Obesity and unwanted weight gain are problems that afflict many teens. Being overweight may lead to self-esteem problems in teens, as well as developing health related problems such as type 2 diabetes or high cholesterol. You can take steps to achieve a healthy weight and you can start by learning quick and easy ways to lose weight. Once you begin to take control over your weight, you'll achieve weight loss success.
Involve Family Members
Losing weight as a teen can be harder if those around you are still eating high calorie or high fat foods. Your control over what types of foods are available to you for snacking or meals is most likely outside of your control, unless you do the grocery shopping for the family. Therefore, getting your family involved in your weight loss can be beneficial. Ask your family if they will help you lose weight by eating healthier with you.
Restock
Help your parents restock the kitchen with healthier foods. Discuss what healthy foods you want to try and go shopping for these healthier foods with your parents. Possible healthy foods to buy include fruits, vegetables, whole grain products, beans and nuts. Remove all the unhealthy, high fat, high calorie and highly processed foods from your kitchen cabinet.
Partner Up
Find an exercise partner, whether it is your mom, your sibling or a friend. Set goals to exercise with each other throughout the week. Having this exercise partner will help keep you motivated to continue. You can do things such as going walking together before school or work out together at the gym after school. According to MayoClinic.com, you need at least 60 minutes of exercise each day.
Skip the Sugary Drinks
Sugary drinks can add unwanted calories without you being aware of how many calories they are adding. Each can of sugary soda contains about 150 calories and larger drinks contain more calories. Other drinks such as juices and sports drinks are also culprits of adding unwanted calories to your diet. By eliminating as little as 100 calories of sugar drinks a day you can lose a pound of fat over the next month. By reducing your sugar drink intake even further you can experience significant weight loss.
Make Fiber Your Friend
Fiber rich foods will help you lose weight because they are generally lower in calories and the fiber fills you up and keeps you feeling full for longer periods of time. Eat high-fiber foods throughout each day such as oatmeal, whole grain pasta, fruits, vegetables, brown rice and quinoa.
Don't Skip Meals
Skipping meals can slow down your metabolism and cause you to binge at the next meal. Eat every meal, especially breakfast. According to Teens Health.org, teens that regularly skip breakfast tend to have higher body mass index than those who eat breakfast.
Cut Down Your Meal Size
Instead of counting calories, you can simply reduce your calorie intake by leaving some food from every meal uneaten. Leave a fourth of every meal on your plate, uneaten. This will reduce your calorie intake. Be sure not to leave the fruits or vegetables uneaten -- instead leave the higher calorie portions of the meal.
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