Losing weight can be difficult for preteens, especially when you have little or no say over what meals you eat at lunch or at home. According to MayoClinic.com, losing weight requires a calorie deficit between the foods you eat and the amount of exercise and physical activity you get. To make real changes in your body weight, you will need to rethink some of the foods and drinks you consume while increasing the time you spend exercising or playing outdoors.
Step 1
Cut out most sugary snacks, junk foods and soft drinks, and replace them with healthier alternatives like nuts, yogurt, fruits and veggies. It sounds hard, but avoiding even one 32-oz. Coke can save you 400 calories, or roughly a quarter of what you need to eat in a day. Start small by replacing one junk-food treat with a low-calorie option, such as an apple or banana, and gradually get rid of all those fattening empty calories.
Step 2
Make your own lunches as an alternative to high-calorie school lunches. Ask your parents to wake you early, or prepare your meal before you go to bed the night before. Good lunch choices include veggie wraps, whole grains, soups and salads. Talk to your parents about your desire to lose weight and devise a family strategy to support your new healthy diet.
Step 3
Get outdoors. Join an after-school sports, cross-country or other athletic group to stay active during the day. As a preteen, your metabolism is geared to burn fat for you, so long as you stay active. Resist the urge to turn on the computer or TV when you get home by planning play dates with your friends that keep you physically engaged in the afternoon.
Step 4
Create a food diary for writing down everything you eat during the day along with its caloric value to help keep an eye on your eating habits. Include any and all meals, snacks and beverages you consume during the day, and always be honest. You get extra credit for researching the calories you burn off with exercise during the day, resulting in the total number of calories you have in deficit at the end of each day.
Tips and Warnings
- To burn 1 lb. of fat, you'll need to have a calorie deficit of 3,500 -- that's a lot of calories! Calculate your daily caloric deficit to determine how many pounds you will lose each week. For example, if you have a deficit of 150 calories, it will take 23 days to burn a single pound.
- Resist the urge to stop eating altogether, which could result in problems with your fat-burning metabolic processes. Always talk to your doctor or school nurse before beginning a diet, to make sure you are getting enough calories to stay healthy.
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