If you've decided that you're unhappy with your current weight and appearance, you're going to have to come to grips with the fact that there is only one way to lose weight -- burn more calories than you put into your body. There are many ways to go about this, but the most effective way is to eat healthy foods and get moving.
Put Down the Game Controller
Getting active means that you're going to have to get off the couch and get moving. The most effective way of changing your lifestyle is to find an activity that you enjoy and start participating regularly. You can take up jogging, swimming or team sports, but the bottom line is that you're going to have to sweat to lose weight. Try to get 2-1/2 hours of exercise a week. You'll soon see a difference in the mirror.
Eat Healthy Foods
Like the rest of us, teens like pizza and fast food, but unfortunately these foods tend don't provide much lean nutrition, and they are loaded with fats and calories. Rather than stopping off for pizza, go for a walk and munch on an apple or some grapes. If you eat even 100 calories a day more than you're burning, you will gain 10 lbs. in a year, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
Lift Something
Strength training does more than just make your muscles bigger. By incorporating some resistance training into your lifestyle, you can help your body burn calories more efficiently, making it harder for those excess calories to be stored as fat. You don't need an expensive gym membership to start strength training. Do some pushups, situps and squats instead of picking up the video game controller as soon as you get home.
Set Realistic Goals for Yourself
Accomplishing goals helps to motivate you to stay with your healthy lifestyle changes. You may look at yourself in the mirror and say, "I need to lose some weight," but this does little to motivate you. Try setting a goal of losing just 1 lb. a week or eating two healthy meals today rather than those four slices of pizza. Go for a 30-minute walk after dinner and before tackling your homework. When you reach your goal this week, it's much easier to continue your healthy lifestyle changes next week.
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