The teenage years are a tough time to be different, since peers can be less than kind. Many teenagers have body image problems, either due to the changes brought on by puberty or because they have not learned how to keep themselves healthy. Some teenagers struggle with their weight and want to do whatever they can to get healthy and lose a few excess pounds. The best and quickest way for a teenager to lose weight is to make a few small changes to his diet and daily routine.
Supportive Parents
It can be tough to be an overweight teenager and, more likely than not, your teenager won’t benefit from being constantly nagged and picked on by his parents. You may want your child to lose weight quickly as much as he does, but being overbearing can have the opposite effect. The best way to help your teenager lose weight is to be supportive and to model healthy behavior. For instance, eat fruit as a snack or offer to go for a bike ride or walk with your child.
Features of a Weight Loss Diet
To lose weight, a teenager needs to use more calories than she consumes. One quick way your teenager can lose weight is by making simple swaps in her diet. For instance, she can cut out between 100 and 300 calories a day by drinking seltzer or water, instead of soda. She can also eliminate a few calories by eating cut-up vegetables or a piece of fruit for a snack, instead of a candy bar or bag of chips.
Considerations
Maintaining regular meals is another aspect of losing weight. According to KidsHealth, teenagers who eat breakfast regularly tend to have a lower body mass index than those who do not. Sticking with a regular meal schedule can prevent teenagers from eating too much at any one meal. Teenagers should also become more aware of their portion sizes to lose weight. One way a teenager can make sure he isn’t eating too much at a time is to use measuring cups or to put half his meal in a to-go bag before he begins to eat while dining out.
Misconceptions
Losing weight does not necessarily mean eliminating all sweets and treats from a teenager’s diet. Teenagers can still lose weight quickly without completely cutting out the foods they enjoy eating. They may reach their weight loss goals faster if they allow themselves the occasional special dessert or snack, since they will not feel so restricted and are less likely to binge on unhealthy foods.
Warnings
Single food diets, juice fasts and other “miracle” diets may all seem like quick and easy ways for a teenager to lose weight. Unfortunately, it’s unhealthy and can be dangerous to sustain such diets for a long period of time, especially for teenagers who are still growing. When a teenager fasts or eats only grapefruit for a certain amount of time, she denies her body the nutrients it needs to grow and develop properly. Fad diets can also set a teenager up for failure. She may lose a lot of weight in a short period of time, but she is likely to gain it all back in an even shorter amount of time, when she returns to her old eating habits.
