Parents may wrestle with finding a balance between encouraging healthy eating habits and weight loss and becoming too involved in their teen’s lifestyle choices. The parents of both Jon and Michelle had struggled with their own weight for years. However, their approaches to their adolescents’ weight issues varied and were based upon the teens’ wishes. Michelle insisted that her parents not be involved in her weight loss efforts at all.

She viewed any weight-related comments as nagging and annoying, often leading to poor adherence to her diet and exercise goals. Jon, on the other hand, while also seeing his mother’s comments as nagging, generally thought these to be helpful ways of pushing him to work toward his lifestyle goals.

Parents are, by definition, involved in the lives of their teenagers. The challenge is in channeling the parental involvement in a direction that supports the adolescent in making appropriate lifestyle changes. The treatment literature is mixed with regard to what type of parental involvement best facilitates weight loss.

In one study conducted with Caucasian families, adolescents and parents seen in separate groups did better than adolescents seen alone or together with their parents in the group. Another study did not support this same finding in a sample of African-American teenagers. Our experience has shown that communication between the adolescent and parents is essential regarding how the parent is involved in daily decisions about eating and activity.

By Wednesday I finally felt human again, so I did 30 minutes of walking, then went on with my weight training. Armand, I probably overdid it, because I was totally wiped-out afterward. As you have probably guessed from my activity logs, we are preparing for a move, so I felt I needed to save my strength for what I had to accomplish this week.

I’m starting to feel better, so I think the walking and weight-training schedule should work great. I feel a little sore, particularly in my biceps, but it feels good. I really notice it when I lift boxes. My program is 50 percent to 60 percent of my maximum — three sets of 15. Some were super tough and I only did sets of 12. They may have been tough because I was sick. I’ll try it out again Monday. I’ll get in three full cardio sessions this week.

You managed to lose another 1.5 pounds this week, even though you ate about 200 more calories a day and had 44.5 grams of fat per day. You even did less exercise because you were sick. Fevers do increase your metabolism, burning off calories while you rest. As you recovered, you were careful to keep your appetite in control and slowly get back to exercise. Good job!

You did increase your veggies. You even had carrots for breakfast! Maybe you’ll start a new health fad. The Lean Pockets are convenient and save you calories. The salad with crabmeat was a great choice. A salad or raw veggies with pizza can fend off the temptation for that extra piece of pizza.

I noticed the two candy bars. Can you tell me more about the situation in which you ate them? Was it at home? What time of day? Who bought them? Were you feeling a strong emotion, or trying to avoid one? Or, were you just hungry? It is helpful to look more closely at this kind of eating so we can change the behavior, or find a healthier substitute.

Have a good week!

I am sorry to hear you were sick for so long. You’re right in saying that you probably overdid it, working out too hard after a sickness. Typically, I recommend that people do less than they think they should or could do after being sick.

The first thing that goes when you’re sick is stamina. By working out after a sickness, you’re “zapped” and it takes awhile to recover. I’m glad you were able to fit the treadmill in before the weight-training class. If you can do that three days a week, it would be great.

As far as your weight-training class, I would like to know the exercises that you are doing along with the amount of weight that you’re using for each exercise.

Regarding your soreness after the class, it probably came from overdoing it. You’re probably doing too much on the biceps exercise. Back down on your weights, and continue to stretch.

Good luck with your move!

Tip of the Week: Add a glass of 100% juice daily to increase your intake of fruits and vegetables*. While most juices don’t contain the fiber of whole fruits and vegetables, 100% juice is packed with beneficial phytonutrients, as well as vitamins and minerals. Adding a glass of juice is an easy way to get started on the road to healthier eating.

Suggestions for incorporating this tip into your lifestyle: Instead of 2 cups of coffee in the morning, how about 1 cup paired with a glass of juice? You might want to try subbing a grape juice for that soft drink at afternoon break. Love tea? It is terrific when combined with a variety of juices. (I prefer to mix the tea with equal parts of sweeter juices—such as apple, grape, peach, and cranberry—but pick whatever juice you like. These combinations are great either hot or cold!)

. . . . . . . .

And now, this week’s discussion–

Let’s face it–most of us don’t eat the way we know we should. The excuses for this are almost endless: too little time. . .too much work. . .didn’t have it in the house. . . it costs too much. . . it wasn’t available. . . the package is too big. . . I don’t like the taste!

Unfortunately, this laundry list of excuses is not rivaled by a lengthy array of solutions. In fact, there is only one—that solution is known as commitment. If you’re serious about extending the quantity and quality of your life, commit to a healthier way of eating.

But what about supplements? you ask. Why can’t they provide the nutrition that’s lacking in a poor diet? Once again, the answer is simple—food is superior to supplements! Yes, supplements serve a purpose, but their role is that of the supporting cast—not the lead! By definition, supplements are an addition, an accompaniment—not the main course.

Food has it all. It can provide protein, carbohydrates, fat, fiber, water, vitamins, minerals, trace elements, and phytonutrients–all delivered in a complex environment that is not duplicated in a pill. Furthermore, at present all of the components found in food have not yet been identified.

These unidentified elements, as well as those more familiar to us (such as fiber, trace elements, etc.) can make significant contributions to the outcomes of research studies (as well as to our health!) They present yet another reason to favor food over supplements as the body’s major nutrition provider. Supplements simply cannot duplicate the “total food package”.

In summary, a multivitamin—even a high quality one—isn’t going to make up for eating a poor diet. Commit to improving your intake by eating nutritious food—TODAY! Take a multivitamin/mineral supplement in addition to—not in place of—a healthy diet. The tip of the week (located at the top of this article) can get you started in the right direction.

*The eventual goal is a minimum of 5 servings/day.