My teen has gained weight

Your growing up son does not fit into jeans, and your daughter can hardly zip up her favorite dress … Do I need to sound the alarm? No, if the size of a teenager remains within reasonable limits and if he himself does not suffer too much from this. “During puberty, the body changes intensively, but periods of weight gain and growth alternate unevenly, and someone first gains kilograms, and then sharply stretches,” recalls age psychologist Timur Mursaliyev. – But today the cult of a thin body is so strong that a teenager is under pressure – both from peers who make fun of a “chubby” friend, and from parents who sometimes perceive a child’s overweight as a personal mistake and are in a hurry to put him on a diet. Such intervention in the privacy of a teenager can seriously reduce his self-esteem, cause feelings of guilt and hatred of himself and his body, provoke eating disorders – anorexia or bulimia.

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• My daughter, her weight and me

First of all, it is important not to dramatize the situation, to treat it calmly and without prejudice. “Our body is actively formed until the age of 20, which is why teenagers eat a lot. This is normal: they have a huge need for energy,” explains Timur Mursaliev. “In addition, growing children happen to overeat, escaping from painful emotions that often overtake at this age: from school stress, love experiences …” Instead of putting a teenager on a diet that ends in failure – since coercion always leads to dissatisfaction – it is better to think about the cause of his immoderate appetite, discuss it with your daughter or son and help restore self-confidence.

“Teach your child to listen to his needs – eat when he is hungry, stop when he is full,” Timur Mursaliyev suggests. – By personal example, show that food not only replenishes our strength, but also gives pleasure. Pay attention to the taste of this or that dish, avoid snacking on the go: let each meal be a special and enjoyable moment of the day for the whole family. Encourage your child to play sports or dance, but not to make him lose weight: focus on the pleasure of an active life, on new acquaintances and the joy of communication. And finally, neither parents nor teenagers would hurt to be a little more critical of magazine photographs of movie stars and models, often retouched beyond recognition.