Weight Loss Confidential is a book based on interviews with teens who've successfully lost weight. The teens share their success stories and what parents can do to help
As a parent feeling your way through raising a teenager, you wonder if you are making the right choices for your teen. Is the advice you give them about weight loss helpful? Are your comments motivating or hurtful when it comes to diet and exercise? Are you helping to shape a positive or negaticve body image for your teen?
When it comes to obesity in teens, parents don’t seem to understand what will work to motivate their teenager to adopt a healthy lifestyle and lose weight.
Anne Fletcher, author of Weight Loss Confidential, shares the results of her interviews with more than 100 overweight teenagers on the topic of obesity and weight loss. Weight Loss Confidential tells how teens lose weight and how parents can be supportive.
Parents of overweight teens tend to respond by forcing strict rules on them about their diet, acting as the food police, and underestimating the teen’s need for support.
Positive Action Parents Can Take to Motivate and Support an Overweight Teen
- Don’t ignore concerns
- Don’t become the food police
- Stress health over the number on the scale and dieting
- Allow them to decide when they are ready to lose weight
- Be a positive role model
- Guide your teen without pushing too much
- Do a kitchen makeover to rid the house of unhealthy foods
- Don’t make them feel ashamed or guilty
- Offer encouragement and praise
- Be honest
- Get outside help when it is necessary
What Works Best for Overweight Teens
The teens Fletcher talked to for Weight Loss Confidential shared what worked for them and how they were able to maintain their weight loss.
They said that exercise was the most important factor in their weight loss. Eating sensibly and watching their portion sizes were also critical for their weight loss success.
Weight Loss Plans for Teens
- Summer camps for weight loss
- Individual counseling
- Family-centered weight loss
- Exercise programs
- Weight Watchers
- Tops
- Fitmatters
- Shapedown
- Trim Kids
- Way to Go Kids!
Body Image
Being an overweight teen takes a toll on your self-esteem and your body image, but it is important for teens to accept their bodies and concentrate on the progress they are making rather than focusing on their flaws.
Another issue that can arise is the feeling that they are fat no matter how much weight they lose. Even teens at a healthy weight for their body can become fixated on problem areas and see themselves in a negative light. This can lead teens towards the opposite end of the eating disorder spectrum, becoming Bulimic or Anorexic.
“Many young people don’t feel good about their bodies, no matter what they weigh.” (43)
Parental Support
The nice thing about Weight Loss Confidential is that it is not only about how teens can lose weight, but also how they can talk to their parents about their fears, concerns and hopes concerning obesity and health. Weight Loss Confidential provides parents with a plan to approach their overweight teens and effectively support their weight loss goals.
