Browse: Home / childhoodobesity / Nagging about how fat your teen is may make the things worse

Menu

Skip to content
  • About
  • Better Body Chemistry School
  • Book a health conversation
  • Speaking query
  • The “Big” Spoons
Header image

BBC

Small things can make a big difference to your health

advertisement

Menu

Skip to content
  • Home
  • Free Resources
    • 31 days to Better Body Chemistry
    • Willpower Report
    • Weight loss e-course
    • Better Body Chemistry for Expecting Moms
    • The ups and downs of insulin resistance
    • Candy Floss Boards
    • Weight tracker
    • Sound bites
  • Library
  • Shop
  • Lucky dip
  • Buy me a coffee
  • Video gallery
  • Contact

Nagging about how fat your teen is may make the things worse

Posted by Dr Sandy on in childhoodobesity | 150 Views | 2 Responses
Share
Pin
Reddit
Tweet
WhatsApp
Share
More

going to die young going to die happyYour teenager is overweight, you know those extra pounds are costing a lot more than just a bad self-image. 

You’re worried about a diagnosis of diabetes or a heart attack at the ripe old age of forty two, so you nag and cajole, hoping that the “DO SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR WEIGHT” message, before it’s too late, finally gets through.

But that “YOU’RE GOING TO DIE YOUNG” message, might be backfiring on you…..

Who wants to liver forever ?

Researchers from Northeastern University, in Boston checked in with the longevity aspirations of 19 000 adolescents.

The study kicked off in 1994-1995, at the time, the team interviewed the high school kids, grades 7 to 12, to ascertain how many of them expected to live beyond the age of 35.

Awash with positivity, as only teens can be, 1 in 7 of the them did not expect to a make it to 35. Yes, they were giving themselves short odds on making 35, not 85.

And let’s be honest, relatively speaking the world in early 90s was a whole lot happier and nmore hopeful than the post-millenium world, which is plagued by AIDS and obesity.

Live fast, die young

The team hunted down the same participants, a decade or so later, to see if life had turned out as well (or badly) as had been predicted.

The doomed to die young, were still around (for the most part), but their lives were a lot more VOLATILE, than their more hopeful peers.

Many of them had adopted a live fast, die young approachto their existence, so they were significantly more likely to have dabbled with drugs and to have attempted suicide.

The chicken or the egg ?

The study really doesn’t provide enough insight into these thought patterns.

  • Were those who expected to check out early, already in trouble ?
  • Or did the low expectation, lead to the trouble ?

I suspect it probably is a little bit of both.

Resolving which comes first, won’t eliminate the underlying mindset which boils down to..

If I am going to go out early, I am going to go out with a bang !

NOTE : The bang may be a nightly booze up, chain smoking, snorting cocaine or a diet of chocolate and ice cream perched on the couch.

Sow seeds of hope

As a Mom of a heffa-lump this leaves you stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Ignoring the obesity issue, puts your loved one on a path to a host of health troubles and an early demise.

Highlighting the PROBLEM, could be creating a feeling of hopelessness, which opens the door to new problems.

So what should you do ?

Aim for the middle ground…….. encourage your teen, to adopt habits that lead to better body chemistry and create an enabling environment.    Remember, little things can often make a big difference to overall body chemistry.

Adolescent Expectations of Early Death Predict Adult Risk Behaviors. PLoS ONE, 2012; 7 (8): e41905 Quynh C. Nguyen, Andres Villaveces, Stephen W. Marshall, Jon M. Hussey, Carolyn T. Halpern, Charles Poole.
 

Interested in learning more about the chemistry behind those extra fat layers ?

Subcribe to E-spoons, to get e-mail updates once a month to learn how to keep your family’s body chemistry balanced so you keep those extra pounds off.  

View previous E-spoons.

Close

NOTE : Privacy & spam policy. Spoonful of Science will not rent, trade or sell the e-mail list to anyone. You can unsubscribe at any time by following the unsubscribe link.

Know someone who will find this post useful ? Share it on facebook, linkedin, twitter

Further reading

neuronal stem cell succumbing to alcohol 100 birthday party bash sending your kid to bootcamp won't stop childhood obesity
Drinking till you’re “motherless” leaves you stem cell less You don’t need to be a goody-2-shoes to join the 100 club Moving more won’t stop your kid from getting fat

The 7 Big Spoons™…. are master switches that turn health on.

balance eicosanoids rein in insulin dial down stress sleep vitamin D microflora think
Balance Eicosanoids Rein in insulin Dial down stress Sleep ! Increase Vit D Culivate microflora Think champion

Hire Dr Sandy from a Spoonful of Science to be the keynote speaker at your next event.

Did you learn something new or do you have a different perspective ? I’d love to hear from you so post me a comment below

Share Button
Share
Pin
Reddit
Tweet
WhatsApp
Share
More
Posted in childhoodobesity | Tagged alcohol, calorie management, chocolate, cocaine, diabetes, drugs, heart attack, Longevity, obesity, overweight, teenager

Sugar gremlins are REAL

Connect with us

facebook you tube pinterest 40 google plus 40 Linkedin
willpower report
  • Popular
  • Featured
  • Recent
  • asprosin the sugar plum fairy

    Why sugar levels are high despite NOT eating

    20746 views / Posted
  • poop getting stuck

    The fix for constipation is to go on a low fibre diet

    19893 views / Posted
  • oatmeal breakfast being beaten by egg

    Which is a better breakfast, egg or oatmeal ?

    19178 views / Posted
  • chewing gum relieving postoperative ileus

    A stick of chewing gum gets the gut going after surgery

    16755 views / Posted
  • carbonated water bubbles fill you up

    Fizzing up the water flattens your appetite

    15593 views / Posted
  • sun extracting cholesterol

    Make sure you have your “annual” check-up in the summer time

    / Dr Sandy
  • sending your kid to bootcamp won't stop childhood obesity

    Moving more won’t stop your kid from getting fat

    / Dr Sandy
  • cholesterol at the scene of the accident

    Bone cells are stiffening up your arteries not cholesterol

    / Dr Sandy
  • brain size the problem in ADHD

    Are kids with ADHD just acting according to their brain age

    / Dr Sandy
  • plastering the blood vessel with calcium

    Calcium supplements are building bones and breaking hearts

    / Dr Sandy
  • nose feeling blocked

    A simple “cure” for chronic sinusitis

    / Dr Sandy
  • triglyceride sweeping up sugar

    Dietary fat and carbs DO MIX in a “good” way

    / Dr Sandy
  • what would batman eat

    Batman can rescue your child from poor food choices

    / Dr Sandy
  • grape shooting fat at a man eating grapes on the couch

    The inconvenient truth about eating more fruit to be healthy

    / Dr Sandy
  • beta cell asking for a dopamine hit

    The dopamine hit your beta cells need to function at their best

    / Dr Sandy

RSS Recent posts

Dr Sandy Dr Sandy Evans, PhD

Located in Johannesburg, South Africa

Disclaimer : The stories and articles are provided as a service. Dr Sandy's opinions are for information only, and are not intended to diagnose or prescribe. For your specific diagnosis and treatment, consult your doctor or health care provider.
 

Book an appointment

Calendar icon
 

Connect with Dr Sandy

facebook 40
you tube 40
pinterest 40
linkedin 40
 

Categories

Featured posts

  • asprosin the sugar plum fairy

    Why sugar levels are high despite NOT eating

    20746 views / Posted
  • poop getting stuck

    The fix for constipation is to go on a low fibre diet

    19893 views / Posted
  • oatmeal breakfast being beaten by egg

    Which is a better breakfast, egg or oatmeal ?

    19178 views / Posted
 

©2011-2022 Spoonful of Science

Menu

  • Meet Dr Sandy
  • Disclosure/disclaimer
  • Privacy policy
  • Comment policy
  • Contact
Share
Pin
Reddit
Tweet
WhatsApp