Weight Watchers for Teens — Anyone's Child Tried It?

I did it as a teen...it's fine. It is a program that teaches healthy eating and habits. If you're already doing it, you just need to help him learn to do it himself.

Well, at 14 he's not that far from 'adult' so not sure why it would be difficult to put him on a meal plan. Maybe if he was 6 I would have concerns. I'm sure the app goes by whatever age you input so put him at 18. Last I remember, WW was basically a balanced, proportioned meal plan so nothing he wouldn't be able to do or would hurt him. Again, if it was liquid only or grapefruit only, I would have concerns. He only needs to lose 20# so I don't see what the problem is, especially if you are doing it yourself. JMO. Good luck.

I've seen some teen WW stories and they seemed really positive. If you are WW and use the online support, you've probably seen some as well. I'm not sure how those teens used the online version, or if they did.

I guess I think of WW (having used it myself) as a great way to balance what you eat with exercise. I personally would be ok with my teen using it as long as I was monitoring to make sure that healthy fats needed to hit puberty were included in the meal planning process. Since I am guessing that you cook the meals and not him, this shouldn't be too difficult to accomplish. I'd also make sure that the numbers used to plug in are on the lower rather than the higher side - maybe start with a 10 lb weight loss rather than 20 lbs and use the "trade points for exercise" option so his point count can stay up and he can use exercise to make his weekly numbers.

Good luck and good for you for recognizing that your son might need to work on this a bit and that you are so willing to help him (rather than justify his potential weight issues). Learning to eat healthy is a life long goal and teaching good habits now will go a long way.

We've not experienced weight issues but I would not put a 14 yr old in WW,

I would be proactive with keeping him active ( you walk/run with him). I'm not a fan of diets. I believe in moderation and making good choices.

I am surprised they would suggest dieting for a teenager of that age, he is just starting puberty and if his weight is maintained at current levels as he grows it should even out. I would focus on increasing his activity level and choosing healthier foods and skip the restrictive dieting/counting calories, yoyo dieting is horrible for your health and encouraging it at his young age is, in my opinion, not going to be helpful towards long term health. Did his doctor actually suggest a diet or did he just mention his weight was a little high?

If I was a teen, I think weight watchers would be embarrassing. I like the nutritionist idea. If you are trying to lose weight why not go on family bike rides, take walks after dinner. Not all gyms are pricey either. I think its great that you are losing weight together, you guys can push each other and motivate one another more now.

I've done WW and think it would be a great program, because it's all about sensible eating and exercise. Nothing trendy or overly restrictive. However, the fact that teens can't use the online version would be a deal-breaker for me. I did their online only program and can't imagine not giving teens the tech-friendly option.

I would think that he would be healthier and better off in the long run if he just learned healthy habits of eating better and moving more. Maybe he could even do a little weight training to tone a little. I have a 14 yr old who is growing so fast and always hungry. Weight watchers would not be enough for him.

When my girls were about 14/15, the doc said that one was a little over but talked about proper nutrition and exercise. A friend's daughter was a little higher than the average. Her mom was a weight watchers maintenance member. The girl started cooking with her mom and shopping. She learned about healthier eating and that helped. She also started walking after school and after dinner. A bonus is mom walked after dinner too and they got time together. As she has gotten older and grown, her body has changed and she is a lot more active now and understands what foods she sould eat while balancing those extras like cake etc.

I guess you need to sit down with him and go over what he can have at this restaurant and what he can eat at that restaurant and so forth. So when he's eating out he can already have a plan.

I think that you are his example though and he needs to eat what you eat if he's going to rely on a plan and not make the choices himself....that didn't come out right...trying to say if he's going to go out and eat lots of junk then he's not thinking about this for himself. He's depending on someone or some "thing" to tell him what he can or cannot have.

Can he start an exercise plan? Does he play any sports? What changes to his lifestyle can he make?

I would just change eating habits for the family. I have the very original diet engraved in my brain. In reality it is low carb, veggies and protein. Great WW desserts around. Basically WW is sensible eating.

Have you tried just making an appointment with a nutritionist? That's what helped my brother in law.. he started seeing one at 13, as he was overweight. It helped both him and his mom learn good habits. He lost what weight he needed, and now continues to eat well on college.

Hmmm. I don't know. My cousin was shorter and quite chubby at 14. Mid high school he shot up to over 6 feet and looked totally different....tall and no chubbiness at all. I would try to do some sort of fitness class if you feel he is not moving enough. And a class that teaches about nutrition. But I would not start a 14 year old with dieting. Don't forget - his brain is still growing and he needs fat for neural connections! I just would be concerned about having him diet bc he is not done growing yet and it might affect how he thinks about himself. Perhaps put of WW till he is older.