Online Parent Support Chat

Daughter's Weight Problem

Question:

I need help with the following issue:  My 17 year old daughter.  We have been on the program since she was 12.  Doing good with it. It has been a blessing for my husband and I.  She is now a senior in high school.  Always been a good kid that was just difficult at home and talking back and the program totally works.  She is the type of person the Mark Hutton describes and always has been.  Now we are having a possible problem with her controlling her weight.  She will be going off to college next year and right now I still watch over her and she needs to answer to us for where when and with who she goes places.  But she is 5' 2" and 100lbs and works out always did.  But I feel like it is possible that she is restricting her calories and I don't know what to do about it.  I don't notice any change in weight but I am concerned that her personality is such.

Answer:

It's normal for a teen to feel self-conscious about weight during adolescence — a lot of children do. If you think your teen has gained too much weight or is too thin, a doctor should help you decide whether she really has a weight problem. Your doctor has measured your teen's height and weight over time and knows whether growth is proceeding normally.

If concerned about your teen's height, weight, or BMI, the doctor may ask questions about her health, level of physical activity, and eating habits, as well as your family medical history. The doctor can put all this information together to determine whether there's a weight or growth problem.

If your doctor thinks your teen's weight isn't in the healthy range, you will probably get specific dietary and exercise recommendations. It's important to follow a doctor's or dietitian's plan that's designed for your teen. Significantly restricting calories or following fad diets or starvation plans can deprive teens of the nutrients their growing bodies need and may actually slow down growth and sexual development.