Do you lose weight when you become a teenager? This is a question that is often asked. Your body usually undergoes landmark changes, and you may perhaps wonder if weight loss is one of them.
Your body, during this time, hits puberty as you transform into an adult. These changes typically vary in boys and girls and from one individual to another.
You may lose weight when you become a teenager, which can typically go the other way around. Some teenagers may find out that their weight is increasing instead of reducing.
It depends on several factors like lifestyle changes, the type of food eaten, and activity level. Most teenagers experience hormonal changes that may lead them to gain or lose weight.
Any teenager would want to know their age predisposes them to the possibility of losing weight. This article discusses weight loss possibility in teenagers.
Does Age Impact Weight Loss in Individuals?
The role of hormones and metabolism changes in weight loss or gain in individuals throughout their lives is more pronounced. These changes happen naturally, and most individuals will either gain or lose weight at some point. For teenagers, hormonal changes play a significant part during this specific growth phase.
Further into their lives, as they grow older, their metabolism begins to slow down, and their fat-burning rate plummets. That leads to natural weight gain and individuals.
Women going through menopause also experience hormonal changes that cause weight gain. It’s usually more challenging losing weight during this phase and exercising and dieting may have a lesser impact. However, losing weight would still be possible despite being sluggish compared to the youthful years.
Do Teenagers Lose Weight When They Hit Puberty?
Teenagers may either lose or gain weight during puberty, depending on their genetics and level of hormonal changes. The vast majority usually lose weight as they become taller, particularly males. However, some teenagers may add weight and appear more puffed than before puberty.
Habitual changes also contribute to weight loss and gain in teenagers. During this time, teenagers usually become less withdrawn from outdoor activities and stay indoors, playing video games and binge-watching.
Their appetites for sugary foods, including artificially sweetened beverages and junk food, may elevate. These factors contribute to weight gain among some teenagers while others lose weight.
Predisposing Factors for Weight Loss In Teenagers
While it’s highly likely that some teenagers may gain weight, most will register significant weight loss reduction. That, however, doesn’t happen without a few reasons.
The mayhem that age causes in their bodies during their teenage years’ results in a series of chemical and metabolic changes as they become adults. Some of the reasons teenagers may lose weight include the following:
- Growth spurts
The short bursts where teenagers experience rapid physical growth make them appear to lose weight. Most teenagers, particularly males, will experience an increase in height while their body fat may decrease simultaneously. While this phenomenon is standard in teenagers, it may result in weight loss.
- Increased physical activities
Teenagers may become increasingly active during this growth and development phase. Their affinity for getting outside and engaging in physical activities may become high.
Although that may not be true for some who prefer to stay indoors. Those who prefer being more active will have their metabolism speed up, and calorie-burning abilities spiked, leading to weight loss.
- Changes in diet
Teenagers may become more accustomed to making food choices without an adult’s supervision. While some may binge eat more and satisfy their cravings, most will resort to taking healthier foods.
That is because not all teenagers will become more attracted to sweet or fatty foods because of their changes in taste preferences. If so, they will cease to gain more weight and may start losing it instead.
- Hormonal changes
As seen before, hormonal changes play a significant part in teens who lose weight during this period. Some of the hormonal changes that impact weight loss in teenagers include:
Hormones That Lead to Weight Loss in Teenagers
Teenagers usually undergo a vast array of hormonal changes as their bodies change. Puberty comes with physical and emotional changes that could cause hormonal misbalances, leading to possible weight loss. Some of the hormonal changes that may lead to weight loss in teenagers include the following:
- Growth hormones
The pituitary gland produces numerous growth hormones in the body that lead to a series of growth and development in the body. During this time, teenagers hit adolescence, and their bodies may produce more growth hormones.
This growth may increase body mass due to muscle development, primarily in males. That replaces the fat that might have accumulated, leading to a marginal weight reduction.
- Thyroid hormones:
Some hormones that the thyroid gland produces might impact weight, mostly making teenagers appear to lose weight. Hypothyroidism constitutes an underactive thyroid gland that leads to weight gain.
On the other hand, hyperthyroidism, a counteractive process, may lead to weight loss in teenagers. That’s due to this process resulting in a fast-paced metabolism that burns more calories quickly.
- Insulin
Insulin resistance, a condition that makes the body less reactive to insulin, can spike blood sugar levels in teenagers. Since insulin regulates the amount of sugar in the blood, any resistance by the body cells can cause weight loss.
That is because teenagers’ bodies need to produce more insulin to counter sugar levels, leading to calorie burning. Teenagers with insulin resistance may lose weight, but it helps to get them checked out for treatment.
- Sex hormones
Estrogen and testosterone are the typical hormones the body produces during an individual’s teen years. These sex hormones facilitate physical and emotional changes, getting teenagers through adolescence.
Changes in estrogen levels may impact fat distribution in girls as they morph into child-bearing women. Testosterone, in boys, may urge their bodies to store fat around their bellies. The expected change is usually slight weight gain instead of loss.
It is vital to ensure that while hormonal changes may contribute to weight loss in some teenagers, it can be a sign of an existing medical condition that needs quick attention.
Especially so, if the weight loss is unexplained and has no valid reason for occurring, it should ring bells about a possible health complication, which you should act quickly on.
Please check out for signs, including bulimia, anorexia nervosa, and other eating disorders which may occur without an apparent cause.
Is Sudden Weight Loss in Teenagers Okay?
Sudden weight loss in teenagers shouldn’t be celebrated but be taken as a possible indicator of underlying health issues. The weight changes are usually expected to be marginal and should happen less spontaneously.
The process should be gradual and reasonable other than quick and concerning. If a teenager suddenly loses weight, there must be an apparent reason to explain it, including healthy exercising and dieting.
However, you can take it as a sign of a problem if this pattern is accompanied by eating disorders. Moreover, thyroid disorders can manifest as sudden weight loss or gain.
which can be an equally concerning issue that you may need to address quickly. Cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and celiac disease all result in sudden and unexplained weight loss in teenagers and should command immediate medical attention.
Conclusion
Teenagers may lose weight during this phase of their physical and emotional development. However, some can gain weight due to physical activity and lifestyle changes.
While most teenagers may have a high affinity for losing weight, it’s always essential to ensure that it happens gradually and naturally. If the weight loss process is sudden and unexplained, it could indicate possible underlying complications that need addressing.
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