Teenage Obesity

Almost everywhere a teenager goes there are opportunities to buy snack foods and. Many schools have snack bars or vending machines, the mall has food courts. If at the movie theater, snacks and munchies will be available for purchase. In truth, many of those establishments do not allow you to bring in your own snacks to eat while watching the featured movie.

All of these eating opportunities is having a negative impact on our health. The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a revealing summary on the obesity epidemic. What exactly is an epidemic? According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, an epidemic is something that spreads rapidly among many people in a community. This is suitable for obesity, as it is not just situated in America but as the WHO reveals it is a worldwide phenomenon.

Globally, according to the WHO, there are some one billion people that are overweight. That is staggering to think that even in third world countries where not enough food to feed one’s family is a common battle on a daily basis, you still have overweight people.

Now of the one billion overweight people, approximately three hundred (300) million of them are also deemed clinically obese. That is to say if they were in a standard hospital and were measured and weighed properly, they would meet the criterion for obesity.

It is interesting to look at the measuring tools that calculate these statistics. The standard bathroom weighing scale can be off by a few pounds or kilograms for sure. But to make it more accurate many physicians now refer to body mass index (BMI) charts. These charts make it very convenient and a little more accurate in assessing and diagnosing people as overweight or clinically obese.

The BMI measures a subjects body and compares that figure to its weight. The actual calculation is BMI = kg/mg squared. This is a far more accurate way to determine a subjects true body weight. Both the height and the weight is taken into consideration. Whereas with older systems just your weight is the criterion for obesity. If you are tall and weigh the average you know what a problem this could be for health reasons.

A BMI of > 25 for adults is deemed overweight. A BMI of > 30 for adults is denoted as clinically obese. Calculations are a bit more complicated for the child and teen so it should not be relied on in the same manner it is for adults.

The problems that are associated with obesity are not just limited to looks or low self-esteem. But rather, the impact on other disease states such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and stroke just to name a few.

What is equally troubling is that obesity does not seem to be limiting itself to one person in a family. Another popular trend is for children of obese parents to almost automatically become that way too. Part of the problem is genetic predisposition or hereditary component. But in many cases if we are very honest, it is combination of lifestyle choices, activity levels and food consumption that combine to form the perfect storm.

Caregivers, day care workers, parents and others will often times over feed themselves and allow those that they care for to do the same. If children were eating nutritious foods, fruits, vegetables, and nuts the childhood obesity epidemic would not be gaining steam. The advent of fast food restaurants that serve foods that have very little nutritional value does not make eating better any easier.

What you can do is determine to clean out all of the not so healthy foods from your home. Just make a quick go of the snack cakes, pies, candy, soda pop, and other sugar laden snacks that make up a large part of your families diets. If you find that too difficult for you, then start a little slower. You can cut back on the amount of diet pops you buy at the super market this week. Better still, is to replace those pops with water. Make a decision that for every pop you drink today, you will drink one bottle of water. A lot of people need smaller steps to take, if that is you then its okay. Just start even smaller. The most important thing for you to do is to S-T-A-R-T!

As a fat kid I tried hard to be liked but was extremely shy when it came to asking a girl out on a date. In fact I was so shy that I only had a few dates in high school. In college that all changed when in what some might call an act of foolishness I asked the most beautiful girl in my accounting class to go on a date. As it turned out we became a steady couple and a few years later she became my bride. As it turned out, this girl turned out to be my motivation to loose weight and after I started dating her the pounds started to come off. I tell you this for from personal experience I realize that too many of us allow our obesity to get in the way. Sure, teenage obesity is no fun and sure we often do get rejected. Much of the rejection is brought upon ourselves, if we don’t like ourselves how are we to expect others to like us? If we are too scared of being rejected to face up to it, how are we going to overcome it?

Sure we might be a fat teenager and hopefully we are now in the process of taking off some of that extra weight. If you believe that you have to loose the weight before you ask a girl out, that is just a cop out! Even skinny teenage boys and teens of normal weight often have difficulty making that first move.Thoughts of rejection and being disliked are probably number one on a young man’s mind when confronted with the prospect of asking someone out.

If you would like to date but are afraid to ask, understand that you must start somewhere and at some time. Although it is already somewhat acceptable for girls to ask guys out too, the traditional procedure of guys asking first is still very much in play. If you are fat, thin or of normal weight and going to wait for a girl to make the first move and ask you out, the odds are you will be waiting a long time.

When you have internalized the necessity of what you have to do, look for someone you would like to ask out. It would be a lot less taxing if the girl you have in mind is already a friend or at least, an acquaintance. At least you have some idea of how to approach her and what she likes to do. If you’re thinking of asking out a girl you don’t know, then the logical thing to do is to get to know her first. Find a way to introduce yourself or let her know that you exist. Unless you’re Brad Pitt, it is not such a good idea to ask a complete stranger out of the blue to go out on a date with you. Chance are, you’ll get a snub, or worse, a slap for being so presumptuous!

After getting to know her a bit, it’s time to exude confidence. Naturally, girls don’t like obnoxious pretense so don’t over do it. They do, of course, get somewhat attracted to the right level of confidence. Don’t slouch, stutter, or shake uncontrollable when you’re fact to face with your girl. The best kind of confidence is to act as if talking to her is the most natural thing in the world. It is also a sign of confidence to be just who you are in front of her. If you pretend to be other than who you are, she may find out soon enough, in which case, you just took the long route to rejection. If you’re honest with who you are and she’s not impressed, then don’t bust your head over her. She may not be your type after all. If she doesn’t like you, she may not share your interests too.

When you get to the part where you actually get to ask the question, be cool and casual. Don’t ask her out formally. Instead, try asking her if she’d like to get together someday. Asking her this way will put her at ease and will lessen the sting for you if she says no.

Don’t ask her out on weekends unless the activity you’ve asked her out to falls on a weekend. Otherwise, plan for a casual week-day date. Weekend dates will put the pressure on you to mount something fantastic.

Once you’re done asking, wait for the reaction and the eventual response. You might be shocked the way I was when she says yes. But if she says no, shrug your shoulders and move on and ask another girl. Fat, thin or normal weight, never allow your fear of rejection to get in the way of life. Remember that “Even Fat Kids Can Get Date.”

As most teenagers and adults have learned the teenage years are not among the easiest of times to control what we eat. Every day we are faced with so many temptations from fast food to pre-packaged snacks. In many cases even the food in our school cafeteria or vending machines is packed full of empty calories. Read the rest of this entry »

The easiest way for a teenager or adult  to lose extra pounds is to simply eat when you are hungry and then stop eating when the hunger pangs have gone away. Read the rest of this entry »

As teenagers and young adults you are not immune to Childhood Type 2 diabetes. In fact this debilitating disease and obesity are both epidemics sweeping across America. In the U.S. today, over 12.5 million children and teenagers are overweight- that’s 17.1 percent of those aged between 2 and 19 years. Read the rest of this entry »

Teenager, child or adult fighting obesity is a challenge for each of us. While we hate to hear it we must accept the fact that what we eat is a major contributor to our obesity.  Regardless of our age if we are going to control our own obesity or help another family member control theirs a little pre-planning goes a long ways. Read the rest of this entry »

For many adolescents, a weight loss camp is probably the best way to lose weight and fight off obesity.

Instead of struggling with cafeteria temptations, schoolyard taunts or parental pressures, teens can learn good habits, develop lifelong programs and begin a healthy lifestyle – not just for a summer.

To learn more about why weight loss camp is a very successful method of retained weight reduction for adolescents, keep reading.

Weight Loss

The most obvious and readily apparent benefit of a weight loss camp for teens is the actual physical weight loss that occurs. Free from temptations attacking their will power and encouraged to engage in physical activities, most teens participating will drop the pounds and keep them off.

That weight reduction is not only great for critical health considerations, but also their self-esteem and mental well-being. Additionally, it’s an encouraging start to developing lifelong healthy habits.

Speaking of Developing Healthy Habits

A good quality weight loss camp won’t simply focus on your teen losing 15 pounds this summer. Instead, they’ll teach an adolescent healthy habits they can take home and practice throughout the school year and beyond.

Such habits include steps as simple as packing a healthy, well-balanced lunch or walking home from school instead of seeking a ride. It’s establishing basic habits like these that lead to sustained weight loss.

Learning Exercise Programs

In addition to learning healthy eating and lifestyle habits, teens also engage in regulated exercise programs. Though most are designed to be fun – like games – they also learn a wide range of exercises and skills they can take home and implement as part of an ongoing lifestyle. Read the rest of this entry »

Teenage and childhood obesity is a continuing problem in the United States, but do we really understand its dangers?

Our health care costs are exceeding $177 billion.  We are experiencing increased heart disease mortalities, a generation with reduced cognitive development and poor mental health – these are all major risks associated with the present teenage and childhood obesity epidemic. So what are these risks? Let’s review a few of them: Read the rest of this entry »

There is pharmaceutical relief for teenage obesity. Though the medical community is firm in its message that lifestyle changes have to be implemented to effectively deal with childhood obesity, there are medications which can be prescribed for overweight teenagers. Read the rest of this entry »

Physical activity is widely recognized as an important component in treating and preventing obesity in children. This is, of course, in addition to sensible eating habits and – where necessary – diet modifications. Even medication that addresses obesity should not be viewed as a weight reducing cure-all apart from physical activity. Read the rest of this entry »