Weight loss for teens.

[lorihart]

Hi Gals,
I saw this book at Wal-Mart the other day and I am not sure what to think about it.Is there really a need? I guess if you have a child that is really over weight and as terrible eating habits but being a teenager is so crucial to begin with.They have enough to deal with.
I guess the fact that bothers me is that when I was a teen i thought that I was bigger then I should be.I would of probably bought a book like this thinking that I was somehow going to get the "perfect body".Meanwhile I was diffently not overweight or even close to it.And the focus back then wasn't on brintney spears or fad diets.
I can remember when I got pregante and the Dr said to me, "you are not a big eater ,are you"? my response was,"I can be, but i don't let myself" She must of thought that I was a wacko,or that I was going to starve my baby.
I really don't think that these books should be readily avaiable to teenagers.It should be one of those things that you have to order on line or be mailed to you.I just think that most of them have such a poor image of themselevs anyway.If they start the cycle of diets when they are a teen,what happens next? They live a life of yo-yo dieting and never being happy with what they have, no matter how thin they already are.They are kids still growing up,and not thinking like an adult.I know that my friend is the same height as me but she weighs 10lbs lighter.I know that bone structure and muscle as alot ot do with this, but does a teen? Anyway,enough rambling.What does everyone else think of this?
Lori

 

[wutherhi]

Is that the one written by Dr. Phil's son?

Shari

 

[dutchgirl]

My answer would be it depends on the content of the book.

There are enough overweight teens out there who for one reason or the other are not getting important information regarding nutrition, exercise, and overall healthy lifestyle. If a teen saw a book that contained this information and was less about 'look like Britney Spears, look fabulous in low rise jeans', bought it, and made some positive changes that affected their quality of life I'd be all for it.

I would hazard to guess that a majority of teens have body image issues. These issues are fueled much more vigorously by television, movies, magazines, and (in some cases) parents than by 'diet' books marked toward teens. My personal belief is that teens who have poor body image have been learning this from a very early age, well before books have any real impact. I also don't believe that making quality books about diet and exercise available to teens will lead to self destructive and damaging ways of eating and exercising. Unfortunately, most teens find out about these methods from friends equally as unhappy with their body image.

I guess the real issue is the 'quality' of the books put out. Too much of the fitness and dieting industry is all about emphasizing the aestetic benefits of exercise ('drop a dress size in a week, fit into those jeans, bare that belly, etc.') with little regard to all the positive health benefits one receives from being in and maintaining a healthy weight range. I, for one, would love to hear both the fitness and diet industries talk more about the health consequences you avoid and the positive health benefits from being a heatlhy weight (and a healthy weight does not mean a size 0 or 2 ). Sadly, I think the culture at large has been trained to focus just being thin, and how you got there and how you maintain it is largely ignored.

Just my two cents.

 

[lorihart]

True,it does mainly depend on the quality of the book.And yeah,i think it was dr.phils son.So, it probably has lots of useful info in there.AS long as it is the right info thats not gonna change 3 yrs from now.Maybe I judged the book to soon BUT it just shocked me everytime I walk pass it.I also agree that to many teens are overweight.I can't beleive that most of them are bigger then I am.
Lori

 

[wutherhi]

I bought this book for my son because, after scanning it, it seemed to address some issues that I thought would be helpful for him, such as how to respond when other kids tease you about your weight. These are things I don't want to bring up with him because then I'm assuming that other kids DO tease him, and that might make him feel worse about his weight. I wish, now, I had read more before I gave it to him.

Shari

 

[lorihart]

Well, if Dr.Phils son wrote it then I would imagine that it as lots of useful info in it.I just judged it by its cover(not that there was anything wrong with the cover)but it just jumped right out at me.And everytime I enter wal-mart..there it is.But I never picked it up nor did I skim through it,so maybe I should of kept my thoughts to myself on the matter and maybe I jumped the gun.
Lori