Teenage obesity crisis

The facts

What causes obesity?

Basically? Eating too much and not doing enough physical activity. "A sedentary lifestyle — watching lots of TV and DVDs, spending time on the computer and lack of exercise which can happen when teenagers go to high school, combined with a high fat, high calorie diet including soft drinks, takeaway, lollies and snack foods makes weight gain likely," says DOLLY Dietician, Susie Burrell.

However, some teens are more at risk than others, "Individuals may be at a higher risk of becoming overweight if they are emotional eaters, or have a genetic predisposition to putting on weight; like living in a house with overweight parents, or a house conducive to eating a lot and doing little exercise. A small proportion of underlying hormonal issues such as Polycystic ovaries or insulin resistance will also increase the likelihood of weight gain and make fat loss difficult." Susie says.

Health risks

Obesity is a dangerous medical condition

According to Susie, medically, being overweight or obese as a teenager means there's an extremely high chance of the teen becoming an overweight adult (stats range from 50 to 80 percent). And the medical dangers facing overweight teens? "Health wise, high cholesterol, fatty liver, insulin resistance and risk of Type 2 Diabetes, orthopaedic problems including sore feet and joints, shortness of breath, heart disease, menstrual irregularities, risk of long term infertility and increased difficulty in losing weight." says Susie.

A physical condition, with crippling emotional side effects

Low self esteem associated with being overweight is one of the most significant and heartbreaking effects of teenage obesity. Imagine not being able to buy clothes that fit, feeling socially excluded from parties or sports teams in PE, not feeling comfortable eating in public or at school because you're scared of what someone might think or say. Then of course there’s the depression associated with teasing and bullying that overweight teens are often the victim of. "Low self esteem means a teenager can't function optimally in their school and social life and this is the most common reason people seek help." says Susie.

Obesity: The danger signs

• Rapid weight gain, eg 10 kilograms in 6 to 12 months
• Dark coloured, thickened skin on your neck, wrists or elbows
• Stretch marks
• Acne
• Irregular periods
• Fatigue
• Sugar cravings
• Hair loss
• Snoring

If you are suffering the above effects you can seek help. The first step is a trip to your GP for assessment. If necessary, your doctor will then be able to refer you to an appropriate local service, eg a dietician, exercise specialist or counsellor.

The biggest body problem facing teens

A growing concern

The rate of childhood and adolescent obesity is rising at one percent per year.

Living large

Being a teenager at high school is hard enough, but imagine if you were too nervous to raise your hand in class, or found it hard to make friends because of your weight. Two brave DOLLY readers speak out about their battle with adolescent obesity.

Shanese

Shanese, 13, is a size 18 and weighs 90 kilograms. She's working towards being a healthy size 12 and getting her high insulin levels down.

I started coming to the adolescent weight management clinic at Westmead Children’s Hospital in Sydney in January this year. I was referred by my GP after I decided I wanted to lose weight, and I needed help because I couldn’t do it on my own. I’ve always been big, I get it from my dad. I guess I just want to be smaller, because when I started high school things got really hard.

Most of my friends from primary school went to different schools and I found it hard to make new friends. I didn't really fit in, I feel like you have to be a certain size to fit in with some groups. I got teased too, people called me fat and really put me down. Since coming to the clinic I've learnt a lot about all the foods I'm supposed to eat. My mum and I both knew my biggest problem was portion size, I would get up in the morning and eat a massive bowl of cereal and then two minutes later I'd eat something else. Now I've cut down the size of the meals I've been eating and learnt about protein and the importance of eating it during the day to keep my energy up.

I'm really motivated now, I've started exercising, my mum and I go for walks and I jump on the trampoline. I actually like exercise now because it gives my mum and I a chance to hang out and talk.

My confidence is still low, and school is still difficult even though I've lost two kilos, but I think it will get better as time goes on. It's good because I have people supporting me. My friend, Jesse, she helps me out a lot. I'll be talking to her on the phone and if I'm about to eat something I shouldn't she'll say, "No, don't eat that!".

Mum also makes sure that if I go to the fridge to get a snack that I eat the right thing. I'm working towards being a size 12, that's my goal. Even though my mum always tells me to like myself the way I am, I think I'll be more confident when I reach that goal.

Keira-leigh

Keira-leigh, 15, doesn’t want to reveal her weight, but as a borderline diabetic she's changing her eating habits in hopes of leading a healthier life.

I'm tall and I've always been a bigger girl, but then when I started high school I noticed I was getting dark marks around my neck and under my arms. And my mum thought that I was just too lazy to wash, but being a girl I'm definitely not too lazy!

My doctor referred me to the adolescent weight management clinic at Westmead and they said that I had a problem with my glucose levels and am borderline diabetic. I've been told that will disappear though when I lose weight.

Being overweight is worst at school, I go to an all girls school and as a girl your image is very important. Some of the girls tease me, they'll call me Tubby or Fatty, but I don't need them to tell me what I should look like and how I should feel. I know inside that I'm beautiful and that means more than being a stick figure like them.

It's hard in class sometimes too, I get really nervous because when I speak to people I worry about what people think of me. If I have to get up and do a presentation I shake and sometimes I stutter, it's really embarrassing. Sometimes my social life is affected too because it's hard when your friends are embarrassed to be seen in public with a bigger girl. But, then you know they're not your true friends.

I think it will get better when I lose a bit more weight. But I don't want to go so far as being really skinny; I want to be a healthy weight. I don't want to be a certain dress size, or aim to be a certain weight in a certain time frame, I just want to be comfortable with who I am, when I get there. I've started keeping a journal of what I eat and how much exercise I do, it’s helping me realise the bad choices I used to make. I used to pig-out and junk-out on weekends eating a lot of chips, lollies and biscuits and I always felt guilty eating those things and sometimes I was just overeating, eating good stuff, but too much.

Since I found out I'm borderline diabetic I've stopped eating a lot of sugar, and I've started exercising. Now I walk the dog and play sport with my brother, doing exercise with him helps him lose weight too and makes it less boring for me. I just want other girls out there to know they're not alone. There's a lot of people in this situation and they should talk to someone about their weight and not bottle their feelings up. At my high school, there are a few other bigger girls. I don't talk to them really, but we just say "hello" and smile at each other, and sometimes just a smile makes me feel better.

The biggest inspiration

The Biggest Loser's, Fiona Falkiner, is living proof if you take control of your health, and believe in yourself you can achieve anything. I've always wanted to lose weight, I've always been a big girl. Looking back, I used to eat way too much because I was a bit of an emotional eater. Basically, when I was stressed, nervous, upset or bored I would suddenly find myself in the kitchen. I'd watched and loved the American version of The Biggest Loser, so when I saw the ads for the Australian version I thought what an amazing opportunity to get taken out of your every day life and learn about nutrition and exercise.

I had no idea before I went on the show about calories. I used to buy things that were "low fat" and think it was healthy, when in actual fact low fat often means high in calories, sugar or salt. But the hardest part about losing weight is definitely starting to be active. Before I went on the show, I was too lazy and too scared to exercise because I thought I'd embarrass myself or I'd sweat and people would see it. You've just got to overcome that and learn to value yourself enough to put in the effort, that’s the first step.

Now I've learnt to deal with my emotional eating. I still get the urge to overeat, but I’m aware of it and whenever I go to the kitchen I question myself and say "Are you actually hungry?". If I'm not, instead of eating something I'll paint my toenails or go shopping or do something fun. Apparently, my body will eventually get into the routine and when I am stressed or bored my instinctive reaction won’t be to eat, but go have a bath or do something girly, I'm working towards that.

It's pretty exciting for me now because I can shop anywhere and clothes fit me. Still, now that I can wear whatever I want and with all the choice, I've lost confidence in my judgement! I have to ask the shop assistants what they think and if something suits me! It feels really good, I'm still working on getting down to my goal weight — well it's not really a weight, it's just when I feel comfortable. I've got a lot of toning up I want to do.

A lot of teenage girls say I'm an inspiration to them. My advice to anyone in this situation is go to the local gym and get active. Once you're active, you start feeling a lot better within yourself. I seriously think before the show I may have been one of the laziest girls in Australia — so if I can do it, anyone can!