From ages 10-17 years of age, adolescent girls and boys encounter drastic changes in height, weight, bone composition and body fat. The body holds fat at a much greater rate in girls than in boys. Boys usually lose body fat late in adolescence and girls keep fat as a natural part of their structure. Teenagers experience these changes at different rates. Only at the end of their growth spurt teenage girls can see how all these changes have developed their body shape. Children even as young as 5 are becoming more and more concerned or even obsessed with their weight and body look.
Eating disorders are appearing in pre-teens and teens at a much faster pace. Over 5 million boys and girls suffer from eating disorders, including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, or other diet conditions. A study of girls at ages 15 and over almost 60 percent said they wanted to look more fit. Even normal weight and underweight girls also expressed a desire to be more fit and said they were using unhealthy weight control methods including fasting, smoking and purging. They said they were all looking for the perfect figure. If you are a teenager with a weight issue it is very important to stay smart and do not use ineffective or unhealthy ways to lose weight. During teenage years, the body is designed to develop in many ways not all of them are visible. Good health is vital to make sure you develop the way your body is designed to.To help make the smart choices, here are some ways to lose weight that do not work.
Any diet which involves an extreme of fewer calories is very unhealthy, and dangerous. The teenager will start experiencing weakness and a lack of energy, which is a result from not enough calories. When this happens a combination of hunger, cravings and mood swings might trigger an episode of binge eating. It is possible that the teen will start overeating. Almost 50 percent of the weight loss is not fat at all, but lean tissue. The body will start burning up its own muscle. A very low-calorie diet can lead to serious nutritional problems involving tiredness, bone weakness, skin problems, and also hormonal disorders.
Laxative pills or supplements are also not a good idea for weight loss. Laxatives are not safe or effective for weight loss. Most weight loss is water not fat. Speeding up the digestive system, they can reduce absorption of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients and make you very weak and dehydrated. Fad diets are another to avoid because most fad diets are low-calorie eating plans with some kind of gimmick. Some fad diets rely on high intakes of a single food which is supposed to burn fat. Some recommend a specific food that supposedly can make fat melt away. The only reason some teens lose weight on this type of diet is because they are very low in calories, and we have already discussed low-calorie diet plans at being very unhealthy and will not lead to long-term weight loss. If you are a teenager who needs to lose weight, please make sure not use one of these low energy diets.
Unless you are seriously overweight, the best way to lose weight is to eat healthy and take regular exercise. A healthy body works more efficiently than an unhealthy body. Whatever you do, don't fall into the trap of looking for an instant solution to your weight loss, most of these solutions can cause you to gain weight and not lose it.