Our older son is quite handsome. He has also enjoyed a lifestyle full of friends and activity. However, over the last year with his job and schooling, he became a bit more sedentary, and it had an effect on his weight. He still looked good, but as he watched us lose weight and enjoy the outcomes, he became intrigued enough to try some of the meal replacements. While they are not gourmet, they are still pretty good, and he found it desirable enough to try it.
Unlike us, he told several friends, who have done a great job of holding him accountable and noticing the changes. I like that he was not embarrassed by the lifestyle change. I think we modeled that for him and that is an important part of this for teens. I do not think this lifestyle change to smaller better meals more often would have happened if we were not doing it ourselves. It is too significant a change for them to be on their own. Other teens we have talked to just did not like the food, or are still concerned about the perceptions of being on a diet.
He is seeing the results and has been committed to eating the meal replacements. I looked at what we were spending on drinks and snacks, and we may actually be saving some money. He is close to his goal and is looking great. Not looking forward to replacing his clothes, but it is worth it to see him enjoying his health!
I am not willing to go out on a limb and say this would be a solution to some of the unhealthy eating behaviors of our teens, but learning to trust your food to support healthy living is a great sign of maturity that we as parents need to pass along and model.
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