Phat Not Fat -" Weight Management Tips For Kids and Teens

By Anne M. Rensberger, LICSW

Okay, you have heard it from your classmates, from your doctor, and from your parents. All that teasing, nagging or smothering concern is driving you nuts. Those plus-size clothes just dont do if for you anymore. The responsibility for making change is yours alone, not the adults or friends in your life. It is time for you to take control and lose some of that fat.

Here are some reasons you may be overweight

You have genes that make you inclined to be heavy.

You sit around too much.

Your family or friends may eat the wrong things and you follow along.

You use food to comfort yourself when you have problems.

You have poor eating and snacking habits.

Here are some things you can do about it and, you should check with your doctor.

1. Buy a book or get on the Internet and learn about the number of calories, fat and fiber in food.

2. Determine if you want to join a program to help you lose weight. I know I did better when I got guidance on what to eat, knew someone was going to be weighing me weekly and that there were others I could turn to for support.

3. Get a journal and keep track of what you eat, the calorie count of what you eat, when you eat it, when and how you exercise, and when you mess up and why.

4. Buy some cookbooks with healthy recipes and take over some of the cooking for the family.

5. Think of yourself as an athlete in training whether you are one or not and exercise every day. Find an exercise that is fun for you. Walking and dancing are two I like.

6. Learn to tolerate a little physical hunger and emotional discomfort and find something other than food to deal with your emotional needs.

7. Be prepared for being teased or tempted by others trying to break your weight management plan.

8. Measure your weight loss by the way your clothes fit and the way you look. You will probably be growing taller and stronger, so you may look thinner even at the same weight.

9. Dont expect to be perfect, but just keep at it even if you mess up at times. It takes longer than everyone thinks to lose weight. You cant break every old habit easily.

Everybody on a weight management program messes up some of the time, but those who reach their goal weight are those who just keep right on trying. Be tough and keep at it. You can do it.

If you need a little coaching, you may want to consider a weight management coach who can work with kids and their families to better educate them about their weight and lifestyles.