There's One Thing You Should Never Tell Overweight Teens

“University of Minnesota researchers who study adolescent health found that parents who correctly perceived their kids as overweight tended to use only one strategy -- advising them to diet. But five years later, those kids were far more likely to still be too heavy than were overweight kids whose parents had no idea they were fat and did nothing. In short, it's a technique that seems certain to backfire, said Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, a professor of epidemiology at the university and the lead author of the study published in the journal Pediatrics. The best thing parents can do to be role models, said Neumark-Sztainer, is to provide and eat healthful food, have regular family meals, and do physically active things with their kids.”

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/19443819.html?location_refer=Nation