Which diet plan works best for a teenage girl?

Good luck to you and your granddaughter.

Hi SaucySharon,

I would suggest that your granddaughter see her pediatrician, who can recommend a Registered Dietitian (RD) for her to visit. This way, the RD can help provide the best of both worlds: help with the emotional eating part of the equation (and, recommend a counselor or team of experts if needed), as well as set her up with a balanced, healthy nutritional plan that is best for her body weight, size, type, activity level, lifestyle and includes her preferences (this is important...a particular "diet" may not work, if she does not stick with it, and it is more important that she learns how to eat for her lifetime, not just a "fad diet" that may/may not work). And, her age is crucial in this equation as well, as it will be a major factor in how many calories her body requires for fuel, as well as her physical activity level.

Does your granddaughter, and her caregiver(s), have means for her to see an RD on a regular basis?

If your granddaughter is obese, or severely overweight, please know this is a health condition that requires treatment, just as any health condition such as heart disease or cancer would require diagnosis, treatment with specialists, long-term care and prevention methods.

I'm so happy to hear that you are taking this seriously, and helping your granddaughter. And, as Diane mentioned, her emotional issues will need to be addressed, just as much (if not more) than her diet.

I wouldn't say that any particular plan is better other than eating very healthily and sensibly. For example, cut out sugar and white flour, eat lots of fruit, vegetables, nuts, fish and keep quantities about the size of an airplane meal and for snacks, eat a bolied egg, some grain bread and hummus or some berries.
Do at least 45 minutes of walking or other aerobic exercise a day. Maybe join a dance class or take tennis lessons.
It should not be a diet so much as a healthy way of life.

Hi, Saucy Sharon, and welcome to Empowher!

May I ask you a few questions?

How old is your granddaughter?

Is she active? How much exercise would you guess that she gets in a typical week?

Have the emotional issues that caused her to gain weight been solved?

Does her mother agree that she needs to lose weight? (Unless perhaps your granddaughter lives with you?)

Can you give us an idea of how overweight she is? Has this been discussed with her pediatrician?

I'll post this with hopes that you'll see and answer these questions while I do some research for you.