What Every Parents Needs To Know About Teenage Diet Plans

What Every Parents Needs To Know About Teenage Diet Plans
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!

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From a sickly little girl to a healthy chef to the stars,
Darlene Nicholson transformed herself into The "Kick in the
Butt" Healthy Lifestyle Expert and creator of the popular
DVD "The Healthy Grocery Store Tour". Visit her website
http://www.lifechanginghealthysolutions.com for free ebooks
and information guaranteed to open your eyes to how easy
weight loss can be with the right plan of attack.