Here is a video on childhood obesity and kids weight loss that I posted on YouTube (and other video sites). Enjoy, and feel free to comment

Are you concerned about inactive children and teenagers? Wii weight loss plans are becoming extremely popular as a means to get them up and moving when sometimes it seems that the only part of their body that gets a workout is their fingers operating the game pad. Wii fitness games provide an excellent way to engage them in an exercise program without having to drag them away from the television and game console. So turn their obsession with video games into a means to increase fitness. Wii weight loss plans are cheaper than the gym but still provide a wide variety of exercises that your child or teen will love. And the best thing is, a Wii weight loss plan allows you to involve the whole family so you can benefit from increased fitness too. If your children need to lose weight, they need exercise they can enjoy. If exercising is a drag they’re not likely to persist with it.

Most personal trainers recommend a minimum of 60 minutes of cardio exercise every day for children and teenagers want to maintain healthy weight and fitness levels. If they have never shown an interest in other forms of exercise but they like playing console games then Wii fitness programs provide an excellent option.

Wii games can be customized to their fitness level and they can even track their progress. Over time, you will actually see evidence of their increasing fitness levels and a leaner and more toned body. Kids don’t really care that much if they’re losing weight, as long as they are having fun they will continue to play the games.

Some of the Wii fitness games available include:

• Wii Fitness Ultimatum (with Gillian Michaels)
• Wii Biggest loser
• Wii Sports Resort
• Wii Water Sports
• Wii Sports Plus
• Wii Dance Party
• Wii Sports
• Wii Fit

Using a Wii fit program to improve fitness is a great help, but remember, exercise is only one element of fitness. It is also necessary to address their diet if you want to optimize their weight loss. It may surprize you to know that this doesn’t necessarily mean cutting back the amount they eat, it can simply be a matter of changing the types of food they eat.

When they eat appropriate portions of healthy food as frequently as they should they will be able to eat all the food they need without feeling hungry. It is recommended that we eat 5 or 6 small meals per day, three main meals (smaller portions than they would have if only having three meals) and the rest snacks like a piece of fruit or a small can of tuna or salmon or maybe the occasional cookie or cake, just don’t overdo it on sugary snacks. Avoid feeding them large amounts in the evening as metabolism naturally slows at that time, better to have a big lunch and a light dinner. It is important to maintain the right balance of foods, a balance of 50% carbs, 30% fat and 20% protein is generally recommended. If you follow this you will discover that they aren’t hungry and their energy levels will be enviable.

Adequate hydration is also crucial to losing weight. When we become dehydrated our body ceases to function at optimal levels – our metabolism slows down and our body starts retaining toxins and fluid (since it doesn’t want to release what fluid it has). Ensure that they drink plenty of water to avoid this. The recommended daily water intake is 8 glasses.

When it comes to losing weight it’s important to remember the three pronged approach: eat right, drink enough, and exercise frequently. If they do this consistently they are guaranteed to lose weight. So if you want to improve their fitness and make weight loss fun try incorporating a wii weight loss plan for their exercise so they don’t get bored.

What lessons were you taught about food about food as a child? Were you taught healthy eating habits, or unhealthy? Most parents teach the same lessons they were taught, and these lessons will be passed down through many generations until someone decides to break the cycle.

Were you raised in the “eat everything on your plate” generation. Eat everything on your plate, even if you were already full. Were you told to think of the starving children in third world countries? Did you ever understand how leaving one potato could help a starving child in another country?

If you are concerned about starving children around the world don’t use it to encourage your child to overeat, think about buying less food and donating money to a charity that supports famine relief.

If you want your children to learn healthy eating habits then prepare healthy meals at home, and try not make them feel guilty when they have had enough.

Of course, the approach is completely different for a fussy eater who won’t eat anything except what they want to eat. Fussy eaters should be encouraged to eat SOME of everything on their plate so they don’t try to avoid the foods they don’t like. And to stop them eating their favorite foods then saying they are full you can impose a one hour time limit after dinner before they are allowed to come out with the infamous “I’m hungry!!!”

It’s not a good idea to use the ‘eat everything on your plate or you don’t have dessert’ motivation either. This encourages children to overeat in order to get the yummy foods. Having a half hour break between dinner and dessert can help with this.

Of course, ultimately you need to build up some idea of just how much each child is capable of eating and base their portion size on this amount. Sometimes they will be hungrier, in which case make sure they understand that they can request more. But care should be exercised in what they are eating. Don’t give them an extra sausage as these are high in fat (and therefore calories since fat has four times the number of calories compared to protein and carbohydrates) give them extra vegetables instead and if they need to lose a little weight then reduce the amount of simple carbohydrates on their plate (potato, pasta, rice or white bread) and increase their other vegetables. There is a very good reason for this, carbohydrates provide the majority of our energy requirements but simple carbohydrates require virtually no digestion which means less calories are used in the digestive process and any excess calories consumed are more likely to be stored as adipose tissue (fat). Complex carbohydrates on the other hand burn a lot of calories in the digestive process making them much less likely to contribute to fat stores.

So consider, if you were raised to eat everything on your plate, have you continued the cycle by teaching your children to do the same?

Imagine 15 years into the future. Your child has become an overweight adult suffering all kinds of health issues. They may even blame you for making them eat everything on their plate, or not allowing them to leave the table without their plate being clean, or constantly feeding them junk food and take outs. They are even more likely to blame you if they were overweight as a child. Now back to the present, how would that make you feel?

Give them something valuable to pass on to their children by teaching your children healthy eating habits.

Have you ever wondered how emotional eating becomes a habit? As parents, we are role models for children, either good or bad and unfortunately, it is usually us who teaches a children the concept of emotional eating.

Remember when your babies were learning to walk. Or when your toddler fell over because they tried to walk or run too fast.

Do you remember seeing a baby trying to walk for the first time? Definitely a case of practice makes perfect. Initially they learn to stand and wobble and then fall down. It is also a time in which tears are common. Sometimes because the child is startled by the fall other times they hurt themselves by hitting body parts on floors or furniture. The child will cry for a few minutes, but soon determination makes them try again and eventually they succeed.

But there is another side to this story. Within seconds of the child falling a parent or other adult will usually reach out and try and comfort the child and this is great. It’s important to comfort the child and reassure them that it everything is okay. But how we comfort them can have far reaching and unforseen effects on the child. Do we simply cuddle them, or do we reach for a treat like a cookie, the pacifier or a bottle of milk.

If our response is the latter then there are lessons the child will learn from this, including:

• If you feel upset, eating is comforting.
• It’s NOT okay to show your emotions. Shove something in your mouth to replace those feelings quickly.

If no food was offered then the child could be comforted by the hug from the adult. The pain or fright soon goes away and the crying stops. But instead the child is being taught the concept of comfort eating. Even worse if they were given a sweet treat then they have been given a taste for sugar and that becomes addictive in itself.

Here is another example, this time for an older child. Their room is a mess and we want them to clean it up. So we offer them a candy and a soda if they will clean up. Uh oh… trouble brewing again! The lesson learned… When you work or achieve something, eat a sweet treat to reward yourself!

Unfortunately, unless we later study food and nutrition, then the food lessons we are taught as children are passed on to the next generation. Why? Because we don’t know any better ourselves!

As you can see, we need to consider what food lessons our children learn from our actions:

• Do we food to bribe our children to do things?
• Do we use food to comfort our children?
• Do we use food to encourage children to conceal their feelings?

Learn to understand the lessons your actions teach so you can break the cycle and ensure that your child never relies on emotional eating. Whether you like it or not, as parents you are important role models for children.

Weight loss plans for teens can be a crucial in these modern times. There is nothing more difficult for parents than when their kids are in pain. When it comes to the emotional cost of the ridicule an overweight teen endures, it’s very painful for both the teenager and their parents.

Let’s face it, we all want to help our children succeed succeed in life. When it comes to their weight, here are some things to keep in mind:

1. Help your teenager understand that weight loss won’t occur overnight. Just as it took time to gain weight it will take time to lose weight. Ensure that your teenager doesn’t expect the process to happen quickly. Let them know that losing weight isn’t difficult but permanently changing bad habits so that the weight never returns can take a while.
2. Don’t let your teenager focus on short term results. You can ‘protect’ them from unrealistic expectations by encouraging them to focus developing healthy eating and exercise habits rather than setting deadlines for weight loss. For example, if they act like they are only losing weight to be ready for the prom, encourage them to think of more long term effects. You don’t want them getting on the diet roller coaster after all.
3. Teach them by example, get some exercise with them. Join a gym and workout together if they don’t mind being seen with you. It is a great opportunity for parent/child bonding, without all the mush, and can help stop them feeling overwhelmed by what they need to do to lose weight.
4. Teach your teenager healthy eating habits, i.e. natural foods are good, processed foods are bad! As always, it’s best to lead by example, eat the types of food they should be eating, lots of fruit, vegetables, red meat that has been trimmed of fat, chicken, fish, wholegrain products, low fat dairy products etc. They need to learn what to eat, how often to eat, and healthy portion sizes.
5. Don’t forget to teach them what to drink, or not drink. Many kids will drink a lot of soda and energy drinks. These are loaded with sugar (up to 160 calories per soda can… 640 calories a day if they drink four cans per day) and aren’t a healthy option for anyone, particularly if they want to lose weight. Encourage your teenager to drink lots of water, 8 glasses of water per day is the recommendation. Perhaps they could alternate water with their other drinks. And if they must drink soda then encourage them to drink diet soda. If they don’t like the taste of water have them add some lemon or some low calorie flavoring.
6. If your teenager is open to it, and you have the money, take them out for a new hair cut, some new clothes, etc. This can work wonders for their self image which may make them more committed to the weight loss and exercise changes they require.

Encourage your teen in their efforts. It’s easy to become discouraged when you’re overweight and may not be losing the weight as fast as you wanted. The important thing is that you keep your teenager positive and motivated and consult your family doctor to find the best weight loss plans for teens.

Teenage obesity is a growing problem, and there is much you can do as a parent to help your teen with any weight issues they may experience. Although there is no magic formula to helping with teen weight loss, the key to success is to help them to created healthy eating and exercise habits they can carry on into adulthood.

Talk to your Teen

If your teen is overweight, they are probably just as concerned about it as you are. Aside from potential long term health issues, such as high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes, there are also many social and psychological issues involved as well.

Offer your teen the support and understanding they need, and help them to take control of the problem. One of the most important things they need to understand is that you love them and support them unconditionally.

Unrealistic Images

For teenage girls especially, their weight and appearance is a very delicate matter. You need to remind them that there is no perfect body out there, no matter what the media might portray. Remind them that every individual body is different and the right weight for one person is not the right weight for somebody else. They also need to understand that there are different body shapes and that it is impossible to change their overall body shape/bone structure. For example, if the bone structure of their hips is wider than their shoulders, attempting to achieve an hourglass figure is NOT going to work, it is physically impossible and the attempt may carry serious health risks (like anorexia).

Instead of focussing on fat or thin, encourage your teenager to focus on healthy living behaviors such as healthy eating and exercise habits to promote a healthier weight. If you believe your teen needs to lose weight it is extremely important that you consult your family medical professional so that he or she can help to set realistic weight goals for your teenager in line with their BMI (body mass index).

Resist relying on Quick Fixes to facilitate rapid weight loss

Help your teenager by teaching them how to develop healthy eating habits rather than lose weight, when they develop healthy eating habits they will lose weight and keep it off. Avoid fad diets that will rob your teenager of essential nutrients, iron and calcium that their bodies require while they are growing. Similarly, don’t allow them to use weight loss medications or other quick fixes, as they don’t address the real problem (unhealthy or excessive eating), so the effects of these treatments are short lived.

It is important to remember that only permanent habit changes will keep the excess weight off. If they don’t permanently change their eating and exercise habits they will simply end up on the endless diet roller coaster so familiar to many.

Increase the amount of exercise your teen receives

Teenagers require around 60 minutes of physical activity per day. But they don’t need to do it all in one time slot. They can engage in several short periods of exercise during the day in order to help burn off excess calories and fat.

Team sports through school or sporting groups provide a great way teenagers to get active. However, if your child isn’t athletic, or finds it difficult to participate in certain sports, then encourage them to walk, cycle or skate to and from school rather than being driven, or to walk a few times around the school before beginning classes if school is too far for them to walk. Why not suggest that they spend at least an hour each day away from the computer do some exercise, maybe you could pay them a quarter to take the dog for a walk? Bit of extra pocket money for them… always good motivation! Or get them to do household chores, like vacuuming or washing the car, since these have aerobic benefits as well.

Encourage your teenager to eat breakfast every day

If you have a teenager who skips breakfast regularly, try to get them up a little earlier to have some breakfast. How often have you heard the saying “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”? It’s very true. A nutritious breakfast jump starts their metabolism and provides the energy they require to face the day ahead. Breakfast is also proven to reduce the incidence of overeating during the rest of the day. Statistically, those who eat breakfast daily will lose more weight than those who regularly skip breakfast, even though their overall calorie consumption may be slightly higher. An ideal breakfast is a bowl of oatmeal as this is rich in fiber and creates a sensation of fullness to help stave off the snack attacks later in the morning.

If your teenager doesn’t like high fiber cereal or toast, why not suggest they eat the previous night’s left overs. Or you could suggest a piece of cheese, a handful of nuts or a piece of fruit instead, as these foods are very healthy, and fulfill the same task as the cereal or toast does.

Encourage your teenager to snack wisely

It may be difficult for a teenager to make healthy choices at school, since the hallways are lined with vending machines, but it is possible. For example, encourage them to replace one bag of chips per day with a healthy snack from home, such as frozen grapes, an orange, strawberries or other fresh fruit? They may even like to take some celery, a few cherry tomatoes or baby carrots with a little light cheese dip instead.

Exercise Portion control over their meals

When it comes to the portions that teenagers eat, size really does matter. Encourage your child to stop eating when they feel full. You may find that just one slice of pizza, or half the pasta on the plate is enough to make them feel full. A couple of tips on this. If you dish their meal up onto a smaller plate it is proven to have the strange psychological effect of making them feel fuller than if it were dished up on a larger plate simply because it LOOKS like a larger portion. Secondly, if they eat their meal slower their hunger will be satisfied on a smaller amount. So if they’re in a hurry to leave the table to go back to the television or computer, enforce a 30 or 45 minute rule… they are not allowed to watch television or go on the computer for 30 or 45 minutes after being called for dinner. This will stop them rushing down their dinner. Another way to get dinner to last longer is to encourage them to chew each mouthful 20-30 times (some people say 50-100 but I feel that is excessive).

Bring back the family dinner

Are you a TV dinner family? Sit down to dinner together, as a family as much as possible (though I understand that shift work can make some family members unavailable). This encourages quality family time also. If your teenager tends to eat meals and snacks in front of the television or computer, enforce a rule that meals and snacks are to be consumed at the dining table instead. This will reduce the over eating that occurs since they won’t want to leave the TV/Computer to go and sit at the dining table to have a snack.

Don’t forget to count the Calories in their drinks

Did you know that the average 12 ounce can of non-diet soda contains 160 calories and 10 teaspoons of sugar in it (compared to about 10 calories in diet soda). This means that four cans of soda per day add 640 calories to their intake… about a quarter of their daily energy requirement. Also, the calories and sugar that you find in the equivalent amount of pure, unsweetened fruit juice adds about 200 calories (though much more nutrients), specialty coffees made with milk rather than water and other drinks can also add up quickly as well. So encourage your teenager to drink more water, rather than soda or juice to cut down their calorie intake. If they must drink soda, why not encourage them to drink diet soda instead?

Let them have the occasional treat

Allowing your teenager to indulge in a late night pizza at friend’s, or nachos at the movies, needn’t derail their healthy eating plan.

Instead, suggest that they share their popcorn with their friend, instead of eating it all themselves.

It is important that your teenager understands that they are in control, and the occasional treat is okay. Even candy and desserts have their place in our diet as a special treat. The issue is not to abuse them by indulging too often. The most important thing is to encourage them to lead a healthier lifestyle overall.

Involving the Whole Family

Rather than singling out your teenager to develop healthy eating and exercise habits, why not change the habits of the whole family? After all, having healthy eating and exercise habits is good for everybody. Not only that, but if you teenager is overweight then there is a good chance that other family members are overweight also.

• Encourage the whole family to consume more fresh fruit, vegetables and whole grains? It is important to set a healthy example for all your children.
• Reduce the amount of junk food purchased. Although healthy food sometimes costs more, it is an important investment in your child’s future.
• Why not experiment with new recipes or healthier alternatives to family favorites?
• Ban eating on the couch to curb mindless eating while watching TV, or at the computer.
• Arrange regular family activities, such as evening walks, or visiting a local park at the weekend.

Be Maintain a Positive Attitude when helping with teen weight loss

Being overweight does not have to lead to a lifetime of low self esteem, but acceptance of your teenagers weight problem is crucial. Listen to your teenagers concerns regarding their weight, and praise them for their skills, efforts and accomplishments.

Ensure that your teenager understands that your love for them is unconditional, and doesn’t depend on their appearance. Encourage your teenager to express their feelings in healthy ways like writing down their feelings in a journal?

If your teenager is struggling with low self esteem, and finds it difficult to cope with being overweight in a healthy way, then consider seeking a support group, formal weight control program or professional counseling to help them.

There are many community based support groups available to provide teenagers with the tools to counter social pressure and cultivate a positive attitude with regard to their self image. This will help them address the issues of teen weight loss. The benefits of which will last a life time.

Approximately 15% of children between the ages of 6 and 19 are either overweight or obese (this is a 300% increase since 1970). There are now more than 9 million young people who are at risk of suffering a reduced quality of life due to high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels or Type 2 Diabetes. On top of this they have negative self images of themselves, which will continue as they mature and could potentially cause psychological issues.

Studies have indicated that a six year old child who is obese has a 50% chance of being obese as an adult. If one or both of the child’s parents are overweight, the chances increase to 80%. These are very serious and alarming statistics for parents with overweight children.

Thankfully, there is good news, change is possible with help of adults in their lives. As parents, teachers and mentors we can teach them healthier behaviors in relation to both their eating and exercise habits to help them to lose weight.

By helping them learn to make healthy food choices, and increasing the amount of exercise they receive, it will only produce positive results.

However, it should be stressed that official dieting, and especially dramatically reducing your teenagers calorie consumption, should only be attempted under strict medical supervision from a professional medical professional such as a physician or nutritionist. Think of the word ‘diet’ as a dirty word as this word has very negative connotations for many people and you certainly don’t want that to be the case for your teenager. Instead, change the focus to ‘healthy living’. Some pediatricians believe that rather than making a child lose weight, it is better to stop them from gaining weight (i.e. hold their weight steady) until their weight an height reach healthy proportions. This involves cutting their calorie intake a little bit rather than a lot which forces their body to use excess adipose tissue (fat) for their physical growth.

The following steps will help facilitate healthier eating habits and increase the amount of exercise they receive.

1. Assessing the Health of Your Child and whether they are overweight

Before making personal or environmental changes in a teenagers life, take some time to examine their home life. Do you allow them to lead a sedentary life, do you have generous stores of high calorie junk and snack foods in the pantry giving them the opportunity to over eat all the time? If you do, then it is important to gradually change these areas of their life.

First, observe how many hours they spend either TV, or at their computer. Teenagers can spend 24 hours per week or more watching TV. Log the time they spend on these activities, and try to reduce this by half by introducing rules about what time they are allowed to do these things, say 7-9pm at night they can watch tv or use the computer.

At mealtime, is it a family meal around the dining table, or are most meals TV/computer dinners? If so, make a family rule that all food (including snacks) be eaten in the kitchen or dining room at a table. This small change is proven to significantly reduce over eating in a household…simply because people don’t want to leave what they are doing to eat so they wait longer.

Next, examine the contents of your fridge and pantry. Which foods do you reach for when you have a snack attack? Are they high in fat, sugar and calories or low in nutritional value? Try cutting back on purchasing these item and substitute them with healthier alternatives, such as fresh fruit and vegetables!

2. Do NOT Shame your Child into Losing Weight

Neither adults nor children should be shamed into losing weight, overweight teenagers know they weigh too much. What a teenager doesn’t know, is how to achieve a normal weight and increase their self esteem. It is important for a teenager to know that their parents love them unconditionally, whether they are fat, skinny or average. Note that I don’t use the term ‘normal’.. it’s the focus on obesity as being abnormal that causes psychological issues. Being overweight is not abnormal… but it is unhealthy!

For parents, mastering the tricky technique of loving children as they are, while helping them achieve a healthy lifestyle can be difficult. Parents need to spend time with their teenagers and believe that the lessons taught will one day come to fruition.

This means that we can teach our youngsters to visualize that healthy plate… half salad or vegetables, quarter carbohydrate (potato, pasta or rice) and quarter protein such as fish, red meat or poultry (or protein rich foods like tofu, mushrooms, eggs, chickpeas and other legumes). But realistically, you need to realize that at some point, they will sneak high calorie snacks in to upset the balance that you have achieved. The question is balance, it’s okay to eat those foods occasionally… just not constantly.

A parent should persist in teaching their teenagers to visualize their plate before food is placed on it. Visualizing how the plate should look is helpful, as it creates a feel for portion control for when the parent is not around so they know what and how much to have. This type of portion control can also be practiced when dining out at a restaurant.

3. Take up some type of Physical Activity as a Family

The recommended amount of for adults is 30 minutes, three to four times per week. For children the recommendation is 60 minutes three to four times per week. However, if you are want to lose weight, then more exercise may be necessary, say 30-60 minutes per day. Certain exercises are better at burning energy than others. For example walking burns less calories per hour than skipping burns. Skipping is arguably the best high intensity, whole body workout you can do. Only 15 minutes of moderate skipping burns as many calories as most other exercises do in an hour

One way to break the sedentary pattern of the lives that many families lead is to arrange family activities that involve plenty of movement. Maybe a family bike ride, taking the dog for a walk each evening, a game of ball in the park, swimming together, playing Wii sports together (ideal for teenagers who love console games), If you like dancing, a Zumba workout is an ideal high intensity workout. Not only do these activities burn calories, they can also serve as settings for family communication. This is especially important in teenage years, when opportunities for parents to interact with their teenagers are at a premium.

4. How to encourage healthy behavior in teenagers

The best way to help an overweight or obese teenager is by providing a strong role model. Even though it seems like teenagers don’t listen to their parents, their parents in fact provide them with a very powerful role model so it is important to lead by example. Forget the old, hypocritical attitude of ‘do as I say, not as I do!’. You didn’t respect that as a teenager and neither will your teenager do other than what you do yourself. No parent can expect their teenager to turn off the TV when they themselves are watching television in another room, or to turn off the computer when they are spending hours surfing the web themselves. Nor should they restrict the food portions of their teenager when they do not monitor their own eating habits. Why would a teenager want to drink water or snack on fruit & vegetables, when they see their parents drinking sugar laden soda and munching on potato chips?

When looking to improve eating and exercise habits, it should be done one day at a time, but the end result is well worth the effort.

Teenage obesity statistics are on the rise. According to information collected by the National Center for Health Statistics, since about 1995, a dramatic increase in obesity in Americans has been seen, affecting those of all ages,

In 1980, approximately 5% of children from 6-19 years of age were overweight. That figure was 15% in the year 2000 (almost 9 million children). This number continues to grow at an alarming rate. The information also indicated that a further 15% of children between the ages of 6 and 19 were at risk of becoming overweight.

Obesity is defined as being around 20% heavier than their ideal body weight because of the accumulation of fat. Those whose weight is 1-19% above what is considered their ideal range, are defined as being overweight. Obesity is becoming increasingly common among teenagers.

Although teenagers have less weight related health issues compared to adults, overweight teens are much more likely to remain overweight as adults and will potentially develop weight related health issues at a much earlier age. Overweight teens, like overweight adults, are at risk from several serious health issues including:

1. Heart Disease
2. Diabetes
3. High Blood Pressure
4. Strokes
5. Certain Cancers (rectal/bowel cancer)

Obese people tend to have a shorter life expectancy compared to those who have a healthy weight for their body size. Obese teenagers find that they are not only physically unfit, but their psychological health is also affected. Being overweight or obese as a teenager often leads to serious self esteem issues and depression, which in turn may cause them stress and in some cases, may develop into serious mental illness.

It is no surprise that a study whose details were released in May 2004 suggested that overweight children are more likely to be bullied than children who are a normal weight. Unfortunately, they may not only be the victims of bullying, they may become bullies themselves. The reason for this is that some children respond to bullying by becoming aggressive themselves. When they realize that this gives them power over others they may choose to exercise that power over others who are weaker than themselves. In a sense it is a cry for help because they feel so unable to control whatever is causing them to be bullied in the first place (in this case, their weight).

The development of personality and body image is crucially important goal for every teenager.

There are many causes of obesity which center around the concept of balance, the balance between the calories they obtain from food and the energy they expend (how effective their metabolism is, and how much exercise they receive). Often when teens are overweight, it is because there are problems with the nutritional value of their diet or the amount of exercise they receive. Alternatively, it may be familial, physiological or psychological.

Gone are the days when fathers worked and mothers stayed home with the children. These days, most families require two full time incomes to make ends meet. Because of this, we rely heavily on fast foods and processed foods. Unfortunately, these meals tend to be much higher in fat, sugar and calories than non-processed varieties. Combine this with all the snack foods available and we face the prospect of excessive calorie consumption which leads to teenage weight gain.

On average, children in developed nations spend several hours per day watching television or on a computer. Compare this to a generation ago, when this time would most likely have been spent running around outside. Because of this lack of exercise, many teens and children are now overweight. They expend insufficient energy, and frequently eat high calorie snacks while watching TV or playing on the computer. According to US statistics, about 33% of elementary school children receive some form of physical education, and less than 20% take part in exercise programs after school.

Children and teens of overweight parents are more at risk of becoming overweight themselves. In some cases, this can be caused by powerful genetic factors, but most times it is because they are modeling their eating and exercise habits on their parents eating and exercise habits. Even though it may seem that your teenagers pay no attention to anything you say or do, you are in fact an extremely powerful role model for them, potentially even more powerful than their peers. If you have bad eating and exercise habits then it is likely they will also.

Recently, information has indicated that genetics can influence weight in children and teenagers. Scientists discovered that some children born to overweight mothers were less active, and often gained more weight by the age of 3 months compared to children born to mothers within a healthy BMI range. The conclusion was that this suggests a possible instinctive drive to conserve energy in some people. There are also health conditions that cause obesity. Some glandular diseases (like Cushing’s disease) affecting the pituitary or thyroid gland can result in obesity. The pituitary gland is effectively the control center for our metabolism.

For many overweight teens, their physical well being is the least of their problems. The psychological effects of their obesity can have much more damaging and far reaching effects. They are tormented and abused by peers at school and in the local community. For many, it is not just others opinions that are upsetting, but their own self image. Many teenagers (especially girls) are clinically depressed because they are obsessed with their weight. Media images don’t help either, every model and actress you see is generally stick thin to the point of being unhealthy.

Recent studies indicate just how much pressure is faced by obese teenagers. One such survey reveals that obese teenagers rate their quality of life as low as that of young cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. There are other studies which have been carried out that report increased rates of depression, low self esteem and physical and emotional isolation from their peers, which in some cases results in behavioral problems. These teenagers are less likely to apply or be accepted into higher education (college) or to get married, and are more likely to be affected by poverty as adults. What is worse is that many overweight teens will not only be mistreated by others but are excessively hard on themselves.

When you combine the psychological cost of obesity with the risk of diseases such as cardiovascular, orthopedic, gastrointestinal, respiratory, hormonal, neurological and metabolic diseases (diabetes) it can make you realize just how serious an issue teenage obesity statistics are.

Thankfully, there are now weight loss programs available for teenagers which are community based, and combine psychological therapy with behavior change therapy in order to improve teenagers self esteem and physical health.

All guardians of teenagers need to educate themselves about teenage obesity, and must act quickly when children show signs of it if current teenage obesity statistics are to be stopped from spiralling out of control.

These days, the idea of exercise for children seems like an alien concept. Many modern children seem to be couch potatoes in front of the TV or playing games on the computer or game console. The only part of their body that gets a workout is their thumbs on the game pad. Family life is another thing that is virtually non-existent. Children are focussed on their own electronic pursuits to the exclusion of all else while Dad and mum are out working long hours in order to afford the lifestyle and gadgets that are SUPPOSED to make life easier (ironic isn’t it!).

Thirty years ago this wasn’t the case, there were no game consoles or computers and television didn’t have the range of channels and programs aimed at children and teenagers. With the lack of indoor activities available children spent much of their time outdoors (weather permitting), riding bicycles, scooters, playing chasey with the neighbours kids, building cubby houses etc. Children also tended to walk to school rather than being driven.

Life has changed dramatically, in many areas it is unsafe for children to run around the way they could a generation ago. Circumstances have not encouraged children to exercise and because of this, exercise for children is becoming a lost art.

Outdoor activities have become ‘uncool’ (or ‘so ghey’ as teenagers say these days). As far as teenagers are concerned, everybody who is anybody has a Nintendo DSi and a latest model XBOX, Playstation or Wii as well as an iPod and a cell/mobile phone (preferably an iPhone). They don’t want to exercise, and frequently don’t want the company of others including their family.

Exercise is an essential part of a healthy life. It’s not enough for them to participate in physical education or sport at school. Parents need to teach their children the importance of exercise.

Is there a sport the whole family can enjoy? There are plenty of things you can do to encourage exercise for children like:

• Arrange a family outing once a week and ride bikes, have a picnic and soccer game in the park or just shoot a few hoops.
• Take the dog for a walk together
• Like dancing? Get into Zumba Fit. Tremendous aerobic exercise and fantastic fun! You can do it at the gym in group classes or if you’re too self conscious buy the home kit.
• Go swimming once a week
• If they like computer games challenge them to a race on Wii sports
• For younger children there are many games that connect to the tv and they can stand on the board attached to the tv and go through the motions of snow boarding or whatever.

Swimming is a fantastic sport, low impact on the joints but extremely effective. Have you ever noticed how tired your muscles are when you climb out of the pool? They shake like jelly if you’re not used to it. Of course, your child may need to learn to swim. Go to the pool together and spend the time swimming rather than standing around, as that won’t achieve anything.

As parents we have a responsibility to teach our children. You can make sure that your children can pass on the importance of physical activity to the next generation rather than exercise for children being a forgotten art for future generations.

When it comes to being overweight, obese teenagers suffer more than others. Do you remember how tough your teenage years were? Strange and confusing changes to your body, the pressures of high school and college, peer pressure to experiment with sex, drugs etc. Add the stress of being overweight to that and you can guarantee that no parent would want their child to have to cope with being an obese teenager as well.

There are many factors that contribute to creating obese teenagers. Game consoles, computers and internet encourage a more sedentary lifestyle. Parents work longer hour and rely much more on fast or processed foods that are high in fat, sugar and calories.

Most people are also aware of the health risks associated with obesity. The younger you are when you become overweight, the longer you carry that excess weight, the higher your risk of suffering serious health issues later in life… and don’t be fooled into thinking it will be much later either. Many obese teenagers start experiencing serious health issues well before the age of thirty.

Some of the most common obesity related health issues are heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, low self esteem, eating disorders like bulimia or anorexia and depression.

The good news is that there are ways to help obese teenagers improve their fitness and learn to make healthy lifestyle choices.

There are many weight loss programs that provide pre-packaged foods, some of which are even available at the grocery store like weight watchers frozen meals and ‘Lean Cuisine’ meals. These type of meals can be helpful for busy families who don’t have time to prepare and eat a healthy dinner every night. Nutritionally, these meals are much better than fast food and they’re generally cheaper too. Your doctor can also help you find a nutritious food plan for the whole family.

Another extremely important thing is to replace high fat, sugar and calorie content snacks like snack bars, cakes, cookies, candy, sweets etc with healthy options like fresh fruit and vegetables, add a tasty dipping sauce for them to dip some celery or carrot sticks into to make it more interesting. You would be surprised how much of their daily calorie intake actually comes from snack foods and if they’re constantly eating potato crisps then their calorie consumption could be well over what they require.

What do your obese teenagers drink? Do they drink cordial, juice, soda? Or do they drink water? Remember that drinks provide calories too. One glass of fruit juice is equivalent to around two serves of fruit and a can of non-diet soda can contain as much as 160 calories. Drink four cans of soda per day and there’s an additional 640 calories added to their calorie consumption. OUCH!!! That’s about 25% of their daily energy requirement!

Obese teenagers should also be encouraged to exercise more. This could be as simple as taking the dog for a walk everyday as part of their chores. Alternatively you could get them up ten minutes earlier and get them to walk to school instead of being driven. If they’re hooked on game consoles then thankfully gaming companies are rising to the challenge of getting people moving by creating games that encourage exercise. Have a Wii?? Get Wii Sports. Play Wii bowling, tennis or running with your teenager, it all burns calories. If they like to dance then invest in a Zumba Fit program (or enroll them in Zumba classes). You don’t need a gym membership or gym equipment. You don’t need personal trainers to work with your teenager. And don’t forget, group activities are always more fun so workout with them. That way you both benefit from the extra exercise.

The best way to teach a teenager healthy habits is to lead by example. Provide healthy foods and cut down on the amount of unhealthy food in the house. Show them that exercise isn’t just hard work, it can be fun and fulfilling too. Let them know that they can get in shape and feel better about themselves.

Teenagers don’t generally confide in parents when they are being bullied at school, but if your teen is overweight, it’s a safe bet that they are enduring harassment from their peers. Even if they won’t admit it. If you introduce changes that will help them lose weight, become fitter, and look better that may well be all the motivation they require to continue to make changes. It’s all about learning healthy eating and exercise habits. No need to make complicate matters more than necessary. Keep it simple and you can help your obese teenagers.