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14 Year Old Trying To Lose Weight. Going For Swimming, Feeling Tired And Headache. What's Wrong?

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Posted on Tue, 5 Feb 2013
Question: my niece is 14 years old.she is 240 pounds and 5'2. She struggles to lose weight, and can not .While on the swim team she lost little weight and was dedicated to it. She is tired often,gets headaches. She rarely eats 2000 calories day. Her blood sugars range from 89-103. Normal blood pressures but of course gets out of breath. She has never weighed this much and we eat sensible, Please help.
What could be wrong...
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Answered by Dr. Divya Kuttikrishnan (1 hour later)
Hello there,

Your niece is obese and she definitely needs to lose weight .As you might be aware, there are many health related complications of obesity.

Sudden weight loss over a short period is as bad as obesity. She must realise that she can't achieve results overnight. Weight loss has to be a gradual process.

On waking up in the morning,everyday, I would suggest that she has 2 glasses of warm water.Water is a must for good metabolism. Also let her have 8-10 glasses of water in a day.

AVOID fatty XXXXXXX fried foods, cream, cheese, carbonated beverages,fast food etc.No to KFC,Burger king etc.

Have plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Include salads as a part of the diet. Whenever hungry, I would suggest having a fruit snack either an XXXXXXX or banana etc.

Have whole grain foods like brown rice,whole wheat bread etc. Avoid white rice, maida, white bread etc.

Rather than having 3 large meals a day, have smaller quantity,but frequent meals ,say every 3-4 hours a day.

Regular exercise of about 45 minutes 5 days a week is a must. Join a gym or aerobics class ,or along with the help of a personal trainer, keep the exercise regimen in order.

In some cases, there might be an underlying medical disorder like thyroid abnormalities ,hypothyroidism etc which might be the cause of obesity. In these cases, unless the cause is treated, there is no point trying for weight loss.

What I would suggest, is you first take your niece to the doctor, rule out any associated medical conditions and if everything is normal, just follow the above diet and exercise measures I have suggested.

I hope I have answered your queries .I will be happy to answer any further queries you might have.

In case you don't have any further queries, please accept my answer. Any reviews are welcome.

Have a great day.

Regards,
Dr.Divya Kuttikrishnan

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Divya Kuttikrishnan

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :2000

Answered : 969 Questions

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14 Year Old Trying To Lose Weight. Going For Swimming, Feeling Tired And Headache. What's Wrong?

Hello there,

Your niece is obese and she definitely needs to lose weight .As you might be aware, there are many health related complications of obesity.

Sudden weight loss over a short period is as bad as obesity. She must realise that she can't achieve results overnight. Weight loss has to be a gradual process.

On waking up in the morning,everyday, I would suggest that she has 2 glasses of warm water.Water is a must for good metabolism. Also let her have 8-10 glasses of water in a day.

AVOID fatty XXXXXXX fried foods, cream, cheese, carbonated beverages,fast food etc.No to KFC,Burger king etc.

Have plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Include salads as a part of the diet. Whenever hungry, I would suggest having a fruit snack either an XXXXXXX or banana etc.

Have whole grain foods like brown rice,whole wheat bread etc. Avoid white rice, maida, white bread etc.

Rather than having 3 large meals a day, have smaller quantity,but frequent meals ,say every 3-4 hours a day.

Regular exercise of about 45 minutes 5 days a week is a must. Join a gym or aerobics class ,or along with the help of a personal trainer, keep the exercise regimen in order.

In some cases, there might be an underlying medical disorder like thyroid abnormalities ,hypothyroidism etc which might be the cause of obesity. In these cases, unless the cause is treated, there is no point trying for weight loss.

What I would suggest, is you first take your niece to the doctor, rule out any associated medical conditions and if everything is normal, just follow the above diet and exercise measures I have suggested.

I hope I have answered your queries .I will be happy to answer any further queries you might have.

In case you don't have any further queries, please accept my answer. Any reviews are welcome.

Have a great day.

Regards,
Dr.Divya Kuttikrishnan