Teenagers are inundated with images of pop stars that have been crash dieting and super skinny models in magazines, on the Internet and on television. This is one reason why so many teens have a poor body image and wish they could lose weight. Crash dieting is not the way to go, because most people who crash diet gain all the weight back plus more when they give it up. Those types of diets are not healthy and impossible to keep up long-term. Instead, teens should stick to basic health advice to lose weight and keep it off.
Step 1
Inform your parents about your goal to get healthy and lose a few pounds. See if they'll support you by purchasing healthier snacks and making healthier dinners.
Step 2
Plan a healthy dinner for your family after you've gotten your parents on board once a week and cook it. Learning to cook healthy meals is a long-term approach to losing weight. If you don't have any experience in the kitchen, ask one of your parents or friends to help you.
Step 3
Carry a couple of healthy snacks you can eat in between meals or if you're an hour late for dinner, so you don't fall into a diet pit. Many teens grab fast food and unhealthy food items, because they want something fast. Some healthy snacks include apples, carrot sticks, a handful of almonds and yogurt.
Step 4
Pair up with a friend who also wants to lose weight after you've gotten support from your parents. Keep each other accountable by checking in with each other once a day to discuss healthy foods that you ate, go walking together after school and meet up to exercise on the weekends. Sign up for an exercise class together like kickboxing or salsa dancing.
Step 5
Spend an hour or two searching the Internet to find recipes that have ingredients that you already know that you like and try them out on the weekends. There are millions of healthy recipes out there that can help you lose weight.
Tips and Warnings
- See your doctor to determine your healthy weight and to make sure you can start a new exercise and dieting plan. Pick one thing to change at a time. Instead of overwhelming yourself by trying to cut out all white carbohydrates, exercising every day and watching every bite you eat, start by cutting out soda or reducing your portions by a fourth.
- Don't beat yourself up if you give in to temptation and have a slice of pizza or a cheeseburger with friends. In fact, if you ban certain foods from your diet, you're more likely to crave them and eat way more than you should when you finally allow yourself to have them. Plan a couple of "cheat" meals each week.
Things You'll Need
- Healthy snacks
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