Young, Overweight and Stressed Out in High School

An obese teenager can feel like high school is some sort of punishment. The teenage years are difficult enough with puberty, acne, dating and peer pressure. But add being an obese teenager into the mix and it can make the teen years pretty miserable.

High school is hard. First of all, there’s the coursework to worry about. High school is usually a huge switch from grade school and middle school. Everything is more difficult, and the homework amount can be enormous. But if you’re an obese teenager, that’s probably not the thing you hate most about high school.

High school and the teen years are the years when kids are turning into adults. And these years don’t bring out the best in everyone. There are always those kids who enjoy bullying other kids. There’s name calling and sometimes it escalates to physical violence.

The targets of these bullying kids are often those who are perceived to be easy targets and weak. Unfortunately, obese kids are often chosen as someone who can be picked on.

When a teenager is constantly picked on, that can make going to school each day feel like a certain type of torture. It can ruin a kid’s motivation to do well in school and make good grades. When you’re scared or embarrassed constantly by bullies, worrying about a test or getting an A seems far less important by comparison.

Aside from the very obvious humiliation that can come from being picked on, called names and bullied, being an obese teenager can be painful in more subtle ways, too.

The high school years are usually when the tradition of school dances starts, like the homecoming dance and proms. An obese teenager might miss out on these fun activities. While not every overweight teen sits at home, some might be embarrassed to ask someone to go to these dances.

Being overweight or obese, because of the bullying or the disapproval that might be obvious from some classmates, can cause low self-esteem. This is why some overweight kids avoid social activities that other kids enjoy.

A heavy teen who wants to go might not get asked because others perceive them as not being good enough because of their weight. Some might be embarrassed at the idea of others knowing that they asked a fat person on a date.

High school is usually when it’s required for kids to change into uniforms for PE class. This requires kids to change their clothes in front of their classmates, something than obese kids might feel very uncomfortable doing.

Sadly, this can cause or escalate bullying. And when a kid who might have self-esteem issues already is taunted and teased about their sized while they’re undressed, it can only make any lack of self-confidence and self-esteem even worse.

Fortunately, the teen years are an ideal time to find a good eating plan and lose weight. It’s much easier for an obese teenager to lose weight and get in shape than it is for an older person to do so.