Teenage obesity - help for overweight and obese teens

Obesity in Teenagers

Teenagers, apart from adults, may have some unique reasons behind being obese. Namely, while adults become obese due to their overeating and sedentary lifestyle, teens may have psychological issues which are directly connected to their excessive food consumption as well.

Thus, teens may lack exercise and proper nutrition due to depression and a lack of desire to live a different life. Therefore, this problem needs to be approached differently, paying attention to this aspect of teen obesity as well.How May We Help?

Naturally, before a problem can be solved, its cause needs to be pinpointed. Thus, seeking reasons behind a teenager's obesity is crucial, before any treatment can take place. Logically, ridiculing or teasing teenagers regarding their body weight is out of the question since it can only make things worse.

It is best to seek medical attention since there are certain problems related to glands and other health aspects, possibly, directly or indirectly, connected to the obesity issue. Once the teenager has been examined, his/her parents need to undergo analysis, regarding their lifestyle and nutrition preferences.

If the parents are overweight themselves, or the whole family eats out in fast food restaurants too often, they might be having the same problem, related to their lifestyle. Also, if the whole family does not exercise, this might be a sign of the cause of the problem too. Sometimes, emotional conflicts within the family may trigger obesity in children, the excessive weight being nothing more than badly channeled anger, sorrow or other emotions.

Also, the lifestyle of the teen him/herself is looked into. If the teen leads a sedentary life, playing games or watching TV most of the time, this should be considered as a possible cause of his/her obesity. However, reading and studying too much can have the same negative effect as long as the child is not active and spends a lot of time being physically inactive. The type of food consumed on a regular bases is analyzed as well.Dealing with the Problem

Once the reasons behind the teenage obesity have been found, they are to be dealt with. Thus, the TV set may need to go from the teenager's room or get swapped for an exercising device. Alternatively, other parts of lifestyle may need to get changed, such as food or daily obligations.

Finally, the child needs to know about the process and the purpose of all the changes affecting his/her lifestyle. However, the parents should not be too hard on the child, making radical changes. Rather, the process needs to be gradual, teaching the teen valuable skills and knowledge about maintaining a healthy life in the future as well.