How to Lose Weight As a Teenager

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If you're tired of feeling down about your weight, this is a really good way to help yourself along the way to a healthy body! Or perhaps your parents/peers are nagging you about your double chin? Lose weight, read this article and take the advice into consideration. It may be harder to lose weight as a teen because of all the goodies you see in the lunch room, or when you see your friends eating pizza. It is going to be hard, that's for sure, but if you are really determined and motivated, then you CAN do it! Follow these simple steps and you be there in no time at all! But remember, don't overdo it because that is unhealthy! Be strong! Not weak! Do it and don't give up!

Steps

Pre-Weight Loss

Make a Goal! Start with something simple, don't start off with a ridiculous goal that you'll never achieve, as you'll just feel bad when you don't get there.
Make a plan! Look at your calender and find some spare time, after school or sports practice and add an exercise routine to fill the gaps.

Healthy Eating

Consume healthy foods and do not skip meals. Eat five SMALL meals each day, every 3-4 hours. Your blood sugar level will be steady, and you will not feel as hungry.
Eat at the table, not standing up. Have one specific place you will eat all your meals (unless you are out with friends). This keeps you from eating food mindlessly in front of the TV. Take time to chew, count to 30 for each bite. Chewing more can help you lose weight. You will find that you will get full faster, and will not have to eat as much. Remember that it takes at least 20 minutes to actually notice that you're full or not hungry anymore. Try not to overeat, when you feel satisfied stop eating and don't let yourself eat anymore if your not finished.
Don't eat from 9pm to 6am. This will keep your body on a schedule.
When you snack, choose healthy fruits and vegetables rather than candy or chips. If you really hate veggies, get some fat free dressing to go with it, or instead opt for the new low-fat chips that have recently appeared these days. Light yogurt helps boost up your metabolism and tastes great. Popcorn, minus added salt or butter, are excellent munchies. It is full of fiber.
Before you go to a restaurant, look at what there is on the menu online if you can, and choose what you want there (sometimes they even show you the nutritional information). Not only does this mean that you can choose something healthier, it also means that you aren't likely to give in to cravings and choose something you just can't eat.
Ask for smaller portions at meal times. It's easier than trying not to eat everything you get because it's an automatic habit to finish your meals.Try eating on a smaller plate, too. It tricks your brain into thinking you've eaten more than you really have.
Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. You do not have to drink them down all at once, but keep sipping all day. Do whatever is comfortable and convenient for you, as long as you drink that amount of water. This will help you feel more full.
- Other than water, almost anything you drink will contain calories. Learn to love the taste of water, and take in more fluids daily to improve your health and digestion. Fruit and vegetable juices, which are deprived of their fibres, are inferior to eating the fruits and vegetables themselves, so try to avoid juices.

Exercise

Walk as much as you can (the average person burns about six calories per minute walking). Try to walk at least one mile a day to start. Each day walk a little further. Walk at a brisk pace, and if you find you are getting out of breath then slow down. In the beginning it is more important that you at least walk, rather than walk fast. Take the stairs instead of taking the elevator. Dance by yourself to the music on the television or your MP3 player. Any movements will make you lose weight, so have fun and dance your way to a thinner you!
Exercise. It doesn't matter if you lift weights, walk around your neighborhood, swim, or jog on a treadmill, you will lose weight, as long as you exercise 3-4 days a week, and burn more than your calorie intake. If you don't have a treadmill, find a pool, walk into waist deep water, and run in place, this burns just as many calories as running on a treadmill.

Other

Weigh yourself every week on a certain day in the morning before you eat and after you go to the bathroom. This will show you've lost weight rather than weighing every day.
Record your progress. This way you can notice any major changes. Keep a log of everything you eat, every exercise you do, and how many inches your waist is (or whatever kind of body part that needs weight loss). Add up your total calorie intake of that day (try and keep it at a maximum of 2000) and how many calories you burned (most exercise machines will give you an estimate of how many calories you burned). If your diet or exercise changed you can see what plan worked best for you. Also, if you record the calories you have eaten, you can input them in websites that will then calculate whether you should have eaten more, or less calories that day, and you can plan from that.
Be confident. If you are confident about losing weight you will be more likely to have some great progress! It actually works!
Don't be hard too on yourself! If you spend a day in your pajamas and watch a few movies for the day, don't sweat it. If you have a big feed of junk food one day, don't worry! Remember how guilty and bloated you felt and get back on track the next day.

Tips

Go for a jog. Stretch to warm up, then get a few friends together and start a 'jogging group'. It's much more fun with friends, and listening to music can take your mind off what you're actually doing if you don't like running.
Don't skip meals! You might think that skipping meals will help you lose weight, but the truth is, it does just the opposite. If you skip a meal, you're more likely to get the munchies and scoff down the junk food that is FULL of fat and sugar.
If you feel like you are alone know that there are always people going through the same things.
Try to brush your teeth after every Meal & Snack. Everything seems less fascinating with toothpaste in your mouth.
Teens need to get about 8.5-9.5 hours of sleep per night. Even though it has been shown that they get at times only 6 hours of sleep.
Tired of that tummy? Try doing sit ups, crunches or leg lifts.
If you get hungry between meals, have a healthy snack. It will keep your blood sugar up and keep you from overeating the next meal.
Occasional indulgences are acceptable. Mom made her famous cherry pie for Christmas? Take a small piece. Better yet, don't eat the crust. Personally, I don't like the crust or the top layer, so I just eat the cherries in the middle and the bottom crust. You get the taste, minus a few calories.
When exercising, think how you'll look after you lose some weight, it boosts your wanting to exercise.
Listen to music while exercising. Try doing a different exercise every song.
Rather than sitting, stand. Standing burns calories, too.
Start off with a small amount of weight to lose (3/5/7/9 pounds) when you see that 3,5,7, or 9 pounds pop off, you'll feel great and feel like any amount of weight that you lose is a revelation.
Think about joining Weight Watchers. They have teen programs that are very effective. Attend the weekly meetings to be with people like you who also want to lose weight.
Journal your food intake that has been shown to help you lose the pounds as well. Reason once you realize how much your putting in your body you will realize what you have been eating without noticing yourself.
Read books it widens your mind, go for it!
Try drinking tea or vegetable juice before every meal. You will feel more full before you start eating.
A positive attitude always helps!
Some people find it easier to "diet" with a friend or even your mom!
Remember: You lose weight when you burn more calories than you consume. So watch your diet and exercise.
It is also important to keep in mind your body type; don't expect to look like a model if everyone in your family is stocky, or not so muscular.
Visiting a gym can be a fun way to exercise.
Dress in slimming outfits, it will make you look thinner and you will feel better about your self!
Talk to people about why you want to lose weight. Most people have excellent ideas on how to do it.
Ask a friend if they think that you need to lose weight. Don't be upset if they answer "yes" and you asked for their honest answer, but if they do say yes, ask more than one person. Chances are, they might not mean it. A positive comment always helps!
Always read safety instructions before using electric equipment. It's not healthy/ pretty to have a red wound all up your arm (treadmill burn)
Once again, don't stress about the scale. If you're a 5ft 12 year old girl, you should be at 110 pounds, but there are other factors. For example, you might have a family trait that makes the women in your family more muscular. That means you probably need to be around 125 or 135. ask your doctor because they know your family records and will help find a weight healthy for you.
Don't give up! I know from experience that it's so hard to suddenly start eating healthy and exercising EVERY DAY! and actually stick with it. You want to give up and go back to your old ways because you feel like you're not losing any weight at all...but don't! If you gain the will, power, and determination it takes to lose weight, it will be the best decision of your life! Every time you're a step away from giving up, just picture in your mind how good you will look and feel if you just keep going. Prove to all who doubted you can do this that you can have a sexy body!!
The scale can LIE to you, that's why there is this thing called NSV- non-scale victory. You can gain 4 pounds yet lose 4 inches, or drop in pant sizes. So don't cry if you didn't lose any weight after a week of hard work!
It takes more than a week for teens and their body build it can take up to two months to notice a huge change. (one whole pants size)
Have a positive attitude.
Going to a gym with friends or family really helps you to have more fun while exercising!!

Warnings

If you notice a 1 to 2 pound change from week to week, it is most likely water or an other intake.
If you are dieting correctly, you should lose 1 or 2 pounds a week. That's 5-10 pounds a month! If you lose more than 3 pounds a week, you could be losing weight too fast, which is unhealthy, however depending upon your weight and amount of weight loss needed, it might not be unhealthy. Keep in mind that if you lose weight too fast, you will experience hair loss. Always talk to your doctor if you are worried.
If you find that you are not losing weight after a few weeks, you may want to see a nutritionist.
Avoid becoming obsessed with the numbers on the scale. If you are exercising but notice that you have gained a bit of weight-- don't panic! You have probably gained muscle, which weighs more than fat!
Make sure that you have a realistic weight goal. (10 pounds a month is not realistic)
Try not to become obsessed with a certain number. The mirror and your own feelings are a better indicator of your success.
Watch and check nutrition labels. Just because they say something is low in fat on the front doesn't mean it's good for you.
Being obsessed with losing weight can lead to eating disorders.
Don't be so anxious to tell everyone about your diet, they may tease you with certain foods and try and sabotage you!
Tests have proven that if you get on a scale too much you actually gain more weight, so it's better to base it on something like how you feel in your favorite jeans or what your family notices.
NEVER try to starve yourself! Doing so, will put your metabolism into "starvation mode" which will slow down metabolism and slow down weight loss. However, if you decide to fast (A controlled period of time where you only drink water or juices to cleanse your body or aid weight loss), daily exercise will keep your metabolism from slowing down, which would cause rapid weight gain when you start to eat solids.
Drinking green tea boosts your metabolism.
Remind yourself that dieting is a hard way to lose weight. Exercise is just as important as dieting!
take up a sport that you'll enjoy, you'll really notice the difference.

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Saturday, July 28, 2012