There’s no way to spot reduce belly fat in teens -- or anyone else, for that matter. Exercises that target your midsection don’t do much to burn fat. Instead, you need to reduce your body fat percentage if you’re looking to trim your waistline. Change your diet and level of physical activity for some of the easiest and most effective ways to shed abdominal fat.
Diet
Incorporating more nutrient-rich foods into your diet can help you shed weight, as well as belly fat. Eat such nutritious foods as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products; since they tend to be relatively low in calories, such foods can help reduce your caloric intake. You must create a caloric deficit to lose weight; for instance, it takes a 3,500-calorie deficit to lose 1 lb. of fat.
Portions
Complement a nutrient-rich diet with smaller portion sizes. This strategy lets you eat the foods you enjoy, just less of them. Like eating healthier foods, reducing the size of your meals and snacks will help you reach the caloric deficit you need for weight loss.
Fast Food
Limit your fast food intake -- this can go a long way toward trimming your waistline. Fast food restaurants often super sized their products, which tend to be high in fat. The larger portion sizes increase your caloric intake, as do the high-fat foods. For instance, a single gram of fat contains about 9 calories, whereas 1 g of carbohydrates or protein contains only 4 calories.
Empty Calories
Cut calorie-laden drinks from your diet. Energy drinks, sports drinks, specialty coffees and even fruit juices do nothing to satiate your hunger, so you essentially waste these calories. For example, a can of soda contains roughly 150 calories; a can a day equates to a gain of more than 15 lb. a year.
Breakfast
Eat breakfast every day, even if you’re trying to cut calories from your diet. In fact, this weight loss tip applies to every age group. Skipping breakfast can lead to overeating later in the day, which may increase your caloric intake and sabotage your weight loss goals.
Exercise
Increasing your physical activity can make it a little easier for you to shed excess pounds. Besides the fact that teens need at least 60 minutes of aerobic activity each day, you'll expend more energy than normal during exercise. This helps you burn more calories, in addition to those cut from your diet. Swimming, biking, jogging or simply walking can help shrink your waistline.
Sports
Get involved with a competitive sport if you’re not interested in exercise or prefer group activities. Such athletic pursuits as basketball, tennis, racquetball, rugby, football and volleyball increase your energy expenditure, which burns calories and helps you lose belly fat.
Strength Training
Incorporate strength training into your workout routines. Strength training improves your endurance, strength and fitness while building muscle. Adding muscle boosts your metabolism, largely due to the fact that muscle burns more calories at rest than fat.
Screen Time
Limit your screen time for another way to lose weight. Watching TV, playing video games and surfing the Internet all have their place in your life, but restrict yourself to smaller doses than usual for teens. For example, rather than sitting down to watch a movie, hop on your bike and take a ride around your neighborhood.
Family
It isn’t always enough to switch to healthy eating habits and add more physical activity. Get your family and friends involved with these lifestyle changes. This will make it that much easier for you to lose the belly weight.
References
- Mayo Clinic; Teen Weight Loss: Healthy Habits Count; November 2009
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; A Growing Problem: What Causes Childhood Obesity?; April 2011
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services: Childhood Obesity
- American Council on Exercise; Why is the Concept of Spot Reduction Considered a Myth?; Cedric X. Bryant; January/February 2004
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