Weight Loss
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this is what ive been trying to say-but she says it so much better! thanks jenmcc! : D
hope you dont mind me copy + pasting this
#77
jenmcc
Dec 07 2007 17:47 I have no idea what started this whole thread, since the original poster just deleted it, however, i want to comment about whether teens are done growing.
They may have reached their full adult height, this is true. However:
1) Up until about the mid-20s, the body is in peak bone-building mode. It will never be easier to build strong bones. NEVER. Once you reach your mid-20s, it's all downhill. You want to reach that age, and have the densest bones possible.
Bone-building is not just about diet, of course. Exercise and sunlight play a crucial role. But, restrictive diets can cause major problems. This is why anorexics in their 20s have the bones of 80 year olds. It needn't even be that restrictive: there are concerns we are creating a growing epidemic of osteoporosis, kids today have more porous bones ... many think that in addition to lack of exercise and sunshine, too many diet sodas and not enough dairy intake may be playing a role too.
2) Up until mid-20s, the body is also in peak muscle-building mode. Read what I wrote above about bones, and it's the same idea. Except that you have to add this thought: you cannot build muscle while in calorie deficit!
Now, if you are an obese teen, yes, you do need to diet, because your weight causes all sort of other complications. But this should be done under medical supervision to ensure that muscle mass is retained.
3) From about age 12 until about age 21, your brain is growing at an ASTOUNDING rate! This is the latest research. We used to think the brain stopped growing in toddlerhood. It doesn't. It apparently undergoes a second, even more major, even more dramatic growth spurt from age 12 to age 21. Yep, long after you've reached your full adult height.
Starve your brain during this period of time and you are - literally! - preventing yourself from reaching your full intellectual adult potential. Your brain uses something like 70% of all the calories you consume every day. It doesn't like to use body fat either. It lives off circulating glucose, glucose from what you eat. If it doesn't have that, it'll break down your muscles next, instead of your body fat.
You also need healthy dietary fats - it has something to do with mylenation... I'm not an expert here. But this is critical to have when your brain is growing and making all these new connections.
The three reasons above are precisely why the recommendations for teens are always HIGHER than for adults. And if you do some surfing, you'll see that the experts all agree teens need more cals than adults - but little agreement on how *much* more. It is quite likely that the recommendations will be revised UPWARD again. And note, since these three things are going on up into the mid-20s, I would say that those in their early 20s may also want to reconsider dieting.
So, what do you do with this info, if you are a teen or early 20s?? It's absolutely key to get good and adequate nutrition. If you are obese, yes, you probably are better off on a carefully supervised diet and dropping the weight. It's a trade-off, medically speaking.
If you are only overweight, however, you are probably much better off NOT dieting. Eat a healthy, clean diet with a lot of variety, stay away from sodas and junk food, and get a balanced range of carbs, protein, fats. Don't eliminate or cut any of these too drastically - you need them ALL.
Then strive to Grow into your weight!! YES. Not talking here about growing TALLER. I'm talking about growing:
1) Denser bones
2) More muscle
3) A bigger, smarter brain
All of that takes calories. Any weight loss should be gradual and gentle.
And highly important: GET MOVING. This will encourage stronger bones, more muscle, greater connections in your brain. It'll make your body perform like it's intended to perform.
Ultimately, a healthy weight will follow. And you will reach your peak in your mid-20s with maximum lean mass, meaning you will have a much easier time managing your weight going forward.
hope you dont mind me copy + pasting this
#77
jenmcc Dec 07 2007 17:47 I have no idea what started this whole thread, since the original poster just deleted it, however, i want to comment about whether teens are done growing. They may have reached their full adult height, this is true. However:
1) Up until about the mid-20s, the body is in peak bone-building mode. It will never be easier to build strong bones. NEVER. Once you reach your mid-20s, it's all downhill. You want to reach that age, and have the densest bones possible.
Bone-building is not just about diet, of course. Exercise and sunlight play a crucial role. But, restrictive diets can cause major problems. This is why anorexics in their 20s have the bones of 80 year olds. It needn't even be that restrictive: there are concerns we are creating a growing epidemic of osteoporosis, kids today have more porous bones ... many think that in addition to lack of exercise and sunshine, too many diet sodas and not enough dairy intake may be playing a role too.
2) Up until mid-20s, the body is also in peak muscle-building mode. Read what I wrote above about bones, and it's the same idea. Except that you have to add this thought: you cannot build muscle while in calorie deficit!
Now, if you are an obese teen, yes, you do need to diet, because your weight causes all sort of other complications. But this should be done under medical supervision to ensure that muscle mass is retained.
3) From about age 12 until about age 21, your brain is growing at an ASTOUNDING rate! This is the latest research. We used to think the brain stopped growing in toddlerhood. It doesn't. It apparently undergoes a second, even more major, even more dramatic growth spurt from age 12 to age 21. Yep, long after you've reached your full adult height.
Starve your brain during this period of time and you are - literally! - preventing yourself from reaching your full intellectual adult potential. Your brain uses something like 70% of all the calories you consume every day. It doesn't like to use body fat either. It lives off circulating glucose, glucose from what you eat. If it doesn't have that, it'll break down your muscles next, instead of your body fat.
You also need healthy dietary fats - it has something to do with mylenation... I'm not an expert here. But this is critical to have when your brain is growing and making all these new connections.
The three reasons above are precisely why the recommendations for teens are always HIGHER than for adults. And if you do some surfing, you'll see that the experts all agree teens need more cals than adults - but little agreement on how *much* more. It is quite likely that the recommendations will be revised UPWARD again. And note, since these three things are going on up into the mid-20s, I would say that those in their early 20s may also want to reconsider dieting.
So, what do you do with this info, if you are a teen or early 20s?? It's absolutely key to get good and adequate nutrition. If you are obese, yes, you probably are better off on a carefully supervised diet and dropping the weight. It's a trade-off, medically speaking.
If you are only overweight, however, you are probably much better off NOT dieting. Eat a healthy, clean diet with a lot of variety, stay away from sodas and junk food, and get a balanced range of carbs, protein, fats. Don't eliminate or cut any of these too drastically - you need them ALL.
Then strive to Grow into your weight!! YES. Not talking here about growing TALLER. I'm talking about growing:
1) Denser bones
2) More muscle
3) A bigger, smarter brain
All of that takes calories. Any weight loss should be gradual and gentle.
And highly important: GET MOVING. This will encourage stronger bones, more muscle, greater connections in your brain. It'll make your body perform like it's intended to perform.
Ultimately, a healthy weight will follow. And you will reach your peak in your mid-20s with maximum lean mass, meaning you will have a much easier time managing your weight going forward.
It is hard to go back to those years, but I do remember the pressure to be skinny, even back 20 years ago. And at that age, most little things are a crisis. I can remember a pound being a HUGE deal because of the constant comparison amongst us girls. So, even though, I have like a ton of weight to lose, and its not significant to me, I also remember that I am in a different scene. Some get carried away, but like all forums, you will have that. Peace. Only love prevails.
Original Post by peacelovehominy:
im saying that it is advised that NO CHILDREN OR TEENS should diet. im not trying to attack anyone just getting my thoughts out there
Ok, I'm trying to understand you, but I'll admit I'm having a very hard time. You've said in multiple posts that you are a teenager. You have also indicated you are dieting.
You said in this post you stopped growing when you were 12, but then came right back in this post and said that no one stops growing/developing that young. In the first post I linked you said it is ok for 14, 15, and 16 year olds to want to lose weight, but in the quote above you said it isn't ok to diet.
I'm not trying to pick on you, but the things you are saying just don't add up to me...
I don't think you should generalise so much. I'm 16, and have a seriously underactive thyroid, so if I was to eat 1800 calories a day, even with exercise, I would gain weight like there is no tomorrow.
Not to mention, by 15/16, most girls (not boys, mind) are fully grown in height, and the second they go to college/uni, chances are they are going to gain around 15lbs if they don't already have a clear view of how to maintain their weight and make intellectual decisions when it comes to food.
I am completely with you when it comes to the "OMG I ATE 800 CALORIES TODAY!!!' posts, there are articles in the library on here to inform them on those sort of issues. But I don't think you should demonise all the teens on here - some of us are just trying to lose weight healthily.
Not to mention, by 15/16, most girls (not boys, mind) are fully grown in height, and the second they go to college/uni, chances are they are going to gain around 15lbs if they don't already have a clear view of how to maintain their weight and make intellectual decisions when it comes to food.
I am completely with you when it comes to the "OMG I ATE 800 CALORIES TODAY!!!' posts, there are articles in the library on here to inform them on those sort of issues. But I don't think you should demonise all the teens on here - some of us are just trying to lose weight healthily.
Maybe a way to solve the problem is to sticky a couple of the repetitive threads and have one of the guidelines to NOT post about things covered on those topics, or else your post will get deleted. There was another website that did that, and it was nice. Like maybe a sticky on the MasterCleanse/ liquid fasting diet, eating less than 1200 cals, diet pills/no short cut to weight loss, and things like that :)
PS I'm 19. Does that still count as being a teenager??
im saying that it is advised that NO CHILDREN OR TEENS should diet.
Are you joking??? Where do you get this info? If the kid is 12 and 200 LBS then he should change his diet, which means he needs to watch what he eats and how much. You can simply tell him it's fine you just haven't grown into your height yet, Because when he does he'll still likely be 100 lbs. overweight.
You still didn't tell me where you got the info that kids and teens shouldn't diet or at least shouldn't diet unless under ther supervision of a Dr.
http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2004/0 72004/07252004/1439245
http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/fo od/diet.html
http://teenagerstoday.com/resources/articles/ lowcarbteens.htm
http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/fo od/diet.html
http://teenagerstoday.com/resources/articles/ lowcarbteens.htm
"OHEMGEEEEEEEZ MY FRIENDZORZ WILL LYKE TOTALLY JUDGE ME FOR EATING HEALTHY AND NOT EATING AT CHIC-FIL-A WIF DEMZZZZZ I HAVE TO GIVE IN TO TEMPTATION OR ELSE I WILL BE HARASSEDDDDDD WHICH IS WAY WORSE THAN BEING PICKED ON FOR BEING FAAAAAAAAAT. "
Just to let you know, teens don't talk like that. I find it offensive that some of you are making light of this issue. Many teens are overweight and are just trying to get healthier, but there are also a lot of teens that are just trying to fit in. It's called body image, peer pressure, etc. I understand that teens shouldn't diet, and am in no way promoting EDs, but you don't know the half of it, so you can't talk.
p.s, I have just read the 1st page, so I apologize to those who have not been talking w/o knowing what they're talking about.
removed, because I didn't realize the OP was still a teenager herself. Oops!
I have no idea what started this whole thread, since the original poster just deleted it, however, i want to comment about whether teens are done growing.
They may have reached their full adult height, this is true. However:
1) Up until about the mid-20s, the body is in peak bone-building mode. It will never be easier to build strong bones. NEVER. Once you reach your mid-20s, it's all downhill. You want to reach that age, and have the densest bones possible.
Bone-building is not just about diet, of course. Exercise and sunlight play a crucial role. But, restrictive diets can cause major problems. This is why anorexics in their 20s have the bones of 80 year olds. It needn't even be that restrictive: there are concerns we are creating a growing epidemic of osteoporosis, kids today have more porous bones ... many think that in addition to lack of exercise and sunshine, too many diet sodas and not enough dairy intake may be playing a role too.
2) Up until mid-20s, the body is also in peak muscle-building mode. Read what I wrote above about bones, and it's the same idea. Except that you have to add this thought: you cannot build muscle while in calorie deficit!
Now, if you are an obese teen, yes, you do need to diet, because your weight causes all sort of other complications. But this should be done under medical supervision to ensure that muscle mass is retained.
3) From about age 12 until about age 21, your brain is growing at an ASTOUNDING rate! This is the latest research. We used to think the brain stopped growing in toddlerhood. It doesn't. It apparently undergoes a second, even more major, even more dramatic growth spurt from age 12 to age 21. Yep, long after you've reached your full adult height.
Starve your brain during this period of time and you are - literally! - preventing yourself from reaching your full intellectual adult potential. Your brain uses something like 70% of all the calories you consume every day. It doesn't like to use body fat either. It lives off circulating glucose, glucose from what you eat. If it doesn't have that, it'll break down your muscles next, instead of your body fat.
You also need healthy dietary fats - it has something to do with mylenation... I'm not an expert here. But this is critical to have when your brain is growing and making all these new connections.
The three reasons above are precisely why the recommendations for teens are always HIGHER than for adults. And if you do some surfing, you'll see that the experts all agree teens need more cals than adults - but little agreement on how *much* more. It is quite likely that the recommendations will be revised UPWARD again. And note, since these three things are going on up into the mid-20s, I would say that those in their early 20s may also want to reconsider dieting.
So, what do you do with this info, if you are a teen or early 20s?? It's absolutely key to get good and adequate nutrition. If you are obese, yes, you probably are better off on a carefully supervised diet and dropping the weight. It's a trade-off, medically speaking.
If you are only overweight, however, you are probably much better off NOT dieting. Eat a healthy, clean diet with a lot of variety, stay away from sodas and junk food, and get a balanced range of carbs, protein, fats. Don't eliminate or cut any of these too drastically - you need them ALL.
Then strive to Grow into your weight!! YES. Not talking here about growing TALLER. I'm talking about growing:
1) Denser bones
2) More muscle
3) A bigger, smarter brain
All of that takes calories. Any weight loss should be gradual and gentle.
And highly important: GET MOVING. This will encourage stronger bones, more muscle, greater connections in your brain. It'll make your body perform like it's intended to perform.
Ultimately, a healthy weight will follow. And you will reach your peak in your mid-20s with maximum lean mass, meaning you will have a much easier time managing your weight going forward.
They may have reached their full adult height, this is true. However:
1) Up until about the mid-20s, the body is in peak bone-building mode. It will never be easier to build strong bones. NEVER. Once you reach your mid-20s, it's all downhill. You want to reach that age, and have the densest bones possible.
Bone-building is not just about diet, of course. Exercise and sunlight play a crucial role. But, restrictive diets can cause major problems. This is why anorexics in their 20s have the bones of 80 year olds. It needn't even be that restrictive: there are concerns we are creating a growing epidemic of osteoporosis, kids today have more porous bones ... many think that in addition to lack of exercise and sunshine, too many diet sodas and not enough dairy intake may be playing a role too.
2) Up until mid-20s, the body is also in peak muscle-building mode. Read what I wrote above about bones, and it's the same idea. Except that you have to add this thought: you cannot build muscle while in calorie deficit!
Now, if you are an obese teen, yes, you do need to diet, because your weight causes all sort of other complications. But this should be done under medical supervision to ensure that muscle mass is retained.
3) From about age 12 until about age 21, your brain is growing at an ASTOUNDING rate! This is the latest research. We used to think the brain stopped growing in toddlerhood. It doesn't. It apparently undergoes a second, even more major, even more dramatic growth spurt from age 12 to age 21. Yep, long after you've reached your full adult height.
Starve your brain during this period of time and you are - literally! - preventing yourself from reaching your full intellectual adult potential. Your brain uses something like 70% of all the calories you consume every day. It doesn't like to use body fat either. It lives off circulating glucose, glucose from what you eat. If it doesn't have that, it'll break down your muscles next, instead of your body fat.
You also need healthy dietary fats - it has something to do with mylenation... I'm not an expert here. But this is critical to have when your brain is growing and making all these new connections.
The three reasons above are precisely why the recommendations for teens are always HIGHER than for adults. And if you do some surfing, you'll see that the experts all agree teens need more cals than adults - but little agreement on how *much* more. It is quite likely that the recommendations will be revised UPWARD again. And note, since these three things are going on up into the mid-20s, I would say that those in their early 20s may also want to reconsider dieting.
So, what do you do with this info, if you are a teen or early 20s?? It's absolutely key to get good and adequate nutrition. If you are obese, yes, you probably are better off on a carefully supervised diet and dropping the weight. It's a trade-off, medically speaking.
If you are only overweight, however, you are probably much better off NOT dieting. Eat a healthy, clean diet with a lot of variety, stay away from sodas and junk food, and get a balanced range of carbs, protein, fats. Don't eliminate or cut any of these too drastically - you need them ALL.
Then strive to Grow into your weight!! YES. Not talking here about growing TALLER. I'm talking about growing:
1) Denser bones
2) More muscle
3) A bigger, smarter brain
All of that takes calories. Any weight loss should be gradual and gentle.
And highly important: GET MOVING. This will encourage stronger bones, more muscle, greater connections in your brain. It'll make your body perform like it's intended to perform.
Ultimately, a healthy weight will follow. And you will reach your peak in your mid-20s with maximum lean mass, meaning you will have a much easier time managing your weight going forward.
Jen, if the kid is 30 lbs. overweight and the parent decides to make him eat healthier...not a diet to lose weight...but healither and makes the kid go out to play more, would it be a problem if the kid is losing a little weight in the process while not under doctor supervision?
what jen is saying is what ive been trying to say allll along! : D
Tommy, are we talking about a kid, or a teen?
If a kid - someone who hasn't yet reached full adult height (and doctors should know what the projected height is going to be - they have charts and can determine this at infancy) - then the best situation is if the kid loses no weight or very little weight, but literally grows into the weight.
Example: my daughter went through an overweight period, at a young age. The doctors worked with us on this. The goal wasn't to restrict her diet, but to encourage her to eat when hungry, no more "clean plate" stuff, only offer healthy food, no DISCUSSIONS about what she was eating or not eating, etc. And, ramp up her exercise and general activity levels BIG TIME. That was a key part. No more than 1 hour t.v. a day. Over a period of two years, her weight remained the same, and she grew several inches, growing INTO her weight.
Now, if it's a teen who's reached full adult height, then the focus should be on body composition, NOT necessarily weight loss. In other words, maximize lean mass (bone, blood, muscle) while minimizing fat percentage. The weight on the scale may stay exactly the same, but the teen will shrink and appear leaner all over.
Here is a good example, albeit I am an adult: I'm 5'0" tall. Right now I am not doing any weight training. I do run 10-12 miles a week. I am at 107 lbs, and fit in a size 0.
However, 10 years ago I used to weight train along with the running. I did weight training 5x's a week, heavy weights. I was actually a little bit *slimmer* than I am now - my hips and abs one inch less than today. BUT - I weighed closer to 120, 125!!!! Because I was lean with LOTS more muscle than I have today. (I could also eat way more calories back then.. i basically didn't have to worry about every last bite).
And that should be the goal with the 30-lb overweight teen: change the body composition, not the scale weight.
I think exercise is just absolutely KEY with teens. Turn off the t.v. Get moving. Walk to school. Join a sports team. Take up running, ballet, something, anything.
As for diet, keep it as clean as possible, and then follow your cravings. If you are hungry EAT, because for all you know, it's because your brain is making new connections and needs the extra fat or whatever. As long as you're choosing complex carbs over simple carbs, healthy fats like nuts and olive oil and fatty fishes over saturated and trans fats, lean proteins over fast food burgers, milk or water over diet soda, and eating tons of fruits and veggies... all while getting ample exercise and sleep.... you can't really go wrong.
If a kid - someone who hasn't yet reached full adult height (and doctors should know what the projected height is going to be - they have charts and can determine this at infancy) - then the best situation is if the kid loses no weight or very little weight, but literally grows into the weight.
Example: my daughter went through an overweight period, at a young age. The doctors worked with us on this. The goal wasn't to restrict her diet, but to encourage her to eat when hungry, no more "clean plate" stuff, only offer healthy food, no DISCUSSIONS about what she was eating or not eating, etc. And, ramp up her exercise and general activity levels BIG TIME. That was a key part. No more than 1 hour t.v. a day. Over a period of two years, her weight remained the same, and she grew several inches, growing INTO her weight.
Now, if it's a teen who's reached full adult height, then the focus should be on body composition, NOT necessarily weight loss. In other words, maximize lean mass (bone, blood, muscle) while minimizing fat percentage. The weight on the scale may stay exactly the same, but the teen will shrink and appear leaner all over.
Here is a good example, albeit I am an adult: I'm 5'0" tall. Right now I am not doing any weight training. I do run 10-12 miles a week. I am at 107 lbs, and fit in a size 0.
However, 10 years ago I used to weight train along with the running. I did weight training 5x's a week, heavy weights. I was actually a little bit *slimmer* than I am now - my hips and abs one inch less than today. BUT - I weighed closer to 120, 125!!!! Because I was lean with LOTS more muscle than I have today. (I could also eat way more calories back then.. i basically didn't have to worry about every last bite).
And that should be the goal with the 30-lb overweight teen: change the body composition, not the scale weight.
I think exercise is just absolutely KEY with teens. Turn off the t.v. Get moving. Walk to school. Join a sports team. Take up running, ballet, something, anything.
As for diet, keep it as clean as possible, and then follow your cravings. If you are hungry EAT, because for all you know, it's because your brain is making new connections and needs the extra fat or whatever. As long as you're choosing complex carbs over simple carbs, healthy fats like nuts and olive oil and fatty fishes over saturated and trans fats, lean proteins over fast food burgers, milk or water over diet soda, and eating tons of fruits and veggies... all while getting ample exercise and sleep.... you can't really go wrong.
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