If your teen struggles with weight gain, she has something in common with 15 percent of children and teens in the United States. Children struggling with weight issues are at higher risk for diabetes, high blood pressure and some forms of cancer as adults. Losing the weight during the teenage years will reduce health risks and create healthy lifestyle changes.
Regular Physical Activity
Encourage your teen to schedule regular physical activity to burn calories and lose weight. Your teen needs at least 60 minutes of activity daily. At least three of those days need to include vigorous activity, such as running or jumping rope. These activities also strengthen your teen's bones, which is important during her teen years. Schedule at least three sessions of strength training for your teen as well. These movements build stronger muscles, allowing your teen's body to burn more calories daily. Talk with your child's doctor about a strength training program that includes lifting light weights.
Healthy Food Choices
Get rid of unhealthy foods in the house, such as chips, crackers and cookies, to eliminate temptations. Fill your home with healthy low calorie foods for your teen, like fruits, vegetables and whole-grain products. Select lean sources of protein, like skinless chicken, salmon and nuts. Low-fat dairy options, such as yogurt and cottage cheese are a few more options. Also, encourage your teen to select healthy fat choices, like olives, peanut butter and vegetable oil.
Eat Breakfast
If your teen skips breakfast she is missing out on an opportunity to boost metabolism. Eating in the morning jump starts your teen's metabolism and provides more energy throughout the day. He is also less likely to eat more latter in the day, which promotes weight loss. Breakfast doesn't need to be a huge meal. Whole-wheat toast, string cheese or even a hand full of nuts is enough to get your teen's metabolism moving.
Snack Smarter
Your teen might be adding hundreds of calories to her diet through snacking. Encourage your teen to skip school vending machines and pack healthy snack options instead. Healthy snacks, like frozen grapes, baby carrots, low-fat yogurt, whole wheat pretzels and string cheese are a few options. Pre-package these items in single serving bags, allowing your child to quickly grab a healthy snack. Also, help your teen start reading nutritional labels. For example, if she eats a whole-wheat muffin, there might be two serving sizes in the muffin. If she eats the entire muffin, rather than half, she'll intake double the calories. This adds up over time.
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