Many teen girls begin feeling unhappy with their weight once they start going through physical changes that occur in all adolescents. Not all 13-year-old girls actually need to lose weight, but weight problems are increasingly common in teens. Trying to lose weight quickly by working out too hard, taking weight-loss pills or following a fad diet may rob your growing body of important nutrients and can make you sick, warns MayoClinic.com. However making some easy habit changes will help you reach and maintain a healthier weight.
Getting Medical Advice
Ask your mom or dad to set up an doctor's appointment for you so that you can discuss your weight with someone who is knowledgeable. Your doctor will help you determine whether you truly need to lose weight by checking out a growth chart and comparing your weight with averages for all 13-year-old girls. She will then assign a percentile to you based on where you stand in comparison. Your doctor may suggest that you try some healthy weight-loss techniques if your rank at or above the 85th percentile for 13-year-old girls.
Healthier Food and Drinks
Ask your family to join you in making healthier dietary decisions. Your folks can help you reach a healthier weight by buying more fruits and vegetables, skipping past the junk food aisle more frequently and cooking nutritious meals more than buying fast food. Tell them that 13-year-old girls should be getting five servings of vegetables and fruits each day and explain that whole grains such as whole wheat bread and oatmeal can help you stay full better than refined grains such as white rice. In the end, however, you are responsible for making healthy eating choices. Start small to reduce your chances of quitting. For example, eat a bag of frozen grapes as a midday snack rather than going to the vending machine. Also, save soda as a treat at parties but drink water and low-fat milk most of the time.
Healthier Eating Habits
Eating choices such as when and how you eat are just as important as the type of food eat. For instance, skipping breakfast can lead teens to eat too many calories later in the day, but eating breakfast offers an energy boost for the beginning of the school day, according to MayoClinic.com. Also, eating while distracted by a television or a phone call with a girlfriend can cause you to lose track of your hunger level and cause you to eat more than you need. Eat each meal gradually and thoughtfully -- for at least 10 minutes -- to give your brain time to send "full" signals to your stomach before you pile on another serving. If you're tempted to eat more, grab a piece of fruit rather than a bag of chips.
Active Lifestyle
Exercise helps you burn off extra calories to help you lose weight. Most 13-year-old girls need about 60 minutes of exercise per day, but "exercise" can mean any extra physical activity that gets your pulse rate up. If you're not into cheerleading, playing basketball or running on a treadmill, get more active by skating or biking to school and walking around the mall with your friends rather than just talking to them online.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Teen Weight Loss: Healthy Habits Count
- The Nemours Foundation: Finding a Healthy Weight
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Healthy Weight: About BMI for Children and Teens
- "Seventeen" magazine; The Six Secret Reasons You're Struggling With Your Weight
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Childhood Obesity
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