The secret to weight loss at any age is burning more calories than you take in. Specifically, if you want to lose a pound a week you need to burn 3,500 calories more than you eat in a week. For teenagers this can be difficult due to poor snacking habits and the tendency to spend the majority of after school hours sitting on a couch watching TV. And this has lead to an increasing problem in teenage obesity. Losing more than 2 lbs. a week is not considered healthy.
Exercise
Every teenager should get 60 minutes of physical activity a day -- but this activity does not have to be done all at once. Even activities such as household chores and walking the dog can count toward this 60 minutes. Try to make it enjoyable so that you are encouraged to stick with it. Consider joining a sports team at your school or work out with a friend to make your time more inspiring. You can even use video games that require activity such as Nintendo Wii to burn calories. A 160 lb. person burns about 500 to 700 calories per hour of exercise. This means you need about five to seven hours of exercise a week to burn a pound. If you want to lose more than a pound a week, cut back on calories and focus on nutrition too.
Nutrition
You can't rely solely on physical activity for weight loss. You need to eat a healthy diet too. Start with a healthy breakfast to get your metabolism going in the morning and to get enough energy for the day. Try cereal with fiber in it because fiber will make you feel fuller and prevent you from mid-morning snacking. When you do need a snack, pick a healthy option such as fresh fruit, vegetables, low-fat yogurt, pretzels or string cheese. Take in plenty of low-fat protein sources such as low-fat cheese and lean meat.
Be Patient
Do not go for a quick fix. Set realistic weight loss goals so that you do not get frustrated if you don't see immediate results. Weight loss requires consistent lifestyle changes such as not snacking in front of the TV, taking the stairs instead of the elevator or walking to school instead of driving. These changes need to be permanent. If you stop exercising once you reach your goal weight, the weight is likely to return. Because teens are still growing, they should avoid fad diets -- which often do not call for enough iron, calcium or other essential nutrients.
Realistic Expectations
Teenagers are exposed to many unrealistic body images in the media. Talk to your doctor about a healthy weight and body mass index for you and your body type. Then aim for that and do not compare yourself to the models or actors shown in the media. Letting media images make you feel bad about your weight can lead to anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or a binge-eating disorder.
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