As parents, we sometimes fail to remember that teenagers are going through a lot. Not only with the pressures academically and socially, but also hormonally. Their bodies are growing at the fastest rate they ever have since birth, and their brains are truly learning the critical mental process of decision making. All of these things can make it difficult for them to make the right decisions when it comes to being physically active and eating healthy.

Overwhelmingly, teens result to dieting when it is perceived in some way that their body is not perfect. However, overweight teens are much more likely to successfully lose weight by attending a weight loss camp. As adults, most of us have already learned that it is impossible to have the “perfect” body because perfect is a word that is ever changing like the wind. Teens have not yet learned this and often use dieting as a method (even if short term) to get the desired look. A weight loss camp will provide teems with the long-term skills necessary for success.

Diets do not work, especially for a growing teen’s body. Even an overweight teen will not benefit in the long run from a diet. Here’s why:

* Restricting food intake can disrupt their energy balance and the ability they have to regulate which foods are right for them.

* Weight loss efforts that involve dieting frequently result in the opposite effect. Teens either gain weight from the severe loss of calories the body wanted for growing body OR they can become anorexic due to how fast they’ve learned they can lose weight…which is usually water weight.

* We know scientifically that adults who dieted as teens are generally overweight today.

* Dieting can stunt a child’s height growth.

* Diets teens like to follow are the fast weight loss diets that restrict important nutrients. This restriction in turn can lead to various imbalances in the teen’s development and can even have a negative impact on grades and impact other decision making areas of their lives. Instead, teens need to learn new, healthy eating habits that they can use for the rest of their lives. Many weight loss camps teach these skills.

* Dieting is usually a band-aid for other problems a teen feels he or she cannot control.

For all these reasons, parents should not encourage dieting…even if the child perceives him or herself to be overweight or if the child is overweight.

So, after reading that you shouldn’t put your child on a restrictive diet, what should you do? The best option you have would be to send your child to weight loss camp where kids lose weight while eating yummy food and having fun in the sun. Everything else you might do will usually add unwanted pressure. fitness camps are a wonderful and non-stressful way to get your child or teen to love being fit without actually feeling like they must restrict themselves. This is a win-win for parents and kids!