Safe Dieting for Teens

In a world of fad diets, super thin people, and obesity, it's hard to feel good about your body. For some people, it's even harder to find the weight that suits them best. In this book, the author stresses the importance of losing weight to please yourself instead of the people around you, educates readers about proper nutrition, and shows the importance of exercise. She addresses the problems with fad diets and eating disorders, as well as why it's harder for females to lose weight then it is for males.

This book would be very helpful for teens looking for the correct and healthy way to lose weight and keep it off. With the exercise and nutrition advice, it's not difficult to find a way to do it. There are many helpful suggestions throughout the book to keep you motivated and thinking realistically. Many teens, who are struggling with their weight, will be sure to find the correct way to lose weight, or just become healthier with this book.

I thought that many of the suggestions in Safe Dieting for Teens seemed like things that the average teen would be able to do. It gave very simple suggestions on many different topics. I would recommend this book to any teen looking for a solution to their weight problems. Patience is definitely needed to get through this book, since it's not quite the action-packed book that you'd expect from a topic like this. I believe that anyone who's dedicated to losing weight the correct way will find this book completely helpful and will find their perfect way to lose all their weight. - Hillary Krajewski (age 15) for Reader Views

Health and self-image issues affecting teens are constantly in the headlines, and Linda Ojeda strives to present a balanced and realistic approach to weight management.

Ojeda has studied women's health issues for more than twenty-five years and has written several books, including Menopause Without Medicine and Her Healthy Heart. The first edition of Safe Dieting for Teens was released in 1993.

"So you think you're fat. Are you sure?" Ojeda insists that teens approach weight loss with an informed strategy. The psychological, emotional, and physiological components of weight gain and loss are thoroughly discussed, as well as the dietary aspect. Several calorie charts and a web-resource guide provide for further education. Included in the back is a note to parents with tips for success including, "Let them find their own way. Unless you're asked, hold your tongue."

The first half of the book focuses on general diet concepts, such as understanding why common diet techniques fail and simple ways to increase physical activity, like "taking my iPod for a walk." Ojeda also asks the reader to embrace what is already great about them, independent of their weight, and to question themselves about why they want to lose weight.

The second half of the book focuses on food choices. Her cardinal rules are variety, moderation, and balance. She does not prescribe what to eat. "The secret is, you decide what route to take (not me), because what you choose, you will follow. This is your diet. ...And when you succeed, it's because of you, not me."

Ojeda's style is easy to follow. Each chapter is full of good tips, such as a quick way to visualize sugar grams--a teaspoon divided by four. Though the advice generally would apply to anyone, recommended caloric intake is specifically geared to the growing teen body.

Losing weight is not easy or fast. Ojeda's adaptive and honest approach takes more commitment than teens might be used to, but anyone ready to be serious will find this book an approachable and useful tool. - Naomi Millán, Foreword Magazine

What a delightful book! The tone of this book is absolutely spot-on: helpful, empathetic, understanding, and sensitive to the preconceptions held by most teens about weight issues and how to deal with them. The author exhibits an extremely keen understanding of the challenges, questions and confusion that most teens (especially teenaged girls) experience regarding weight, body image, and weight-loss issues. This book is full of practical advice, straight talk, and usable information regarding nutrition, real-life exercise, and lifelong healthy eating habits and food choices. I would recommend this book for any teen looking for help in dealing with weight challenges and learning how to live a healthy lifestyle. - Blackenbooks, LibraryThing Early Reviewer

Safe Dieting for Teens by Linda Ojeda is a remarkably straightforward, non-judgemental and factual look at helping teens develop healthy eating habits. The book offers some really good suggestions about dieting, including when not to diet, how to get help for eating disorders, and the importance of activity. Rather than focusing on a set menu like many diets do, Ojeda shows how to work healthy eating into the teen's lifestyle without feeling like they are depriving themselves of food. She also talks about developing a healthy body image and how to tell whether your size is right for you, warns girls not to try to diet with boys (frustration all around!) and not to compete with their friends. She writes in a personal and friendly way, relating her own eating struggles and passing on tips that helped her succeed. It's a write-in workbook, offering space for girls to record their own thoughts and feelings on weight loss, list their priorities and log their food and exercise. A section for parents is offered that has tips for helping their teenage girls lose weight. There is a substantial resources section in the back, and portion control, label reading, and sensible limits are stressed. The only two things I'd quibble with in this book are that her information on birth control pills is out of date and she doesn't fully explain how to do portion control. My teen daughter will be using the book to help reduce her own weight healthfully, and I'll be following along with her. - Mathilde, LibraryThing Early Reviewer