How To Lose Weight For Teens?

How to lose weight for teens? The principles of weight loss don’t change because of your age. Whether you are a teen or elderly you still must be in a caloric deficit to lose weight. The foods you eat to help you lose weight will not change because of your age. The most important tip to help a teen become healthier and maintain a healthy weight is being physically active.

How to lose weight for teens? Photo credit: iStock-Oat_Phawat

Every teen that has a goal to lose weight should always be physically active and not be sitting for long periods of time. Some good physically active tips for a teen are walking, jogging, hiking, playing a sport like soccer, volleyball, basketball, cross country, swimming, etc. Anything that allows them to leave the house and move is a good thing to help with weight loss.

A good diet tip for teens is cutting back on sweetened beverages like soda, fruit drinks, energy drinks, etc. Research studies have shown that added sugars have led to weight gain in teens, type 2 diabetes, acne, cavities, and liver disease.

Some important foods that are nutrient dense, low in calories and are important for the development for a teen are:

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Whole Grains
• Healthy Fats
• Protein sources like fish, chicken, beef, turkey, eggs.

Teens need more fat than adults because they are still developing and growing. The focus should be on healthy fats as opposed to unhealthy fats. Those healthy fats are nuts, seeds, olive oil, fatty fish, avocados, etc.

Healthy fats are important for energy purposes and improving overall brain development and growth.

Avoiding Foods That Have Added Sugar

Teens tend to consume a high amount of added sugar and research studies show that this leads to teens being overweight or obese. So, to help a teen to lose weight they should limit these added sugars such as candy, cookies, cereals, sweetened processed foods, etc.

There are some research studies that have shown that high sugar diets drives hunger and negatively impacts academic performance in teens.

Avoiding Fad Diets

Another important thing is avoiding fad diets that are so extreme that lead to extremely bad eating disorders. Many fad diets are too restrictive and many of them have you consuming minimal calories which are not sustainable. If you eat too few calories it can slow up your metabolism which would make it difficult for any teenager to lose weight.

Drinking Water Daily

Try to drink enough water and stay hydrated. Drinking up to 6 to 8 glasses of water daily will make you feel full, which will make you eat less food. Water should replace sugary drinks and soda as that will help with weight loss goals. Drinking water can act as a good appetite suppressant.

Social Media and Teenagers

Social media influences everybody, especially young teenagers. So, try to tell your child to not compare their body to what they see on social media. That is not a winning mental formula as everybody has a different DNA so everybody’s shape will always be different. Also, as a teenager you are not fully developed so what your body looks like now doesn’t mean you will have that same body at 24 years old.

I can give my own personal experience at 16 years of age, being very skinny and being made fun of by everybody. I was obsessed with building my body so I could have the name calling to stop. That was what made me get involved with fitness and working out and staying in shape. Sometimes whatever your weaknesses are can motivate you to improve them to be strengths.

Avoid Processed Foods

Avoiding processed foods can help teenagers lose weight. And those processed foods you want to avoid are fast food, candies, chips, sugary baked goods, etc.  And replace that with healthy meals and snacks like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and proteins.

Studies have shown that people who get at least 8 hours daily of sleep weigh less than people who get 5 to 6 hours daily of sleep. And teenagers need more sleep than adults as they need to sleep at least 9 to 10 hours daily.

“Every teen that has a goal to lose weight should always be physically active and not be sitting for long periods of time.” Celebrity Fitness & Nutrition Expert Obi Obadike

The Bottom Line for teens to lose weight they need to be more physically active. And they need to eat healthy foods that will help lower the risk of being obese or overweight.

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