How many times have you seen that girl in your middle school who is obsessed with losing weight? How about the guy in high school who has an unhealthy obsession with not eating carbs and only eats lettuce?
Sadly, this is all too common among teenagers these days. The truth of the matter is that it’s hard enough being a teenager- having to worry about hormones, peers, dating, social media- without adding weight loss into the mix!
How does one go about losing weight without harming their health? How does one find healthy foods that are tasty and practical to take on the go? How does one keep up with exercise while attending school or working part-time jobs?
What if there was a solution out there that would help teens lose weight without sacrificing their health or lifestyle?
Learn how to lose weight healthy as a teenager by following this step-by-step guide!
Start By Knowing Your Ideal Weight
During the teen years, your weight can fluctuate based upon factors such as your changing hormones and growth spurts. A common mistake teens make with weight management is basing their goals on an adult’s ideal weight.
For children and teens, it is best to use a BMI calculation that is age and sex-specific. This helps to account for how your body may be changing at this stage in your life.
If you believe you are overweight, a visit with a doctor or nutritional counselor can also help you find out how much weight you need to lose.
For some teens, it is possible to maintain their weight through healthy eating and allow their bodies to gradually thin out as they grow taller.
Focus On Developing a Positive Body Image
If you are asking about how to lose weight healthy as a teenager, then you might be unhappy with how your body looks in the mirror.
Unfortunately, body shaming is a real thing. Teenagers can be mean and not consider others’ feelings.
Having a poor body image can affect your self-esteem and stop you from doing things you enjoy, such as swimming with your friends.
When you feel good about your body, you are more likely to treat it right by eating healthy foods and exercising.
Try to notice when you start thinking negatively about your body. When you do, replace your thought with a positive statement.
Focusing on the traits you love and thinking about the amazing things your body can do helps you get into the right mindset for weight loss.
Download this cheat sheet to learn the secrets to go from busy and out-of-shape to energetic and fit!
Avoid Fad Diets and Skipping Meals
Celebrities often push trendy diets that aren’t always healthy, such as cleanses and one or two-ingredient meals.
While it might help them slim down for a movie role, it isn’t healthy to drastically limit your food intake when you are still growing.
Skipping meals or eating an extremely limited diet can potentially have the opposite effect that you desire.
If your brain thinks it is in starvation mode, then it can adjust your metabolism so that your body holds on to more calories.
Eating regular nutritious meals helps your body feel safe burning calories as you exercise and enjoy your favorite activities.
Make a Few Healthy Changes In Your Current Diet Plan
Teenagers often develop unhealthy eating habits as they do things such as grab a candy bar from the vending machine when they get hungry between class periods. Or, your friends may love having pizza parties just a little too much.
Taking an honest look at your current eating habits can help you see if any of these changes can help you figure out how to lose weight healthy as a teenager.
1. Eliminate Unnecessary Fats
That greasy pizza is loaded with fat that doesn’t do your body any favors. Click the link for more information on how to stop eating junk food.
Switching to a plant-based diet is an excellent way to lower your fat intake, since most fruits and vegetables have little to none.
Keep in mind that you do need some fat in your diet. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for heart health, but you can get healthier forms of fat from plant sources such as chia seeds.
2.Limit Your Sugar Intake
Foods high in sugar also tend to contain a lot of empty calories. Quitting drinking soda is an easy way to cut out sugar in your diet. You can replace these with healthier options such as green smoothies when you want something different from water.
You’ll also want to watch out for sneaky sources of sugar. For instance, many people recommend using honey in place of white sugar. However, your body still treats the sugar in honey the same way it would if you got it from a candy bar.
Learning to love the natural taste of foods helps you avoid consuming too much sugar and gives you a new appreciation for the amazing fruits and vegetables that nature offers.
3.Make Sure to Include a Variety of Different Foods
The problem with many diet plans is that they often limit what people are allowed to eat.
As a teen, this isn’t ideal since you need a steady intake of many different nutrients to fuel your body’s development.
Aim to include a range of different plant-based foods in your meals, and make sure to experiment with new types of food.
For instance, replacing meat with tofu or other organic soy products ensures that you still get enough protein.
Learn about the different types of meat replacements you can use to meet your body’s nutritional needs so that you don’t start to feel run down while you are working on losing weight.
4.Cultivate an Active Lifestyle
Discovering how to lose weight healthy as a teenager also involves thinking about ways to increase your amount of movement each day.
For example, walk to school instead of having your parent’s drive you, walk instead of sitting while you talk to your friends on the phone, and get a standing desk to do your homework.
Staying physically active burns calories and helps to keep your mind off of snacking!
5. Limit Screen Time to Less Than Two Hours a Day
Technology is wonderful for helping you explore ways to be healthier, but scrolling around on your phone provides minimal exercise except for your fingers.
While you might need to use your computer for school, you’ll need to be mindful of when you are using your devices for entertainment.
Every minute that you spend watching videos or scrolling on social media is one that you could spend on physical activities.
Plus, too much time on social media can have a negative impact on your body image.
Setting an alarm or using a tracker app to make you more mindful of how long you’ve been staring at the screen helps you to remember to get up and go have some real fun.
Also, remember that you don’t need to sit to watch TV, you can do exercises, even if it’s just between commercials. I like to ride my Peloton bike while I watch TV.
6.Increase Your Amount of Exercise
As a general rule, teens need to get at least 60 minutes of physical activity on most days to maintain their weight and improve their general health.
You might get some of your daily exercise needs met if you play a sport or take P.E. in school.
However, you might also need to make an extra effort on some days to hit the full hour of exercise.
Explore different types of exercise, such as yoga or kickboxing, to find ones that you look forward to doing each day.
7. Find Hobbies That Get You Moving
Working on weight loss doesn’t have to feel like a chore when you find hobbies that help you burn calories.
Consider asking your friends to meet up for a soccer game in the park or take up hiking.
Doing fun physical activities helps you lose weight without even thinking about it.
Conclusion
Losing weight can be a challenge for anyone, but it’s especially difficult when you are still growing and developing.
The tips we’ve outlined here will help you lose weight in a healthy way that doesn’t involve starving yourself or spending hours at the gym.
By cultivating an active lifestyle, limiting your screen time, and eating a variety of different foods, you can make the process much easier on yourself.
And don’t forget to enjoy yourself along the way! There are plenty of fun physical activities to help you meet your daily exercise requirements.
Lily
Hi, I'm Lily! Like you, I have struggled with my weight. It was not an easy journey but I was able to lose 40 pounds and have kept it off for 14 years. My goal is to share with you all the research, tips, and tricks that I have learned over the years to help you lose weight also.Download this cheat sheet to learn the secrets to go from busy and out-of-shape to energetic and fit!
