If your doctor has told you that you're overweight, resist the temptation to lose weight with pills or diet plans that recommend cutting carbs for "instant weight loss." Teenagers who follow crash diets or other extreme methods tend to gain all their weight back because they aren't committed to making lifelong changes, according to the Nemours Foundation. Diets for overweight teenagers should focus on goals that are both healthy and realistic.
Daily Calories
Most teenage girls need between 1,600 and 2,400 calories per day and most teenage boys need between 1,800 and 3,200 calories per day, according to MayoClinic.com. The ranges are broad because teens grow at different paces and engage in dramatically different levels of physical activity. For example, an older teenage boy who is active in sports is more likely to need calories on the higher end of the range than a sedentary teenager. If you're more of a couch potato and you're eating 3,200 calories a day, your doctor may recommend losing a healthy 1 to 2 lbs. per week by ditching 500 to 1,000 calories per day.
Calorie Breakdown
Your daily protein intake should be between 10 and 30 percent of your daily calories, your daily intake of carbohydrates should be 45 to 65 percent and your total daily fat intake should be 25 to 35 percent, according to MayoClinic.com. Most of the protein you take in should be low-fat sources such as beans, chicken, fish and nuts, according to MyPyramid.gov. Also, most of your carbohydrates should be complex carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains; complex carbohydrates are higher in nutrients such as fiber, which will help keep you full so you don't overeat. Not all fats were created equal, either. Focus on eating heart-healthy fats such as fish, nuts, avocado and vegetable oil. Limit your saturated fats--found in mostly animal products--to under 7 percent of your daily calories and your trans fats--commonly found in fried foods and boxed baked goods--to under 1 percent, recommends the American Heart Association.
Frequent Eating
All healthy diets for teenagers involve nutritious breakfasts. Breakfast will give you an early morning metabolism boost, give you the energy you need to get through classes and reduce your chances of overeating later in the day, according to MayoClinic.com. Lunch and dinner are also important, but you may not realize how significant snacking can be. Eating junky snacks can get in the way of your weight loss, but healthy snacks such as carrot sticks and whole-grain pretzels can actually help you lose weight because they help prevent you from eating too many calories at meals, according to the Nemours Foundation.
Gradual Changes
Diets should encourage overweight teenagers to make gradual healthy changes, not dramatic changes that are nearly impossible to keep up for life. A healthy diet might, for example, recommend starting out by eliminating one soda per day to avoid 150 unnecessary calories. It may also recommend replacing unhealthy cooking methods such as frying with healthier methods such as grilling and boiling.
Healthy Tips
Your diet should also focus on your eating habits, not just what you put in your mouth. For example, you may be able to cut out unnecessary calories by turning off the television while you eat, pacing yourself during meals and waiting 20 minutes for fullness to set in before you decide you need another serving, according to the Center for Young Women's Health. Then, if you're still hungry, eat another serving of vegetables and have fresh fruit for dessert.
Member Comments