Teens' dance aerobics

Teens often lose weight against heavy odds. Their experiences challenge conventional assumptions about teen weight loss and the role parents play in it.

Misconception: Teens who come from an overweight family have little hope of losing weight and keeping it off.
Facts: Sixty of the 70 teens who answered the question whether anyone else in their family was overweight said that at least one parent was. 23 of them said that both parents were overweight. Nicole S is typical. Her mom and dad are overweight. She decided to lose weight at 16, when she weighed 293. Although her family didn’t think she would do it, they encouraged her to try. Three years later Nicole weighs 145 (she’s 5′5″).

Misconception: Teens who have been overweight since they were young are unlikely to be able to lose weight and keep it off.
Facts: Many of the teens said that they first becase overweight when they were quite young – more than half said it was at age 10 or younger. The average age they reported becoming overweight was nine had a half. 15 year old Sandra D told, “I’d always been overweight, even when I was little, and I didn’t want to stay that way.” Part of her motivation for losing more than 50 pounds was that she was tired of being compared to her nonidentical twin sister, who never had a weight problem. “Now,” Sandra says, “we’ve both grown – and shrunk – to develop a relationship based on who we are instead of on the physical differences that separated us in the past.”

Misconception: Teen who have tried and failed at losing weight many times before don’t succeed.
Facts: Although it certainly isn’t physically or physchologically healthy for any teen to go on and off diets repeatedly, the teens provide hope for those who have tried and failed at weight management. When I asked many times they tried to lose weight before they finally succeeded (counting only the times when they lost at least 5 to 10 pounds), 7 out of 10 indicated that they’d lost and gained multiple times. Forty of them had tried to lose weight three or more times in the past. Sandra D, says, “There were so many times when I felt like trying was pointless but I finally did it. And if I could do it, then anyone can.” Wes G says, “It took me many tries until I really wanted to lose the weight for myself enough to succeed.” Kelly D, who tried to lose weight 3 or 4 time before succeeding, says that teens need to do some experimenting. “Keep trying new things until you find something that works,” she advises.

Misconception: It’s best to avoid talking about dieting and weight loss with overweight teens because it’s likely to trigger an eating disorder such as bullmia or anorexia nervosa.
Facts: The vast majority of teens losing weight are living proof that overweight young people can lose weight without developing such an eating disorder. Some studies do suggest that teens who say they diet regularly may be at higher risk for eating disorders than nondieters, particularly when they use restrictive and unhealthy dieting methods. That’s why teens need to be educated about how to lose weight in healthy ways and to be shown healthy role models. In fact, Kerri Boutelle, PhD, a weight and eating disorders expert at the University of Minnesota, states, “Several studies actually suggest that teaching teens healthful methods to control their weight may reduce weight concerns and the risk of subsequent eating disorders.”

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