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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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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