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If you have an overweight or obese teenager, you are certainly not alone. Nearly 9% of our youth ages 6-19 are obese. That's over 9 million kids in the United States! We've heard this statistic over and over again and still, we aren't quite sure how to tackle it even though we know the problems behind it. Finding workable teenage diet plans amidst all the problems behind obesity is a difficult task.
Healthy teenage diet plans for weight loss need to consist of the following things:
1. Positive motivation that involves respect for the teen's feelings and an understanding of their eating issues and how this affects their choices.
2. A healthy eating plan that helps the teenager not only lose weight healthfully, but teaches the teenager how to eat healthfully for life.
3. An exercise plan that not only burns calories and helps tone muscle, but is something that the teenager can continue to do on their own and will have a desire to do so.
In speaking of positive motivation, I can't tell you how important this piece is in developing teenage diet plans that work. So often, I see parents use shame or guilt to try to motivate their teen. Being overweight or obese has a stigma attached to it. Your child faces this everyday and is well aware. Don't let his or her home become yet another place to be judged for their weight problems!
Understanding their eating issues is also important. Many of us overeat when we are feeling down. We do this because we were sort of taught this as youngsters. Food was often a reward and we've probably passed that on to our children. "You were so good today. Here's the ice cream cone I promised you." Or, a classic is to give a treat whenever one of your children has a scraped knee. It shuts off the tears, but it also promotes a sense of instant gratification that they will continue to use whether the pain is a physical hurt or emotional hurt. Once you help your teen make the switch from instant gratification to lasting gratification fueled by positive change and facing problems head on, he or she will find healthy teenage diet plans to be much easier to tackle.
Along the lines of quick fixes, it is important to remember that healthy teenage diet plans allow for long-term, steady weight loss. A safe amount of weight to lose is anywhere from 1-3 pounds per week. When your teen begins a diet plan, weight loss may be faster in the very beginning. This is normal. It can be frustrating to all of a sudden see that weight loss stabilize to a more reasonable 1-3 pounds per week. Help your teen to stay the course by explaining or having their dietician or physician explain (always sounds better coming from someone other than a parent!) how slow, steady weight loss leads to lasting weight loss for life. And speaking of the rest of their lives, make sure to include a variety of foods from every food group but especially a lot of veggies, some fruit and lean protein sources. When choosing carbohydrates (important as well), help your teen to choose the right ones by buying whole grain, high fiber products instead of white bread or refined sugars.
And last, but not least, be creative in coming up with an exercise routine that will complement healthy teenage diet plans for weight loss. Exercise needs to be enjoyed by your teenager or it will forever be a battle to get he or she actually doing it on a regular basis. What are your teens likes and dislikes? What kind of activities do they enjoy? Think outside the box. If your teenager likes the outdoors but doesn't enjoy running, how about a regular daily walk at a botanical garden or other outdoor facility? Or shopping? Mall walk in the morning with your teenager. Maybe talk with some other parents and get a group together that could benefit from playing a regular game of flag football at the park a few times a week or more. By showing your teenager how fun and enjoyable exercise can be, you are helping him or her develop a daily habit that will not only complement healthy teenage diet plans, but will stay with them for life!