Weight loss is challenging at any age, but for teenagers it can be a particularly difficult struggle. Not only do teenagers face long-term health implications from being overweight, but their peers also may ridicule them, and they may feel self-conscious about their weight, looks and how their clothes fit. Researchers in the departments of pediatrics and psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, studied different methods of weight loss for teens, and determined three strategies discussed here that appear most effective. For parents hoping to encourage their teens, the Mayo Clinic states that encouraging your teen to resist the urge for a quick fix and discouraging them from aiming for an unrealistically low weight are effective actions.
Increase Activity
Sixty minutes of activity daily is the current recommendation for teenagers, according to the Mayo Clinic. This recommendation closely aligns with the research conducted at UC San Diego, which found that teens that increased their amount of activity were more likely to lose weight successfully. The increased activity could include walking more, walking more quickly, or participating in team sports or on recreation leagues.
Reduce Soda Consumption
Weight loss is a simple math equation, where you consume fewer calories than you burn. For teenagers, one of the most effective ways to cut calories is to reduce soda consumption. While the study from UC San Diego points out several ways of cutting calories, such as eating more fruits and vegetables, eating less junk food and drinking more water, the one habit that they picked as being the most significant for weight loss for teenagers was drinking less soda.
Self-Weigh
An obsession with the scale is never healthy, but the researchers at UC San Diego found that teens who weighed themselves once a week were more likely to lose weight than those who weighed themselves once a month. Self-weighing has a variety of benefits, including allowing you to notice small losses and helping you stay on track with your weight loss plan, because you know that you will be stepping on the scale again soon.
Ineffective Methods
Unfortunately, teens sometimes resort to unhealthy methods of weight loss. These methods include using laxatives or diuretics, smoking, or fasting. Fortunately, the study on teens and weight loss conducted at UC San Diego found that these unhealthy behaviors were not effective at either short- or long-term weight loss. The study also found that extreme changes to the diet and rigidly structured diet plans were ineffective.
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