Teenager’s Tips for Losing Weight

Maintaining a healthy weight is important at any age, whether you are an adult with medical conditions, or a teenager looking to get out of the habit of eating greasy burgers and fries.  Your weight can impact your overall self-esteem, activity levels and study skills, not to mention your personal and relationship abilities. 

If you are a teenager looking to achieve weight loss, there are plenty of options to doing it in a healthy way, if you follow a few simple rules.

Rule #1: Remember Diet Pills Don’t Work

One thing that is absolutely essential to realize is that diet pills are not the answer for weight loss, besides the fact that they just don’t work.  Many diet pills are completely unregulated, and can wreak havoc on your body, damage your metabolism, create dehydration, prevent you from eating properly, and even put too much stress on your internal organs. 

When you take a diet pill, your heart rate will increase, you’ll feel jumpy and strange, and you will definitely notice a change in your behavior.  At best, they will stimulate you to become a little more active for a short time by overclocking your system.  At worse, they’ll dehydrate you, give you diarrhea, and even cause cumulative organ damage.  Your body is still growing and developing, and it is important to avoid medications that are unhealthy.

Rule #2: Learn What Makes a Good Healthy Diet

Ideally, diet and exercise are the best methods for weight loss, but even these must be done properly.  Diet is essential to good health, but it doesn’t mean just not eating.  A good diet means taking in fruits and veggies, and avoiding foods that are high in fats and oils, such as fried and fast foods.  Opt for turkey sandwiches, flavorful salads, soups, sweet potatoes, and even tea.  It’s OK to eat foods that are not 100 percent healthy, but do it all in moderation. 

While you are still growing you should never cut carbs.  Carbs give you energy, and a carb-free diet will lead to you feeling sluggish and tired all the time. It will also (ahem) give you constipation, as carbs are your main source of fiber – that wonderful stuff that keeps your insides moving and lets you spend less time in the restroom each day.

Rule #3: Exercise, Exercise, Exercise

Weight loss also means exercising and burning off more calories than you are taking in.  Always be careful not to overdo it, but shoot for 30 minutes to an hour of cardio or resistance exercise each day throughout the week.  You don’t have to join a gym, just go outside and walk for an hour a day, jog for 30 minutes, or run for 15 minutes.  It’s not brain surgery.  Exercising should keep your metabolism going, while encouraging weight loss in ways that are healthy and safe for your growing body.