There seem to be so many websites and books with dieting tips for adults, but very few with dieting tips for teens. It doesn’t make sense, though, since if you learn a healthy diet while you’re a teen, you’re more likely to be at a healthy weight as an adult, right? Here are 10 dieting tips for teens, all geared toward helping you form healthy lifestyle habits for life.
1. Learn the Math
Losing weight really is as simple as a math equation. To lose weight, the calories you eat must be LESS THAN the calories you burn (through exercise). Keep track of how many calories you eat, and subtract the calories you burn, to see if the equation is working in your favor. If not, adjust. Take a few calories away from what you eat, and add a little more exercise.
2. Try for Five
Did you know that you’re supposed to be eating five servings of fruits and veggies each day? Most of us aren’t though, are we? This is one of the easiest dieting tips for teens: try your best to eat those five servings of fresh fruits and veggies each day… you won’t have any appetite left for the junk!
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3. Turn It off!
One random day, keep track of how much time you spend on the computer or watching TV. It’s a lot of time, isn’t it? No wonder you don’t have time to work out! Turn off the computer and the TV and MAKE time for physical activity. If you just can’t tear yourself away, then at least do a physical activity that you can do while watching TV, like riding a stationary bike or using an elliptical machine. This isn’t just dieting tip for teens - this goes for adults, too!
4. Get up and Move!
Even if the TV and computer are off, you might be tempted to sit around in your room and do nothing, especially in winter. Don’t! Get up and move, girl! You’ll be surprised how quickly these extra calories you burn doing housework or chasing your dog around will add up! Plus, if you’re up moving around, you’re a lot less likely to eat junk food snacks.
5. Find a Friend
If you’re serious about losing weight, then enlist the help of a friend who wants to lose weight, too. Dieting tips for teens are a lot easier to stick to if you have a friend to encourage you… and bonus! You’ll be helping her, too!
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6. Ditch the Frenemies
No-one will ruin your teen weight loss faster than a frenemy. If one of your friends is always trash-talking your diet plans or rolling her eyes when you share a weight loss success story, ditch her. You do NOT need the negativity!
7. Know Your Body
I actually think most dieting tips for teens forget this, and maybe you have too: your body is still developing. I was thin as a rail, growing a foot almost overnight, while my sister didn’t hit a growth spurt til much later… she felt chubby even though she just wasn’t done growing yet. Be patient. Your body is still growing.
8. Skip the Soda
Did you know a bottle of soda contains TWO servings, not one, and that each serving contains 120 calories, most of which comes from sugar in the form of nasty high fructose corn syrup? That’s not how you want to use your calories for the day! Ditch the soda and stick to no-sugar added mixed fruit juices, green tea with no sugar or high fructose corn syrup, or water with lemon, instead.
9. Forget Fast Food
It’s truly this simple: fast food, aimed at busy families and especially teenagers, is terrible for you. With the exception of a few salads (without dressing), it’s loaded with fat and sodium (not to mention deadly e coli contamination!) … do yourself a teen weight loss favor and forget fast food. The same goes for prepared foods, anything that comes in a can or a box.
10. Ask for Help
If you’re trying to lose weight, and none of these diet tips for teens are helping, you really should talk to your parents and your doctor. It’s very rare, but occasionally there are medical conditions that can have an effect on your weight. Rule those out before getting frustrated. Also, a doctor or your mom can help you design a diet plan that will work for you, one that will teach you these good habits, and more.
Remember, the eating and exercise habits you learn now will stay with you for the rest of your life, so it’s important to use these dieting tips for teens now! Don’t wait! Which of these weight loss tips for teens will you use first? Or do you have another tip to share?
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Comments
Jennelle: I'm 5'1 and I'm 13 and my thyroid gland wasn't really formed when I was born. I weigh 136 pounds and my docters wirry about my weight and my metabolism. They to lose weight and I do to but in a healthy way. I'm a swimmer for team in the summers since I'm busy during the year. I love to join physical activities at school when I can. Any tips that would help? Thanks x
Alanis: How Can I Loose 20 Pounds? Im 5'3 and weigh 135 :(
Anonymous: Ok, PLEASE no one laugh. I am 13 years old (almost 14), 5'7, and I weigh around 144. Most of that is muscle and bone, (Tallness, strong big bones, and lean muscles run in my family) however, I absolutely HATE my stomach. It is the only part of my body that bothers me (I am lean everywhere else, and I have a very mature body for my age). My legs and arms are toned, I love sports, and I eat pretty healthy, but I have this layer of fat on my stomach about an inch and a half thick. I REALLY want to get rid of it before summer, but no matter how I cut my calories or exercise, I can't lose it. Any ideas Denise or Jennifer? I would really like to have it gone by summer so I can actually feel good in a bathing suit. Thank you muches! =)
Anonymous: The word "diet" is a general term meaning "what you eat". Having a poor diet might consist of fast food and fried foods. Having a good diet might be eating all the food groups, no friend food, whatever. The word diet doesn't always refer to losing weight. There aren't many diet tips for teens because teens aren't suppose to "diet" per say. You don't stop developing until into you early to mid twenties and dieting as a teenager can have negative effects on your overall health. If parents are making sure their kids are eating right and not wasting their life on video games, tv, and texting and actually getting up and doing something, like play outside or play a sport, then kids wouldn't overweight. And if they did this, they wouldn't need to diet, which for teens is very dangerous and unhealthy.
Gabby: i turned 13 about 3 weeks ago and i am 5'7 and i weigh about170 something pounds. we do an evaluation at our school. when they weighed me i was not obese but i just needed to lose weight and i want to lose it fast because my friend is going away and we are having a going away party for here at a pool. i dont want to look fat so i wanna be able to get in that bikini by june 30. do you know how i can do that? i really need to
Tolani: When it comes to the simplicity of your equation, I think you're wrong. People burn calories without exercise, in fact just when you are laying down your body is burning energy in order to carry out its normal processes. Soooo weight loss isn't really a matter of eating less calories than you burn off through physical exercise. That probably actually wouldn't be very healthy.
sansa: hi im 13, 5'6 1/1 and weigh 145lbs. I really want to become healthier and be more confident about my body. I seriously dont care about how much i weigh. I am a compulsive eater and i would like to change my lifestyle. I go running usually 5 times a week, I'm on track. I eat healthy, though in very large quantities. I don't know how to stop, even when i am full and feel horrible i want to eat more. Is there anything i can do to stop it? any tips? I feel as though the more i worry about my weight the more i gain.
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