Help for Teens Who Want to Loose Weight

As a teen, I was never the size 3 that all the other girls around me seemed to be. I wasn't the slimmest girl in my class, but neither was I the largest. I was what most would call average, except when my weight would inevitably fluctuate up by ten pounds from Christmas to Summer. It wasn't until my junior and senior year that I truly began to make the necessary changes that allowed me to loose weight and get to into what my doctor called my "healthy weight range." At 5' 2'' a weight gain or loss of ten pounds could push me in or out of that healthy range. So my challenge was to loose 15lbs. It was a daunting task, but not impossible. The more I lost, the easier I found it to be. It was a lifestyle change as so many say.

I found three key things to be important in regards to food: when to eat, what to eat, and how much to eat. Your body preforms at it's best when you eat at regular times every day and do not consume high calorie foods late at night. Eating late at night can sabotage your weight loss because you are taking in more calories than you should. It is important to get all your calories in during the day and then to go to bed at a decent hour and get a good night's rest. This allows your body to perform at it's best according to Kathleen Zelman, WebMD's Director of Nutrition. To get all my calories in during the day, I ate several small healthy meals a day. I wasn't as hungry and didn't feel the need to snack late at night. As an adult, I find it better to eat three meals a day and to not snack. Listen to your body. If you have the munchies constantly and it isn't due to boredom, try eating as many as six small healthy meals a day. As a student it may be more realistic to eat three meals a day, breakfast before school, lunch at school, and dinner at home. Eating a small snack during the school day or after school would also be fine as long as you are careful of what you eat.

The best foods you can consume are those that are not high in sugar, fat, or carbs. Some examples of these are lean proteins, whole grain breads, reduced fat or fat free dairy products (yogurt, milk, cheese), veggies, some fruits, and some snack foods. A balanced diet is important according to the Pediatrician, Dr. Leila Denmark. Her recommended diet looks like this: Breakfast should include a protein and a starch (whole grain); Lunch should include a protein, starch and vegetable; Supper should include a protein, starch and vegetable. Fruits also are good and make great snacks, but are not necessary. Water is the best thing to drink. It is better than any other drink hands down. If you are a very active athlete, then a Powerade during performance times would be fine to balance electrolytes. If you are not than it is not beneficial. Fruit juice is something else that is overrated. It is very high in sugar and does not have enough nutrients to outweigh the sugar. One cup of fruit juice can however be substituted for a fruit snack or an after school snack, but it is not good to drink regularly. Soda of any kind is never good for eating healthy. The more you cut out sugar in your diet, the more you will notice how much sugar is in drinks like Mountain Dew and Coke and even Sprite. Mixed coffee drinks from Starbucks are also never good. They are worse than soda. Fast foods are also awful for you. Snack foods such as Cheez-itz, Doritos, Cheetos, ice-cream and things of that nature hold huge amounts of salt, carbs, and sugar. But the good news is, there are healthy alternatives. Instead of Cheez-itz grab some Graham Crackers and 1/2 cup of lowfat milk. That snack contains much less fat, sodium, and carbs. If you find yourself eating out or sitting at a coffee house, there are good alternatives there as well. If you are eating out, go for a grilled chicken or turkey sandwich or a lite house salad. If you are at a coffee house try a hot tea instead of the mocha frappuccino.

Another huge factor in loosing weight is how much you eat. If you are eating three bowls of frosted flakes for breakfast, than you are greatly exceeding the serving size. The serving size for cereal is usually 1/2 cup to 1 cup depending on the kind. If you eat frosted flakes it is probably a 1/2 cup, but if you eat bran flakes it is 1 cup. The serving size on chips is usually about 10 chips depending on the variety. That is not the usual portion most people eat. Whatever it is that you are eating, check out the serving size first. You will begin to notice that when you choose healthy foods the serving size is larger compared to an unhealthy alternative.
But the biggest factor in loosing weight is exercise. There are people who eat whatever they want and look great, but they exercise for two hours a day every day. That is more than most people can devote to exercise in a day. Something that is feasible, however, is playing on a sports team at your school, riding your bike, hiking, skiing, or whatever your favorite activity is. Simply devote at least 30min to good cardio exercise every day. Even things like Dance Dance Revolution are good forms of exercise. My sister and I chose to do DDR for 30min everyday after school along with making smarter food choices and the weight began to come off. For teens especially, exercise is a huge factor in weight loss. As someone under 20, your metabolism should be in great working condition. You simply have to tap into it's potential with a little cardio exercise everyday.

Weight loss is possible at any age, but it is closer than you think in the teen years. I encourage you to begin making small overall changes to your diet and exercise habits. Loosing weight doesn't involve dieting or not eating or eating weird things. It involves small changes to your current lifestyle. Small changes that become more and more easy as time goes on are the best ways to loose weight and not find it again.

Zelman, Kathleen. Break the late-night eating habit. WebMd.com. http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=56681
Bowman, Madia. Dr. Denmark Said it!. http://www.drdenmarksaidit.com/dr_denmark_said_it.html