talkhealth forums

my son is 15 years old, I don't know how much he weighs but he is in 38'' trousers.
He snacks a lot but mostly when we aren't around. don't know what to do without causing him too much emotional distress. any suggestions?[

Teach them that they are their own "body expert", and it is their responsibility to become the best "body detective" possible. This means listening carefully to their stomachs for the signal that they are done, or full. Educate them that some bodies take longer to send the signal; it can just be a whisper after one bowl of cereal, but they need to WAIT 20 minutes to hear it well.

Weight issues are very common these days and the main cause of it is overeating. It is very hard to convince children to avoid eating unhealthy or junk foods which cause fat. After all, I am also facing the same problem. I used to give my child every morning a glass of Noni juice that helps to maintain his weight.

The most important question must be answered first, are you overweight? I have found that kids tend to mimic the behavior of their parents in more ways than one.

Weight gain occurs slowly, deliberately, and over a long period of time. Rarely would your son get back in shape if parents are not in shape?

I assume you're the person doling out the money? If that is the case, you have the power to affect what he eats on a daily basis.

Start by asking why he eats too much?

Get into the kitchen and start preparing nutritious meals made wth fresh ingredients.

Get into the habit of counting calories.

Get his ass out of the digital devices and encourage outdoor activities to burn some of the calories.

Limit the watching of television to limit the influence of subliminal programming.

Just some of the ideas you can implement for him to start losing those extra pounds.

In order for your son to loose weight, this has to be a family thing. It will be very difficult to change his eating habits if he sees certain family members eating certain foods while he is trying to change. Another thing people should refrain from the word diet, because diets never work, but if he changes his lifestyle maybe he might be willing to give it a chance. At this age, it will not be easy. Teenagers know what they like to eat and what they don't like to eat.

The first thing, I do, is for him to make a list of all the fruits that he likes. Once the list has been made. Take some of the fruit items from the list and eat them for breakfast every morning. But when he wakes up in the morning before eating anything drink a glass of room temp. water. The fruits will clean the system and allow him to go to the bathroom. The toxins MUST leave the body every day. What you put in must come out. The fruits are cleaners, they clean the system. If you like what you hear, reply back and we can proceed to the next step. Remember this is a family affair. Good luck..

Overeating is the main cause of overweight.

Give him raw food instead of snacks and give him proper meal plan. Break his meals into small frequent ones and increase his water intake. Avoid giving meals shortly before going to bed and do check his weight to measure progress.

This is scary as he might be prone to diseases linked to overweight like diabetes and anything heart related. My advice would be start slow as he can't adjust to meal plans and exercise quickly.

First would be avoiding eating out. Try cooking up some healthy foods at home like chicken and fish and having some corn for sides. Avoid using cooking oil.

Next would be looking for outdoor activities that your son might enjoy. Go out, less seating and more walking. Find an outdoor hobby that will let food slip away from his mind.

Have a weighing scale at home as well! It might make your son more conscious of his weight.

I'm speaking from experience as my younger sister was obese at the age of 7. She was really lazy but it turned out really well. We just needed patience. Hope it helps!