A Guide on How to Lose Weight for Teens (Extra bonus tip)

Introduction- How to Lose Weight for Teens

Nowadays, a lot of teenagers are struggling with their weight. There are many methods to lose weight. Dieting, working out, and exercising are some of the most common. However, there are some more methods that teens need to consider.

Finding a healthy and safe way to lose weight can be hard; this is especially true for teens. Teens are faced with so many challenges that they may not know where to start.

This article is a guide that will provide you with some helpful tips, advice, and information on how to lose weight in teens and keep it off.

Here are 11 steps that can help teens lose weight–

Losing weight is often a struggle for teens. Teens often have a hard time finding the motivation to work out, and many teens are more interested in spending time hanging out with friends than working out which is good but if you are an overweight kid then you should try to lose weight and become healthier.

There are some ways that can help you as a teen to lose weight. Here are 12 steps that can help teens lose weight quickly and effectively-

1. Eating healthy

Many teens have trouble losing weight, but there are some easy ways to shed some pounds. The first and in some cases the most important step is to eat healthily. This means making sure that your diet is balanced, including eating fruits and vegetables and drinking a lot of water [1].

Research has also shown that eating an unhealthy diet in teenagers can result in many health-compromising behaviors like substance use, smoking, and unprotected sex [1].

Eating a healthy low calorie diet with low fat or carbs content is extremely important and will always remain one of the most important steps to losing weight [2].

2. Exercising

Even though it may seem difficult, teens can lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle. There are many ways to lose weight and many ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The most effective way to lose weight is to exercise.

Not only does exercising help to lose weight, but it also helps to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Both teens and adults need to exercise. It helps to burn calories, help manage stress, and build self-esteem [3, 4].

Exercise alone has been shown to improve the cardiometabolic health of obese youth, even without weight loss [5].

There are a lot of different exercises that teens can do. The most effective way to lose weight is to incorporate a combination of both cardio and weight training. This will help to build muscle mass and burn fat.

3. Take out processed foods from your diet

Processed foods are generally high in sugar, fat, and calories. None of those would work in your favor if you are trying to lose weight. And that’s not it they are also highly addicting which makes you want more and more. They can even worsen your cardiometabolic health [6, 7].

When you are looking to lose weight you want nutrients from the foods you eat to lose weight but processed foods lack nutrients.

It’s ok to enjoy processed foods occasionally but they should not be taken regularly as they are having more cons than pros when it comes to how healthy they are.

4. Drink More Water

Now, this is a thing everyone has heard a lot of times, but many people still do follow that. A minimum of 8 glasses of water per day is recommended but it may vary from person to person.

Drinking more water can help you stay healthy overall and lose weight. Especially, when you replace water with sweet drinks, soda, etc [8].

5. Get Adequate Sleep 

Getting adequate sleep is another important step to losing weight. A study states that less sleep is linked with weight gain [9, 10].

Good sleep boosts metabolism which then helps in weight loss.

Another study suggests that teens need more sleep than adults as they are in a time period of physical, intellectual, and emotional growth. Thus, sleeping adequately is another thing that teens should focus on to achieve weight loss [11].

6. Follow a calorie deficit

A calorie deficit occurs when you burn more calories than you consume and that thing simply leads to weight loss. For example, if you eat 1500 calories and burn 2000 calories that means you are in a 500-calorie deficit.

Following a calorie deficit regularly can help you lose weight. Evidence states that calorie deficit is the independent method for weight loss [12].

7. Boost your Metabolism

The more your metabolic rate is, the more calories you can burn. Hence, easier it is to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight. Someone with a slow metabolism will gain weight quicker than someone with a fast metabolism. Higher metabolism can help you lose weight even when you rest [13].

Some common ways to increase metabolism are-

Eat enough protein, Get adequate sleep, Do HIIT cardio workouts, Try resistance training, drink green tea, and more.

8. Eat more protein

Foods rich in protein increase satiety, keep you full for longer and help avoid overeating. A high-protein diet can help build lean muscle mass when combined with working out and eating healthy [14].

Protein can help you burn more calories and also increase metabolism. Thus, protein should be included in your diet as it can help you achieve weight loss or any other fitness goal.

9. Don’t skip fats totally

A study states that as children’s and teens’ bodies are still developing they do need more fat than adults. Cutting fats totally can have a negative impact on your growth and weight loss progress [15].

Instead of removing fats completely from your diet try to focus on substituting unhealthy fats for healthy fats. Healthy fats are unsaturated fats that include vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, etc.

10. Don’t Skip Meals 

Many people think if they skip a meal, they will eliminate the number of calories of that meal, and thus, it will help them to lose weight.

When you skip a meal you get overly hungry for the next one and you end up eating more than you should. Some studies state that teens who skip a meal are more likely to become obese than teens who don’t.

Skipping a meal also lowers your energy levels which can affect your physical activity and overall productivity. Thus, affecting your weight loss goals.

11. Manage your stress levels

Stress is harmful to our health. Stress can affect your ability to maintain a healthy weight or to lose weight quickly. Research states that increased stress levels can lead to weight gain over time [16, 17].

Best practices to manage stress levels include yoga, meditation, listening to music, etc.

The Bonus Tip – Set Realistic Goals

One of the most important elements for achieving success in terms of weight loss is setting realistic and achievable weight goals. Having a realistic goal can prevent demotivation and hence, leads to a more motivated approach toward weight loss.

No one can lose a lot of weight in just a few weeks. It’s a long-term and slow process that’s why setting realistic goals is a better approach.

Summary- How to Lose Weight for Teens

We hope you enjoyed our blog post on how to lose weight for teens. We know that it can be difficult to lose weight as a teenager because you might be too busy with activities and school, so we wanted to provide some simple tips that will help you lose weight quickly and efficiently.  

Remember, the foundation of weight loss is a healthy calorie-managed diet with increased physical activity. Following these tips and some of the ones listed above can help you achieve weight loss.

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References

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