Posted on November 5, 2007 in Latest News
Teenagers must understand that some weight gain is a natural part of the growing up process and, especially, there would be some hormonal changes as well. During this process of growing up some kids will be affected more than others due to metabolism issues. This physical activity may change over time, but to stay physically active throughout their lifetime they need to exercise regularly.
Teenage obesity can be fought with various strategies: Behavioral modification and cognitive therapy; Socializing; Parental support; and Community support.
Behavioral Modification and Cognitive Therapy
This offers new ways of coping with ongoing feelings of helplessness and vulnerability. Therapeutic techniques include playing basketball, tennis, volley ball, racket ball, going to a skating park and swimming; drawing, sculpting, painting and writing to facilitate releasing of memories that hurt too much to be expressed.
When necessary, to reduce agitation, anxiety and depression medication could be administered.
It is group therapy that seems to be most effective with teens. Teens want to be with individuals from their ages groups. They want to develop new friendships and become open to trying new behaviors. Teens are really too young to take care of themselves and they should kid around, laugh and sometimes act silly because all these characterize healing process.
Socializing
Adults can afford to pretend and can change roles frequently but we cannot accept the growing teenagers to do so. It is sad they hardly have the opportunity to behave their age because of the ways of the fast changing 21st century. Sharing feelings and experiences makes teens indentify themselves with each other as normal kids. It really helps them feel that they are not alone facing the problems. They start helping each other. They just feel better about themselves and realize “the bad things that other kids did to me were because of their problems, not because of me.”
Feasible Diet
Kids start losing their weight when they are encouraged to do more exercise and are helped in creating a meal plan that they can live with. Most of the time obese kids are afraid of a diet plan because they feel they will have to give up the foods they loved so much. So a rigid diet can make the individual feel deprived and unmotivated. Your diet should feature nutritious foods.
Community Support
Millions of overweight and obese kids need help in navigating their childhood and adolescence. All of us as a member of the community need to reach out to such kids and have a conversation with them. We need to listen to what he or she may not be saying. A small investment of time and caring pays life-altering dividends.
Bariatric Surgery
Bariatric surgery —an operation to reduce the size of the stomach—can also be conducted but doctors suggest when every strategy to reduce obesity fails one can go for bariatric surgery.
Celebrate
Reward yourself by Celebrating your weight loss progress with food or party or anything.
Discipline
The key to reaching your dream figure is discipline. Keep your metabolism going strong by eating all types of food, such as fats, dairy and carbohydrates. Drink lots of water and incorporate fruits, raw vegetables, and fibrous foods into the diet.
Work out for few hours every day in the gym. Such physical activities could burn away those extra calories from under your skin. Parents should focus on having home cooked meals along with their children frequently and not leave their children eating alone and watching TV for hrs.
Dr. William Dietz, Director of the Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity says in a report to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “of all the ways of tackling this problem, TV reduction appears to be the most effective measure in reducing weight gain in this population”
» Filed Under Latest News
