What Can Be Done to Prevent Obesity in Teens and Pre-Teens?
It is the responsibility of parents, teachers and virtually everyone around us to take part in making the world a better place to live. However, as an adult, it is your responsibility to take care of your own health and well-being. In order to safe-guard the mental and physical health and well-being of your children in the long term, it is important to take the initiative in losing weight. You are the role model in eating correctly, in exercising correctly, and in socializing appropriately. The most important factor in overcoming the problem of obesity in teens and pre-teens, is effective planning and using a healthy approach. A few pre-requisites will help you in getting your desired results in a short time without affecting your energy levels and mental performance.
- Determine your ideal weight for height and age
If you are experiencing the problems related to obesity, but your weight gain is not getting controlled by simple methods, it is ideally recommended to use a more schematic approach. This involves dealing with body mass index scales to determine your ideal weight according to height and age. Use a step by step approach that deals with working on a slow and steady basis, and that will keep you consistent and targeted to your goal.
Body mass index is a preferred route of weight management instead of looking at weight only, because in most cases the weight of bones is more in boys than girls and that may change the ideal weight requirements for each gender. Likewise, some teenagers have broader frames, and may look a little chubby but if they have a BMI of 24.9 or less, they are still considered normal, and require no intervention to drop extra weight.
- Take help from people around you
Take help from people in your surroundings by discussing with a friend or reliable relative if they have used any strategy to lose weight. Obesity is becoming a huge problem and a lot of people are using different strategies and methods to look good and to stay fit. These strategies include “a Vegetarian diet”, “an all-protein diet”, “a detoxification diet” and many other forms.
These strategies will help you in focusing yourself and narrowing down your dietary choices, giving you a more practical approach. It is not necessary to follow the diet plans or strategies used by your friends or relatives, but their advice may help you in knowing how much weight you can drop in a certain period and how you can stick to a diet plan.
Secondly, take advice or help from a registered dietitian. A registered dietitian can help you by guiding you through the right approach to drop significant weight for a longer period of time. Most people who use an approach of eating only “a Vegetarian diet” or “an all-protein diet” have found the following disadvantages:
• Limiting yourself to only one type of food is very unhealthy, and during puberty you need all types of nutrition like proteins, vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates to ensure adequate growth and development.
• Restricting yourself to one diet may make it difficult for you to stick to your diet plan for a longer period of time, as you are more likely to get bored.
• The teenage years are a sensitive age, and by missing out on some essential nutrition, you are more likely to develop permanent developmental defects.
It is very important to confide in all of your family members regarding strategies adopted by you in your weight loss program, whether it's for you or your child.
http://www.ted.com/talks/sandra_aamodt_why_dieting_doesn_t_usually_work “Why dieting doesn’t work.”
http://www.ted.com/talks/peter_attia_what_if_we_re_wrong_about_diabetes “Is the obesity crisis hiding a bigger problem?”
http://www.ted.com/talks/mark_bittman_on_what_s_wrong_with_what_we_eat “What’s wrong with what we eat?”
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/obesity/9nblgggzkndj “Obesity App”
http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/09/20/top-10-free-mental-health-apps/ “Top 10 free mental health apps.”
http://www.ted.com/talks/jamie_oliver “Teach every child about food.”
