Nutrition

Many teenage girls think that they are overweight even when they are not. This is in part due to the fact that television shows and magazines are filled with abnormally thin women, which can give the wrong idea about what is a healthy body weight. The body mass index (BMI) calculation can be used to see if your weight is healthy. It is comparison of your weight (in pounds) to your height (in inches).

A BMI calculator is available at Calculate your BMI

If you are at or above the 95th percentile, you are obese. If you are between the 85th percentile and the 94th percentile, you are overweight. In either case, you should talk with your parent(s) or guardian and your health care provider about how you can reach a healthy body weight safely.

For children and adolescents, being overweight is generally due to a lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating patterns, or a combination of the two, (with genetics and lifestyle also playing important roles in determining a child’s weight).

Being overweight can put you at risk for many health problems. Overweight teenagers are at higher risk of irregular menstrual periods, asthma, high blood pressure levels/heart disease, high cholesterol levels and/or diabetes.  The American Heart Association recommends exercising  at least 30 minutes a day for overweight persons. If you are overweight or obese, talk to you doctor about healthy ways to lose weight and exercise.

People with eating disorders feel extreme emotions, attitudes, and behaviors surrounding weight and food issues. The most common eating disorders include bulimia and anorexia. As in the case that you just viewed, bulimics tend to binge (eats a large quantity of food ) and purge (overeat and vomit, take laxatives, or exercise too much). They may be of normal or low body weight. Persistent vomiting can cause damage to your heart and or your throat or other organs in your body.

Anorexia

Teenagers with anorexia nervosa do not eat enough to keep their bodies working normally. They have a relentless pursuit of thinness and unwillingness to maintain a normal or healthy weight, due to an intense fear of gaining weight.   They are unable to keep their weight in a healthy range, which puts them at risk of serious medical complications, such as lack of menstrual periods, osteoporosis (weak bones) and even death, if they do not get treatment. Teenagers who have signs of anorexia nervosa have an image disorder and so they think they are fat even though their body weight is below normal.

Bulimia

Bulimia is a type of anorexia in which the individual cannot control the urge to overeat or binge.  After a binge, the bulimic either throws up or takes diuretics/laxatives.  These actions deprive the body of essential vitamins and minerals.  They may also exercise excessively to try to lose the calories they just ate.

A balanced diet is made up of food from the dairy, meat, vegetable, fruit, and grain groups. To learn more about each group and the foods associated with each group, go to:

Choose my Plate.gov

Healthy diets are low in fats, sugars, and salt. To help you eat a variety of foods, choose foods from all the colors of the rainbow, such as apples, carrots, bananas, broccoli and blueberries. Unfortunately, vitamins cannot replace balanced meals and healthy snacks.

You should also exercise regularly to stay healthy. Experts recommend 60 minutes of moderate physical activity most days of the week. If you participate in a team or individual sport in school or after school this counts. If you are not used to exercising, try to slowly increase the amount of physical activity that you do each day. Simple changes in your lifestyle such as using the stairs instead of the elevator, not using the remote control for the television, walking with friends and family, or helping with yardwork can increase some of your physical activity.

The best ways are to eat less AND exercise more. Talk to your health care provider about the best way for you to lose weight.  Read the labels on foods. Remember that because a product is low fat, does not always mean it has fewer calories.

It is best not to use diet pills or be fooled by fad diets. Although, you may lose weight at first, most girls gain the weight back when they stop the fad diet or the pills.