How is it possible that one of the most popular fictional teenage characters Jughead Jones of Archie comics fame manages to eat and drink so many hamburgers and ice cream sodas, but still manages to keep as thin as a rail? Well, he is a fictional character is not he, and you can depend on the fact that any teenager following his sedentary lifestyle would soon be as fat as a hippopotamus. So if you want to know more about teenage obesity and how to help your teenager lose weight, here are some points which you would want to look at.
Teenagers do not become fat overnight. This extra fat on their body is due to accumulated fat deposits brought on through years of bad eating habits and pigging out on junk food. So a teenager is definitely not going to wake up as fat as Henry VIII in the morning. Instead, your fat little baby child is going to turn into a fat teenager. He did not mind being fat as a child, but as a teenager, this extra weight is going to have a negative effect on his self-esteem.
A number of teenagers suffer from eating disorders because they want to be as thin as Jughead Jones. However, hormonal, physiological and chemical changes in their body prevent them from losing weight. Instead, they might find themselves putting on weight. This in itself is a traumatic experience. They may think of starving themselves because they have gained an ounce during the night. So, you as the responsible elder and adult in the family need to help your teenager lose weight in a proper fashion. Firstly, you need to make sure that his diet is regulated. Add nuts, fruits, vegetables, fresh fruit juices and high-protein food items, including meat, beans and legumes to their daily diet. Encourage your teenager to drink fresh fruit juices instead of carbonated sugar-filled drinks by telling them that this is going to improve the texture of their skin. (That is true!). Once the teenager understands the fact that fresh fruit juices, fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts, seeds, olive oil, and high-protein food items are going to have a positive health effect on their body, they are going to follow that diet, of course, with a little bit of encouragement on your part.
Apart from that, a teenager needs to be encouraged to exercise. Children who are not used to physical activity as children are definitely not going to exercise voluntarily as teenagers. However, once they get the idea in their minds that physical activity and exercise are going to build their muscles and change their physical appearance, you might have a future Mr. USA. or Miss Earth on your hands! A teenager is quite stubborn and that is why a parent needs proper psychology to make her or him eat properly, eat healthily and exercise. So if you have an obese child, look at these tips on how to help your teenager lose weight and so make sure that your teenager does not suffer from teenage obesity ever.
Becki Andrus is an avid reader who loves learning about health and nutrition. Over the years she has enjoyed studying how food and exercise affect the body, and is on a mission to share this information with others.
