Teenage weight loss
I have a 15-year-old daughter who desperately wants to lose weight. While this is solely her decision (I have never suggested she go on a diet) I do feel it would be so nice for her to drop a couple of dress sizes as all her friends are like sticks. It seems unfair she is struggling so because she eats a very healthy diet and avoids junk food. I know this may seem a minor problem but she is about two stones overweight and it really is affecting her confidence.
You give no indication in your letter as to whether this has been a long-term problem for your daughter or whether the weight appeared to 'pile on' once she became pubescent in which case the explanation may be that she suffers from a common hormonal condition called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in which unexplained weight gain, despite normal eating patterns is a common symptom.
You can ask your doctor to arrange an ultrasound scan which would either confirm or rule out this as an underlying cause and in the meantime, I am going to suggest two safe herbal remedies that your daughter can take to first promote a slow but steady weight loss to help her regain her confidence and to help rebalance her hormones if it does turn out she is a PCOS sufferer.
Hoodia is a herbal remedy made from an African cactus plant called Hoodia gordonii which is reported to work as a natural appetite suppressant to kick-start weight loss. It was traditionally used by the San tribespeople of the Kalahari desert to stave off hunger pangs during long hunting expeditions and when UK scientists isolated and then patented the single plant molecule they discovered to be responsible for this action in the body, there was talk of a wondrous slimming pill.
You cannot patent a whole plant which is why supplement-makers, regardless of pharmaceutical patents and the like, have been able to make hoodia supplements for widespread sale. As with all supplements, there are brands on the market which have been found, in independent trials, to contain no hoodia whatsoever so I suggest you play safe and order Bioharmony's Hoodia tincture from Revital (0800 252875) where a 100ml bottle costs £19.99. This should last several months, take 10-15 drops in juice twice daily.
If there is an underlying hormonal problem to address, then you need to use another herbal remedy called saw palmetto which can help counter the over-production of testosterone by the body caused by cysts on the ovary which can then lead to sudden weight gain. This remedy is now widely on sale in health stores but you can mail order Lambert's saw palmetto complex from the same supplier where 90 capsules cost £14.95. Take two capsules daily.