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Psychology and Practical Steps to Help Overweight Teens Lose Weight Without Fighting With Their Parents

Motivating Overweight Teenagers to Develop Healthier Lifestyles

By Dan Kirschenbaum

Editors Note:

According to the CDC, roughly 16% of our teens are overweight, according to the 1999-2002 data, or triple what the proportion was in 1980. Although there are many esteem problems with teens that are overweight, the health consequences are severe. For the first time, we are seeing Type 2 diabetes appear in teens that used to be a disease of older adults. So, we asked Dr. Kirschenbaum for some sage advice on how to help teens get more active and lose the weight.

Motivating your teenager to do anything can be challenging, but motivating overweight teenagers to create a healthy, more active lifestyle can prove especially daunting. If your child is overweight, read on. It Starts With Effective Communications Talk With Your Teen; express your concern. Offer suggestions. Help them understand in which ways their health matters. Get them to think about the future .

Communication is key to promote lifestyle change in your teen. With consistency and support from the whole family , over time you will see your teen improve physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Start Small

Once you've begun talking with your teen, it is imperative for both you and your teen to know that losing weight requires a lifestyle change that will not take place overnight.

It's a learning process. When your teenager was a baby, he or she did not learn to walk with ease until he or she began to crawl. . Much like a baby takes small steps, small changes can help lead to big improvements in lifestyle.. A small change could be a slow paced walk around the house or in the park, eventually picking up the pace and length as it becomes easier and easier. Persistence is critical.. Results will happen over time if your teenager takes those small steps and keeps taking them every day.

Become an Effective and Consistent Role Model

Watching your children is one of the privileges of parenting. Children also have the chance to observe their parents in action. It starts with you! Park the car further away in parking lots. In hotels and buildings with more than one story, take the stairs not the elevator even if it is a struggle for you.

As a parent, you must engage in a healthy lifestyle too. Buy healthier foods. Instead of feeding your children Twinkies after school for snack, offer celery and low fat peanut butter or a fat free granola bar. Be creative! Keep foods out of the house that promote an unhealthy lifestyle, like high fat chips and candy bars.

Do not stash junk food in a secret dish or cupboard space. Your teenager will find it sooner or later. The old cliché "out of sight, out of mind" applies in this case. If junk food is not there for your adolescent to discover, it cannot be eaten or focused upon.

Become More Involved In Your Teen's Life

Work with your teen on planning and preparing meals at home. This gives you time with your adolescent and it also will decrease trips to fast food restaurants. Discuss healthy and unhealthy food choices and proper nutrition balance for planning a meal. If you're unsure about this, do some research online or check out a nutrition book in your local library. Take your child shopping with you. As you shop, become more fat and calorie minded by reading labels carefully.

Involve The Whole Family

Eating healthfully and increasing activity never hurt anyone. Here are a few ideas to get the whole family involved.

Language has power. If teenagers are harassed about losing weight, they will resent it.

Encourage walking or riding a bike to and from school rather than driving or riding a bus. If you normally drive them to school, walk or ride with them. Limit the amount of TV watched or Xbox games played after school.

Promote riding a bike through the neighborhood. Put a basketball hoop in your driveway. Encourage shooting some hoops. Plan a family day. Spend a few hours one day a week or every other week going bike riding, playing a game of football, walking in the park, bouncing a tennis ball, shooting some hoops, or swimming in the ocean.

Be sure to pack a healthy lunch if you leave home. Whatever you do, make the event enjoyable and memorable. Make it something the entire family is interested in doing.

Don't Harass

Language has power. If teenagers are harassed about losing weight, they will resent it. Put yourself in your teen's shoes. What they need is love and support.

Set a good example and have fun with your teens by going biking as a family. It's a way to encourage active lifestyles for life.

Some questions to ask yourself when concerned about your teenagers weight are:

What activities have or haven't my adolescent tried that might be fun for them?
What will help them see positive results?
Is there something that my teen could be working towards?

And then, before demanding your teen tries out the ideas you have in mind, consult with your teenager. Make sure your teen is willing to try those activities, and if not, ask for ideas or suggestions.

Communication is key to promote lifestyle change in your teen. . With consistency and support from the whole family , over time you will see your teen improve physically, mentally, and emotionally.

About Dan Kirschenbaum

Go to Dan Kirschenbaum info page.

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