January
When their weight-loss attempt fails, where does the obese teen look to for help?
Posted by admin at 6:50 PM. Placed in Obesity Info category
Harry is obese, fifteen and very unhappy. He was advised to diet. He tried. What happened? Harry got fatter. He was told to exercise, but Harry had so much fat to carry the exercise was too tiresome. So that didn’t work either. Is Harry a lone example of this scenario? No, almost every obese teen runs into this hazard at least once.
Most overweight teens try to diet and exercise many times before they finally succumb, and become obese adults.
It’s a scary situation – the statistics show obesity is escalating at an alarming rate, and society as yet, has not come up with an answer. Governments the world over seem to be asleep at the wheel. Is that vehicle about to crash, and will we wake up when it’s too late?
Let’s return to our overweight friend Harry. What shall he do next? If diet and exercise are beyond his capabilities for whatever reasons, Harry surely needs support.Now. (Here is a tip for governments. If you want to make a difference to your future health expenditure, provide support and incentives to lose weight for your obese teens!)
In the meantime, while our rulers remain comatose, here are a few pointers for Harry on how he might gain help and support. Obviously parents are the first stop, but regrettably many parents of obese teens suffer similar problems to their children. Harry needs an adult who can give good advice, and consistent positive support. The support needed is a definite plan of action, with the advice to follow up, and will keep Harry on track. There is a difficult road ahead he has to traverse.
*Seek out a caring youth group. Without necessarily promoting them, I find most Christian churches have one, with usually good caring leaders. * Your family doctor. This is necessarily your first choice. It depends so much on the doctor’s capability to act as counsellor. * A school teacher you trust should be able to point you in the right direction. Your school may have a counsellor or chaplain you can speak to. * Think of a relative who might help – grandparent, auntie etc. *Psychologist (probably expensive) * Obesity Internet Forum (this works for some teens I believe. Be wary of any online commitments you make. Not everyone is what they seem.)
If you are a “Harry” and you KNOW your life is going to become more and more difficult if your weight is not brought back to normal, then you first need to make a DECISION to change. That decision is up to you, because all the counselling and support in the world is not going to work unless you COMMIT yourself.
The road will not be easy, but good health and weight loss can be yours! Believe it.
Alan Warburton