I have been noticing with quarantine/lock-down situations that we have been seeing a higher number of teens (14-18) looking for weight loss help. As most of us are adults here, we know that teens require more calories as they're still growing than what an adult with similar stats would. I'd like to use this post as a starting point for us as a community to promote and encourage HEALTHY and SUSTAINABLE habits for these teens, without shutting them down, downvoting them or suggesting deficits that are only appropriate for adults.

I honestly have like 10 more of these posts, 16F, 15F, 17F, 17F, 18F, 14M, 15M, 16M, 14F, 14M, 17M. These posts are all from just the last few days. Whether we think these kids should be asking us for help or not, they are and for some of them, we're their only option. While medical advice should be discouraged, there is no reason we can't provide these teens with some info and some support as we do for each other.

Statistics on Teens and EDs

For many of us, our weight problems also started in our early years and as teens, we are the most vulnerable. According to these statistics (sources on the page) binge-eating disorder will occur in "0.2% and 3.5% of females and 0.9% and 2.0% of males" (Stice E & Bohon C. (2012)) in adolescence at a 40/60% split (Westerberg, D. P., & Waitz, M. (2013)). Furthermore, "Three out of ten individuals looking for weight loss treatments show signs of BED" (Westerberg, D. P., & Waitz, M. (2013). In a different study, it was found that "Males represent 25% of individuals with anorexia nervosa, and they are at a higher risk of dying, in part because they are often diagnosed later since many people assume males don’t have eating disorders" (Mond, J.M., Mitchison, D., & Hay, P. (2014)).

I am not saying all these posters have eating disorders. But in an additional study, it was found that "in a large study of 14– and 15-year-olds, dieting was the most important predictor of a developing eating disorder" (Golden, N. H., Schneider, M., & Wood, C. (2016)). There are some more horrible statistics there under the Dieting subheading, but what I am saying here is that these teens are coming to us for help and they are vulnerable, so our advice should be considerate of this.

Yes, They Should See A Doctor/GP

We are not medical professionals, and offering dietary advice to impressionable or at-risk teens is not what this sub is for, nor are almost any of us qualified to do. So yes, our first question or comment should ask "Do you have access to a doctor/GP, and will your parents take you?". Follow-up questions can include suggesting gym teachers, coaches, school counsellors or trusted teachers or other adults.

However, as an Australian I often need to remind myself that a majority of people on Reddit are American, and therefore the answer isn't always as simple as "go to the doctor". Many of these teens may be embarrassed and haven't spoken to their families about their concerns; many of them can't afford to go at all; many of them have parents who won't take them or will give them their own advice instead. Instead, they've reached out to us.

Meanwhile, a massive amount of the posts I've referenced often speak about other issues such as bullying at home or school and depression or other mental illnesses. In all cases where this is mentioned, seeing a doctor or trusted adult should be priority no. 1. In the meantime, there are other pieces of information we can provide to support these posters.

"We Need Your Stats" & Teen BMI Calculator

"Even among clearly non-overweight girls, over 1/3 report dieting." - Source - Wertheim, E., Paxton, S., &Blaney, S. (2009)

Even for adults, the advice we give each other here is heavily dependent on height and weight. We often direct each other to the TDEE calculator, and say "eat 500 calories less than your maintenance". What's important (for everyone, not just teens) is to actually check whether they are obese, overweight or a normal weight. I have absolutely run a teenager's stats through a calculator and found they were a healthy weight or even underweight before on their posts asking for weight loss help. For these teens, the below caloric minimums could be helpful as well, to make sure they are eating enough. Additionally, we can recommend any number of the wonderful fitness subs out there to encourage them to move more, but they need no further help from us if they are at a healthy weight.

The Baylor College of Medicine - Children's Nutrition Research Center provides this BMI calculator for children and teens. We should all have this link in our back pockets to provide to teens, as it is designed especially for them.

With this info, our next question can be "Can you put your info into this calculator and tell us whether it says you are obese, overweight or a healthy weight?".

Teens Need More Calories Than Adults With The Same Stats

"Because the teenage years are a time of rapid growth and development, teenagers require more calories to sustain and fuel this growth." - Motley Health

I know that CICO is king. It's basic science and it works. But for teens, a focus on calorie-counting and "dieting" is linked to dangerous eating habits and self-esteem issues. Instead, it is recommended that adults "promote a balanced diet and exercise for fitness (not weight loss)" when speaking to teens about healthy eating.

However, it would be impossible for a teenager to look at this sub and not see a lot of conversation about calorie-counting and deficits. Therefore, Motley Health recommend the following caloric guides for teens.

Caloric needs of Girls and Young Women

Age/years	Sedentary	Low activity	High activity
12-13	1700	2000	2250
14-16	1750	2100	2350
17-18	1750	2100	2400

Caloric needs of Boys and Young Men

Age/years	Sedentary	Low activity	High activity
12-13	1900	2250	2600
14-16	2300	2700	3100
17-18	2450	2900	3300

These caloric guides are further supported by similar numbers here at VeryWellFit, which cites Lifshitz F. 2008 and a health.gov Dietary Guidelines appendix.

Considering the above research and the calorie guides here, our next question should be "How active are you?". Motley Health suggests the following definitions to go along with the above charts.

Sedentary means that you do nothing, just sit on a sofa watching television, and often eating.
Low activity is for people that walk a little every day, such as to and from school, as well as some occasional sports, such as compulsory physical education lessons.
High activity is for anyone that does regular exercise, such as daily running, working out with a sports team or training in the gym 2-3 times a week.

With this information, we can combine our recommended 1lb/0.4kg a week loss with a deficit of 500 calories from these guides. Motley Health even states that a 1000 calorie deficit could be possible, but I am combining their recommendations with this sub's general philosophy.

The Baylor College of Medicine - Children's Nutrition Research Center also provides this Healthy Eating Calculator for teens and children, which instead of outputting raw numbers takes the user through a guide of what their diet should look like based on their activity level. We can redirect teens to this calculator as we would an adult poster to the TDEE Calculator.

Be Supportive

Ultimately, these teens are often posting here as a result of feeling low or helpless. We are so much more than a 500 calorie deficit. We can talk to them about their habits outside of their weight, what foods they like, commiserate with difficult home or school situations because we've all been there. We don't need to be afraid that we will accidentally encourage something harmful if we use the tools and information at our disposal as a result of our own research and hard work.

TL;DR

Questions to Ask Teen Posters

Do you have access to a doctor/GP, and will your parents take you? Follow-up questions can include suggesting gym teachers, coaches, school counsellors or trusted teachers or other adults.
Can you put your info into this calculator and tell us whether it says you are obese, overweight or a healthy weight?
How active are you? Examples of sedentary, low and high activity in the post under Teens Need More Calories subheading

Tools To Give Them

BMI Calculator
Healthy Eating Calculator
Motley Health Weight Loss Advice for Teenagers article (amazing, well-sourced article that really aligns with this sub's CICO-focused values)

Weight Loss Tips

Thursday, July 23, 2020

Recent influx of teens: How we as a community can promote SAFE weight loss (TEENS please read!)