teenagers and atkins good idea?

[Momto6ix]

hi all, I've a question for ya'll. my niece, aged 14, would like to try this diet. what do you think? there is nothing in the book about kids going on this type of diet. should she do it? ofcourse my brother would get her the proper vitamins and such, but i'm still a little unsure.........does anyone know?
thanx, theresa

[sunflowergrl]

I think there is a Teens Forum here, and they should have the answers. I think it would be safe, and good for her self esteem and its better to learn good eating habits when you are young. I wish my Mom had put me on this when I was a chubby teen. Good Luck!

[Isabeau]

Hi and welcome. Teenagers can be successful on this way of eating. Just remember that you're still growing and your body is going through lots of changes. You might want to check in with your doctor.

[Perry]

My daughter did Atkins (at 16), lost 15 lbs. Teens really need a support system to make this work.

[Pineapple]

If she came up with the idea totally on her own, then she'll definatly need some support. Since she is under 16 I'd have her check in with her doctor first. Otherwise yes, the diet has been shown to work for children even.

[slimndown]

Since there is nothing unhealthy about this WOE there really should be no problem. If she has a weight issue, this is a good way for her to learn how to eat healthy for life. If she really isn't too chunky then following later phases of Atkins may be best as young adolescents tend to chunk up around 14 or 15 only to go through a growth spurt during the next couple of years and become slim - that happened to me. Had I learned to eat healthfully during that time, my weight wouldn't have been an issue when I got married and started taking oral contraceptives, etc.

Currently, I am in the OWL phase and have been raising my 2 year old daughter on this WOE for the past 5 months. Granted, I haven't put her on induction but there are many days where she pretty much just eats what I eat. Despite the lower levels of carbs, she's growing fine and remains at a healthy weight for her height. She still even has some baby fat but she isn't a butterball. Additionally, if I serve her Mac & cheese along with chicken and green beans - guess what she'll eat??? She eats her green beans first then her chicken and works on her mac & cheese. Outside of having fries every once in a while, she doesn't even like potatoes. Yes, I do let her have juice and fruits and she loves those but prefers berries over all other fruits.

Really, I cannot see a downside to having any child try this WOE.

[sombersusie]

i think in an ideal situation the whole family would be on the 'diet' with her so she doesn't feel excluded. But once again i'd say this only if she really wants to try this and that she isn't being pressured into doing so. Because my dh and i are on atkins our four kids often end up eating what we do at meal times. But yet i still buy bread and cereals for them too. I guess its a sensitive topic for me, to this day i feel uncomfortable talking to my mom about dieting, she was disappointed in me growing up fat and always said i should lose weight.

[Labarum]

Look at what Stuart acheived when he was 19.

Second in this gallery

http://www.low-carbdiet.co.uk/Pictures.asp

[ttdriver]

Nobody needs refined carbohydrates .. adults or teens. Everyone can benefit by incorporating lean meats, non-starchy veggies and low-glycemic fruits into their diet.

Betty

[Labarum]

Those shorts look a bit big to me, Betty!