Help motivating a teenager!

Maybe try giving some goals to work towards and if you can hire a trainer, that would be a great motivator.

Does he want to be in better shape? When he pictures himself as an adult, is he fat or does he have 6-pack abs? Does he want to be good at sports? Play football in high school? Etc... Try to find goals for him to accomplish.

Then with a trainer, someone ELSE (not you!) will teach him how to get there! I think it'd mean more to him to hear it from a cool, young, athletic guy why you want to eat right and workout than from his mom (no offense! haha). Find someone who can help him accomplish his goals.

My boyfriend is a trainer and works with teens all the time. He's an ex-football player so he'll get skinny, out of shape 14 yr olds who want to look like him and want to be good enough to play sports in high school and college. It REALLY helps their confidence, having someone to look up to, and soon they want to go work out and eat healthy because they have goals.

I wouldn't pressure your son, though. Keep healthy foods in the house and offer the trainer thing. If he doesn't have any interest, nagging him won't help. Just keep the offer on the table and try to get him interested in something active.

You are on the right track by removing unhealthy snacks and starting a healthy lifestyle for yourself. Make sure you also watch the pop and Gatorade etc. Have him help you prepare healthy meals. 13 is a tough age. Does he have friends in the neighborhood? Bike riding, rollerblading, basketball? When my son was 13 he rarely wanted to be seen with mom. it was all about being with friends. And you are right to never nag him about his weight because it will cause more harm than good. If all you can accomplish now is improving his eating habits, you should see a change in his weight. And yes teenage boys eat a lot.

I was an overweight 12 year old. Frankly, it really didn't dawn on me that I was overweight until I started seeing pictures of myself with my friends. My parents tried to do what they could - I was very active, I just ate the wrong stuff and way too much of it. I think teens have to get there on their own.

Have you thought of asking him if maybe he'd want to try a more unconventional form of exercise, ie: martial arts, fencing, even cycling?

If it's not too much trouble you could see if he wants a small dog? You could tell him he can have it if he walks it once a day. I had the same problem when I was around his age. I ate so much but it was out of boredom and unhappiness. My mother got me a dog and I walked her daily. Unfortunately it didn't have an effect on my weight because my eating habits didn't change at all. Junk food was always accessible so I ate and ate and ate!

A total restriction on his diet isn't good, but from experience I think not buying junk food at all and not keeping in the house will help. If he is genuinely hungry then he'll eat fruit or veg or whatever healthy snack is in the home. You could arrange for 1 or 2 treats a week where you buy a single bar and bring it home for him instead of keeping a packet in the home.

I was very touchy about my weight, as I was about everything else at that age! I was aware I was overweight and I didn't like to be reminded of it. So instead of telling him he needs to lose weight, focus everything on both of your health. Both of you eat vegetables because they're good for you and will make you feel better. Snack on fruit because it will give more energy than sugar. See what I'm getting at? Make choices that will lead to weight loss but tell him about the other benefits of it.

If he doesn't like sport then I wouldn't try push him into it. If he likes gaming then maybe look into games that require you to be active to play. The WII has the wii fit and lots of other dance games and there are some adventure games for the xbox and playstation that require a camera. There is one that my friend loves, its Nike training club and she got it got her xbox. It was tough but she found it very motivating.

This is all just advice based on my experience at that age, but hopefully some of it helps

I didn't read all if the responses, but I have an 11year old son who would be overweight & sedentary if left on his own. . I limit his screen time but more importantly I insist he must have outsidetime first in order to play video games. He wants to play playstation? Fine, first he must spend an hour outside riding his bike, pushing his sister on the swing, walking the dog, etc. He has chores that require physical activity: cutting the lawn, taking out the garbage, cleaning out the flower beds, etc. He will do this willingly & without complaint because he knows in return I will let him stare on his screens uninterrupted for an hour or two. Lol. It works for us! In the winter he has to shovel & salt the sidewalk, etc. According to Dr standards he is probably still slightly overweight but he is active & eats mostly healthy so I think I am winning the battle as much as I can for now. Good luck!