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Weight Loss Services & Dietitians
re-printed with permission U.S. Government Weight Control Information Network
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As a teenager, you are going through a lot of changes. Your body is changing and growing. Have you noticed that every year, you can't seem to fit into your old shoes anymore? Or that your favorite jeans are now tighter or 3 inches too short? Your body is on its way to becoming its adult size.
Along
with your physical changes, you are also becoming more independent. You are
starting to make more choices about your life. You are relying less on
your parents and more on yourself and your friends when making decisions. Some
of the biggest choices that you face are those about your health.
Why should you care about your health? Well, there are lots of reasons—like feeling good, looking good, and getting stronger. Doing well in school, work, or other activities (like sports) is another reason. Believe it or not, these can all be affected by your health!
Healthy eating and being active now may also help prevent diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, osteoporosis, stroke, and some forms of cancer when you are older.
Some teenagers are not very physically active and some do not get the foods that their growing bodies need.
Now is the time to take charge of your health by eating better and being more physically active. Even small changes will help you look and feel your best!
| Family
Matters
Even if health problems run in your family, it doesn't mean that you will have the same problems . . . |
To learn more about your health, start by looking at your family. Are your parents, brothers, or sisters overweight? Do any of them have health problems related to their weight, such as type 2 diabetes? Your family's gene pool, eating habits, and activities can all play a role in your health and the way you look.
Even if members of your family have type 2 diabetes or other health problems, it doesn't mean that you will have the same problems. To lower your chances of developing them, eat healthy foods, get moving, and talk to your family or health care provider if you are concerned about your weight or health.
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| So, Where Do I Start? |
The road to better health starts with good eating and physical activity habits. Being aware of your habits will help you learn where you need to make changes.
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| Physical Activity—It Doesn't Have To Be A Chore! |
Being active means moving more every day. You can choose activities that are fun and do them on your own or with your friends. Being more active will make you feel better and give you more energy. It can also help you think and concentrate better, which will help you in school or at work. Activity can help you feel less bored and depressed, and help you handle stress.
So don't wait—start today. Begin slowly and make small changes in your daily routine, like
What you choose to do is up to you. Just pick something that you like to do and keep it up. Have fun while being active each day to stay healthy and fit. Remember, you don't have to give up the video games—just make sure that you also fit activity into your day.
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| Get
Moving!
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(OK, the last three aren't fun, but your parents will appreciate you doing them!)
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Take a look at your eating habits. What you eat, where you eat, and why you eat are important to your health. As a teen, you need to eat a variety of foods that give you the nutrients your growing body needs. Eating better and being more active can make you feel better and think more clearly.
If you eat a lot of burgers and fries or pizza loaded with toppings—plus an extra helping of dessert—your diet is probably not balanced. There's nothing wrong with eating these foods—you just need to eat smaller amounts and balance them with other foods. Where do you usually eat? If you eat in places such as your room or in front of the TV, you may want to change that habit. Eating while doing other things makes it easy to lose track of how much you've already eaten. By eating meals and snacks at a table, you can pay more attention to what you're eating so that you don't overeat. (If you want to snack while watching TV, take a small amount of food with you—such as a handful of pretzels or a couple of cookies—not the whole bag.) Why do you eat?
The best reason to eat is because your body tells you that you are hungry. If you are eating when you are not hungry, try doing something else to get food off of your mind. Call a friend, exercise, read, or work on a craft. These activities can help you to cut back on eating when you are feeling bored, upset, or stressed. To improve your eating habits, try to eat the suggested number of servings from each food group in the Food Guide Pyramid.
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| The
Food Guide Pyramid
Bread, cereal, rice, & pasta group (6-11 servings) Vegetable group (3-5 servings) Fruit group (2-4 servings) Milk, yogurt, & cheese group (2-3 servings) Meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, & nuts group (2-3 servings) Fats, oils, & sweets (use sparingly) |
Note: A range of servings is given for each group. The smaller number is for people who consume about 1,600 calories a day, such as inactive women. The larger number is for those who eat about 2,800 calories a day, such as teenage boys, active men, and very active women. Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture/U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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| What
Counts as a Serving?
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Bread, Cereal, Rice, & Pasta Group
Vegetable Group
Fruit Group
Milk, Yogurt, & Cheese Group
Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, & Nuts Group
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| Breads,
Cereals, Rice, and Pasta (at least 6 servings daily) Breads: whole-grain, whole-wheat, cracked wheat, multigrain, or oatmeal. (Go easy on high-fat spreads like butter.) Cereals: whole-grain, hot and cold. Rice and pasta: brown rice, whole-wheat or enriched pasta. (Try tomato sauces, which are lower in calories than cream sauces.) Fruits Vegetables Milk,
Yogurt, and Cheese Meat,
Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts
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| Let's
Talk About Health
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Snack Attack
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Being a teenager can be tough, and sometimes teens who are healthy try to lose weight even though they don't need to. You may feel a lot of pressure to look a certain way. Acting on this pressure may lead to eating disorders like anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa is a form of self-starvation where a person does not eat enough food to keep healthy and does not maintain a healthy weight. Bulimia nervosa is when a person eats a
lot of food and then vomits or uses other methods, such as fasting or If you would like to learn more about eating disorders, see the list of resources at the end of this booklet. If you are concerned about your eating habits or the way you look, it's important to talk to someone you trust. Try talking to a parent, friend, doctor, teacher, or counselor at your school. Being happy with who you are and what you look like is important for a healthy body and mind. You don't have to be an athlete, supermodel, or movie star to like who you are and to stay fit and healthy. You can take charge of your health by making small changes in your eating and physical activity habits. These changes will help you feel and look better now and be healthier for the rest of your life!
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| Additional Reading |
10 Tips to Healthy Eating and Physical
Activity For You (Brochure), 1998. Binge Eating Disorder Everything You Need to Know About
Eating Disorders: Anorexia and Bulimia Healthy Teens: Facing the Challenges
of Young Lives Overweight Teenagers: Don't Bear the
Burden Alone The Teenage Body Book "Teen-Directed Weight
Management"
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The American Dietetic Association International Food Information Council
Foundation National Diabetes Education Program National Diabetes Information
Clearinghouse National Eating Disorders Association Overeaters Anonymous Headquarters President's Council on Physical
Fitness and Sports Inclusion of resources is for information only and does not imply endorsement by NIDDK or WIN.
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Weight-control Information Network 1 WIN WAY The Weight-control Information Network (WIN) is a national service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health, which is the Federal Government's lead agency responsible for biomedical research on nutrition and obesity. Authorized by Congress (Public Law 103-43), WIN provides the general public, health professionals, the media, and Congress with up-to-date, science-based health information on weight control, obesity, physical activity, and related nutritional issues. |
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Type
2 diabetes is increasing in adolescents and teenagers who are
overweight. Diabetes means that blood glucose (blood sugar) is too high.
Diabetes is serious. It can hurt your eyes, kidneys, heart and blood
vessels, gums, and teeth.
Do
you normally watch a lot of TV or play a lot of video games? These
activities can be relaxing, but you don't need to move much to do them.
Spending too much time not moving around can make you feel tired and lazy,
and lead to poor muscle tone. You can be active every day and still have
time to do other things you enjoy, like playing video games!
To
see if you need to change your eating habits, let's look at why you eat.
For most people, reasons to eat are:
