Teenagers and Diets

[NorthernMommy]

My 16 year old daughter wants to go on a diet.

Here is some background information:

She usually eats very healthily and maintains a steady weight which is around the slimmer end of healthy. She is a vegetarian and easily gets her 5 fruit and veg a day. She usually tries to avoid all junk food and fizzy drinks. She isn?t very sporty but she tries to get to the gym once a week.

She is currently taking her GCSEs and decided to give up her usual no junk food rules for a couple of weeks so that she could consume chocolate and energy drinks to help her maintain high energy levels through revision. I very much supported this idea. So for the past few weeks she has stopped going to the gym and has added to her diet 3 biscuits a day plus about two mugs of sugary tea and two glasses of diet coke. She has recently put on about 4 pounds and her usually clear skin has become quite spotty. She is quite small so for her 4 pounds is more than it is for most people. I don?t want her to go on a diet but she says she wants to stop eating junk food now if she isn?t allowed to go on diet when her exams finish. I am worried if she stops eating junk food she won?t have enough energy to revise properly and I don?t want her getting preoccupied about her appearance when she should have revision on her mind. I feel I should add that although she does sometimes get concerned about her weight she genuinely loves food and has never tried to seriously limit her diet before so I am not worried about an eating disorder.

She is still by no means anywhere near over weight but I think she wants her bikini belly back as quickly as possible with summer fast approaching.

Here are the two quick fix diets she is considering:

1. A self-made crash diet where she only eats 3 apples a day for 5 days
2. The vegetarian version of the Dukan diet for two weeks

I have heard that crash diets can wreck your metabolism so that you put on weight really quickly once come off them and that it creates a vicious cycle. Is this true?

Yet to my inexperienced mind her eating 3 apples a day for 5 days sounds much more healthy than her living off veggie sausages and egg white for two weeks with very limited fruit or vegetables. Are all these quick fix diets dangerous?

WHAT SHOULD I ADVISE HER?

P.S. sorry this is so long.

No to Dukan ( and that applies to everyone!) and certainly no to crash diets. You're right all that ends up happening is that she could end up lurching from one extreme to another. It sounds that the small weight gain is panicking her a bit, especially as she is probably wound up by exams. She doesn't need the sugar for energy, in fact a lot of sugar can make things worse as her blood sugars will swing in response to overproduction of insulin. I always encourage the 90% rule, it's what you eat 90% of the time that matters. Just encourage her to keep her exercise up for the time being, even if it's just walking.

"has added to her diet 3 biscuits a day plus about two mugs of sugary tea and two glasses of diet coke"
These are certainly very sugary but hardly enough to cause a weight problem after two weeks?
All this sounds a bit food obsessed. The teenage vegetarians (all girls) I know are all the wrong side of thin and very picky eaters. I would say she would be better of from an energy point of view increasing carbs and proteins.
I have a DS in mid GCSE and I think it's important that he keeps up with his normal sport activities, it gives them a break from working and helps them to sleep. Plus I'm making sure he has a big breakfast and lunch and plenty of snacks in his bag for in between exams.