We all know that growing up is hard, and unfortunately, today some new research has highlighted how hard it can be for teenage girls. A new study has revealed that healthy teenage girls who believe they are fat are twice as likely to become overweight in their twenties.
Yes, as if the insecurity of your teenage years wasn’t bad enough – now, apparently, this insecurity could play havoc with your waistline later on in life.
The Irish Independent reports that researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology have found that 6 in 10 teenage girls who felt fat (despite the fact that they were a normal, healthy size and weight) actually went on to become overweight in their twenties. This is compared with 3 in 10 teenage girls who had no issues with their weight whatsoever.
Researchers believe that it’s all down to stress, typical teenage insecurity and the pressure that teenage girls put on themselves to be a certain size or weight. The researchers said that much of the problem is down to young women skipping meals and trying strict diets which are far too difficult for them to stick to.
All of these factors combined makes young women more likely to pile on the pounds as they get older and can even lead to an increased risk of obesity.
“Girls in particular tend to consider themselves as overweight, even though they are not, which may lead to psychosocial stress and unhealthy weight control practices such as skipping meals,” wrote the scientists in their findings.
“This study demonstrates that the adolescents, classified as normal weight through perceiving themselves as overweight, have a larger weight gain into young adulthood than those who do not experience self-perceived overweight,” the scientists added.
What do you think ladies? Is there any truth in this research?
