A year ago 18-year old Matt's weight was out of control. At 350-pounds, he knew he needed to make a change.

"I didn't set one huge goal for myself, 'I'm gonna lose 100-pounds.' I set small goals for myself. I'm gonna lose 30-pounds and see where I go from there," Matt says.

He took things slowly, but too often, experts say, when teens decide to diet, they look for a quick fix- fad diets than can be dangerous.

"When a young person takes a diet on their own and they're not sure how to balance their food plan,they may broadly cut out a whole food group and not realize that they are cutting out essential nutrients, essential energy," explains Page Love, a registered dietician.

Researchers at Harvard Medical School found that kids who diet are more likely to binge eat and gain weight than those who don't. Experts say the problem is kids end up starving themselves.

"[The attitude is] let's restrict ourselves all day, we'll stay nice and distracted by school and work and then we get home and we're so hungry because of the energy void that we've built all day that the potential for overeating or the potential for binge eating is much greater."

Before a child begins a diet, experts say parents need to learn more: what's the reason behind the diet? Is it medically necessary, or simply to fit in?

Next, supervise your child and help them understand that most diets don't work, but healthy eating and exercise do.

With will power and the support of his family, Matt lost 150-pounds by taking it one day at a time.

As a parent, it may be tough to know how to approach a discussion on the healthy eating habits of your teenager, especially when he/she is trying to assert his/her independency. Teenagers are, however, in a stage in their lives when healthy eating is especially important. According to Lynn Grieger, RD, CDE, before discussing healthy eating habits with your teenager, keep these things in mind:

• Teens often eat with friends instead of family. They have increasing control over food choices, often experimenting with fad diets, new trends or different types of foods.
• The majority of teenagers are more concerned with athletic prowess and body image than they are with long-term health. They are more likely to limit calories and fat to lose weight than to keep their cardiovascular system healthy. Teen athletes are also susceptible to using ergogenic supplements that are often unproven and may have serious side effects.
• Nutrients of primary concern during teen years are iron, calcium and total calorie intake. Teen food intake studies show their diets are most often lacking in sufficient amounts of iron and calcium to support growth and health. If teens limit calories to control body weight, growth can actually be negatively affected.

Parents laid the groundwork for their teenager's eating habits by what they fed them early in life. But there are still important ways that parents can have a positive influence on their teenager's dietary routine, according to Grieger.

• Provide structured meals, and expect your teen to eat with the family at least once each day. This will provide you with both the opportunity to include healthy foods in your teen's diet and to talk about his/her day and experiences.
• Make sure your house is well-stocked with healthy snacks. Keep fruit, breads, bagels, juices, string cheese and yogurt on hand and easily available.
• Talk to teens about their lunch choices. Encourage them to drink milk instead of soda, and to consider adding fruit or vegetables to their noon-time choices. Know what options are available for meals and snacks at your teen's school
• Avoid criticizing your teen's food choices. When food becomes a topic for struggle, studies show that teens skip more meals and make even worse food choices.