TeenHealthFX - Answers - Do I Need To Stop This Diet?

What You Should Know About Diet Aides And Certain Diet Tactics / Question
Published: January 19, 2009

Dear TeenHealthFX,

Im a 12yo female who is about 1.5m and weights 7stone. Well I started this diet about 2months ago because I thought I needed to lose weight. In this diet Monday-Friday I would eat no breakfast of lunch and the have a normal meal. Weekend I would just snack all day. Since starting this diet I have begun to feel quite dizzy and faint. Also my breathing has become bad and ive started to feel really depressed when im by myself. Also im getting weird attractions to different people. I have hardly lost any weight but can you please tell me whether I need to stop this diet or not as its taking over my life.

Signed: Do I Need To Stop This Diet?

Dear Do I Need To Stop This Diet?,

TeenHealthFX is very concerned about this diet you are following. Food is fuel that allows our bodies to function, and this diet has been severely depriving your body of the vitamins and nutrients it needs (hence the dizziness, fainting, mood changes, etc.). Getting the proper nutrients is important for any person, but particularly for children and adolescents who are still developing in terms of things like body growth and brain development.

That said FX thinks you need to stop this diet immediately. It is important that you eat three meals a day and have some snacks in between. The key to healthy eating is not taking away meals and snacks, but ensuring that those meals and snacks include healthy food choices and do not include gigantic proportions of food. FX thinks that it is very important for you to speak with your primary care physician, school nurse, health teacher, or nutritionist about how to eat in a healthy way, as well as how to incorporate moderate exercise at least three times a week into your routine (as exercise is extremely important in a healthy lifestyle).

FX would also like to point out that studies have been done on eating breakfast and weight loss, and women who skip breakfast are actually less likely to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight than women who eat a healthy breakfast every morning. So keep that in mind if you get the urge to skip a meal.

Your depression and strange attraction to others may be a result of how you have been feeling physically. But if you continue to feel depressed, or have other concerns about your emotional state, consider speaking with a counselor at school or a private therapist. A mental health professional can help to determine if you have a depressive disorder, and can help you if your difficulties maintaining your weight in a healthy way are connected to underlying emotional issues.

If you don't have a doctor and live in northern New Jersey, you can call the Adolescent/Young Adult Center for Health at 973-971-6475 for an appointment or contact your local teen health center. You can also contact your insurance company for a list of in-network providers.

If you live in northern New Jersey and need help finding a therapist you can call the Access Center from Atlantic Behavioral Health at 973-247-1400. Outside of this area you can log onto the US Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website for referrals in your area. You can also contact your insurance company to get a list of in-network mental health providers or check with your school social worker or psychologist to get a list of referrals in your area.

Signed: TeenHealthFX