Puberty and Growth:
One of the problems of growing up in a modern society is that of weight. Most teenagers (boys and girls) would want to get it right but cannot stay off the junk foods and sugary beverages being offered all around them with all kinds of sophisticated advertising.
“What is the right weight for my height?” is a common question both boys and girls often ask. This question is easy to answer in the case of adults who have stopped “growing” in the sense that their bony epiphyses (the growing end of long bones of the body) has fused and can no longer enable elongation (growth).
With teenagers, this question is more difficult and complex to answer. Why? This is because not all teens have the same body type or develop at the same time or rate. People have different body types and even among people with the same height and age, some are more muscular or more developed than others; so there’s no single number that is the right weight for everyone. However, it is possible to find out if you are in a healthy weight range for your height.
Teens normally go through a period of faster growth and the rate of growth varies in various individuals even though they may be of same height and age. At attainment of Puberty, the body begins making hormones that bring about physical changes like faster muscle growth (especially in boys) and spurts in height and weight gain in both sexes. Once these changes begin, they continue for several years. The average person can grow as much as 10 to 12 inches (25cm to 30cm) during puberty before he or she reaches full adult height.
Most boys and girls gain weight more rapidly during these pubertal years, as the amount of fat, muscle and bone in their body’s changes. All these new weight gain can be perfectly o.k. – as long as body fat, muscle and bone are in the right proportion. Some kids attain puberty early (some by age 8) while some are late starters (as late as 14years); because of this, two teens of the same height and age can have different weights and it is perfectly normal to feel self conscious about weight during adolescence.
Your BMI (Body Mass Index):
Doctors have developed a way to help figure out if a person is in the healthy weight range for his or her weight. It is called Body Mass Index (BMI) and is a measure of body weight based on a person’s weight and height. It is calculated as a person’s weight in Kilograms (Kg) or pounds (lbs) divided by the square of his or her height in meters (m) or feet (ft). (Kg/m2 or lb/ft2). For example, an adult weighing 70kg with a height of 1.75m has a BMI of 70/1.75(2) = 22.9. This adjusts crudely for differences in body habitus, and provides the usual definition of obesity (See Fig.1).
Fig.1 BMI Categories
Severely Underweight BMI <16.5
Underweight 16.5< BMI <18.5
Normal 18.5< BMI <25.0
Overweight 25.0< BMI <30.0
Obese Class I 30.0< BMI <35.0
Obese Class II 35.0< BMI <40.0
Obese Class III 40.0< BMI
* Classification of the World Health Organization (WHO) and International Obesity Task Force.
Figuring out the BMI is a little more complicated for teens than it is for adults (because of the puberty phase). BMI charts for teens use percentile lines to help individuals compare their BMIs’ with those of a very large group of people of same age and gender. Different BMI charts exist for boys and girls under the age of 20.
A teen’s BMI number is plotted on the chart for their age and gender. Some teens’ especially those who go through puberty on a later time schedule, may feel too skinny. The good news is that their growth, development, and weight gain almost always catch up to other teens their age later on.
A teen whose BMI is at the 50th percentile is close to the average of the age group. A teen whose weight falls between the 85th and 95th percentile is considered overweight because 85% to 95% of the age group has a lower BMI, while a teen above the 95th percentile is considered obese. A teen below the 5th percentile is considered underweight because 95% of the age group has a higher BMI.
What is my BMI saying?
Although BMI can be a good indicator of a person’s body fat, it does not always tell the full story of a person’s weight situation. A person can have a high BMI because he or she has a large frame or a lot of muscle (like a bodybuilder or an athlete) instead of excess fat. Similarly, a small person with a small frame may have a normal BMI but still have too much body fat. It is always advisable to allow your BMI to be calculated for you by your health-care provider (your family doctor or school nurse) to help you analyze its meaning and detect whether you are predisposed to becoming overweight in future from your health history.
Some people think of weight as a looks issue, but it is far more serious than just your appearance. Teens who are overweight run the risk of developing health problems such as sugar diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease later on in life as an adult.
If you think you are gaining too much weight or are too skinny, your family doctor should be able to help you decide, whether this is normal for you or whether you really have a weight problem, since he has a record of your medical history and has measured your height and weight over time.
List of possible things that can affect your weight:
(A)Heredity
(B)Increasing Energy Intake from:-
(i)Increase portion sizes
(ii)Increase snacking and loss of regular meals
(iii)Increase intake of energy dense foods (mainly fat)
(iv)Increase Affluence
(C)Decreasing Energy expenditure from:-
(i)Increase car ownership
(ii)Decrease walking to school/Work
(iii)Increase Automation; decrease manual labor
(iv)Decrease sporting activities in schools
(v)Increase in time spent on video games and watching T.V.
(vi)Increase in Central Heating
What to do to reach and maintain a Healthy Weight:
Dieting is not the ideal way to go when you want to lose weight. This is because dieting creates a temporary eating pattern, hence you get temporary results, which leads to the fact that you gain back any lost weight when you return to your old habits.
The best way therefore, is for you to create a new normal for yourself. Weight loss is likely to be successfully maintained when you change your old habits, replacing old unhealthy ones with new, healthy habits or behaviors, such as:-
(a)Regular Exercise
This helps burn calories and builds muscle which makes you look fit and keeps your weight down. You can be easily motivated to exercise when you schedule it and always have fun doing it. Things like walking, jogging, cycling to school and other activities that increase your daily level of activity; to which you can add some strength exercise (like weight lifting) to help build your muscles. The more muscles you have, the more calories you burn even when not exercising.
(b)Reduce Screen Time:
The amount of time spent watching T.V., looking at the computer and playing video games is one major reason a lot of teens get less exercise in today’s modern world. Reduce recreational screen time to between 11/2 to 3hours per day.
(c)Portion Distortions:
Resist taking bigger portion sizes of your favorite foods for any reason. Choose smaller portions (or share restaurant portions) and go for water or low fat milk instead of sugary beverages like sodas, juices and sport drinks.
(d)Eat plenty of Fruits and Vegetables:
These give you (apart from vitamins and minerals) fiber necessary for good bowel motion.
(e)Don’t Skip Breakfast:
Your breakfast is what kick starts your metabolism for the day and gives you energy to do more during the course of the day. People who skip breakfast get very hungry during the day that they eat more later on and get more calories than needed, leading to weight gain eventually. It has been shown that people who skip breakfast end up having a higher BMI than people who eat breakfast.
To summarize it all, the keys to reaching and staying at a healthy weight, are regular exercise and good eating habits.
Author: Ola Suyee
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