-enriched soy products and nutritional supplements rich in calcium.

It is important that teens eat a minimum of 3 balanced meals a day. These could be supplemented by a mid-morning and mid-afternoon nutrient-rich snacks to help meet their high energy requirements.

Since teens enjoy snacks they should be taught and encouraged to select nutrient-rich snacks and fruit juices in place of the more common high-glycemic, high-calorie foods and carbonated soft drinks.

Because of their growth needs adolescents require a high calorie intake. Therefore, in teen weight loss programs, instead of reducing their calorie intake, it is more beneficial to increase their physical activity levels instead.