Teenagers and people of all ages can benefit greatly from maintaining a healthy weight. Although losing weight might be challenging, teens can do so safely and gradually by adopting healthy behaviors and getting assistance from their families.
Both adults and children are increasingly struggling with obesity. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases estimates that about 20 percent of people between the ages of 12 and 19 years are obese.
The following sixteen behaviors and tips can be adopted by a teen and their family members to help facilitate weight loss or maintain a healthy weight.
16 weight loss tips for teens
- Encourage daily breakfast: Teenagers frequently skip breakfast, but this might make them so hungry at lunch that they overeat or give in to desires for junk food. So, give them a snack to enjoy, such as yogurt, fruit smoothies, and slices of apples or cheese.
- Make fruit and vegetables as convenient snack options: Keep them organized, prepared, and ready to consume at the front of the refrigerator. Always start meals with a salad.
- Keep junk food out of the house: Although you have little control over what your teen consumes outside of your home, you can prevent unhealthy foods from being served in your home.
- Put the soda away: Replace calorie-dense beverages, such as soft drinks, juices, and sports drinks, with low-fat milk, vegetable juices, or water.
- Dining at home: According to studies, a meal prepared at home has 33 percent fewer calories than one eaten at a restaurant. According to other studies, teen obesity was observed to decrease with the frequency of family meals.
- Encourage them to develop easy, manageable goals: Starting with even just 10 to 15 minutes of exercise a day is acceptable. Then, gradually increase the time each day by a few minutes. Achieving these goals will boost their confidence and they will likely continue with their regime.
- Engage the entire family: Go on family treks or group bike trips. Keep hand weights and jump ropes in the house. Get pedometers for each person to encourage everyone to walk more. Teenagers find it simpler to move more when everyone is participating. Engage your teen in menu planning.
- Sleep well: Insufficient sleep can make you eat more. You can experience all-day drowsiness, which would force you to skip your normal workouts and other activities. Try to maintain a consistent wake-up and sleep schedule each day. Additionally, avoid sleeping with the TV on. Your sleep cycle is disturbed by the light, which keeps you away from having a restful night's sleep.
- Try yoga: Yoga is among the most effective and safe weight-loss strategies, and this is true for all ages. It empowers you to combat additional physical and psychological changes. It is the finest technique to achieve mental, physical, and spiritual calmness. It allows more energy to enter your body and supports metabolism. Try aerial yoga or a combined workout that includes yoga to make yoga more interesting.
- Make portion control a habit: Depending on the degree of activity, teenagers require 1600 to 3000 calories per day. Instead of obsessively weighing your meals, learn to manage your portions. Eat using a smaller plate. Half of your plate should be vegetables and fruits, one-fourth of it should be protein and the remaining one-fourth should be whole grains. Eat one serving of baked chips or a square of dark chocolate instead of indulging in fried chips or sweets. These are superior choices to fried meals that are eaten straight from the bag.
- Stay hydrated: Dehydration causes the buildup of toxins and slows your metabolism. This can then result in obesity induced by inflammatory conditions. To help you lose weight and flush out toxins, consume at least two to three liters of water daily. Soups, fresh vegetables, smoothies, and freshly squeezed fruit juice (without added sugar) add to your daily water consumption goal.
- Consume more fiber and protein: Foods high in protein and dietary fiber help you feel full and stave off hunger pains. Dietary fiber enhances digestion by increasing the diversity and number of beneficial gut bacteria, and protein preserves lean muscle.
- Consume good fats: All fats are not harmful. Omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial for both weight loss and general health and are found in fatty fish, nuts, and seeds. Oryzanol, a component of rice bran oil, lowers harmful cholesterol.
- Limiting added sugar: According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, people should attempt to consume less than 10 percent of their daily calories from sugar. For instance, you could choose a banana or similar naturally sweet fruit instead of ice cream or baked pastries.
- Do not take diet pills or other supplements: Most of the assertions made by these items are unsupported. They frequently have unidentified chemicals and could result in unpleasant side effects, such as bloating and diarrhea, or more serious health issues. Speak to your doctor first if you are considering trying diet pills for weight loss.
- Muscle building: You may achieve your weight loss objectives and a toned body by including strength training in your exercise regimen. To build strength, try push-ups, Pilates, resistance bands, weights, or kettlebells. Aerobic activities, strength training, and flexibility drills are part of a solid, well-rounded fitness regimen.
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Medically Reviewed on 7/27/2022
References
Image Source: iStock image
How Can I Lose Weight Safely? https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/lose-weight-safely.html
Take Charge of Your Health: A Guide for Teenagers. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/weight-management/take-charge-health-guide-teenagers
How to Help An Overweight Teen. https://www.webmd.com/parenting/treatment-overweight-teen
Sleep and obesity. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3632337/
How Can I Lose Weight Safely? https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/lose-weight-safely.html
Take Charge of Your Health: A Guide for Teenagers. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/weight-management/take-charge-health-guide-teenagers
How to Help An Overweight Teen. https://www.webmd.com/parenting/treatment-overweight-teen
Sleep and obesity. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3632337/
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