Teenage weight loss is crucial for an overweight teen. A healthy weight is important for overall health and can help in preventing and controlling many diseases and conditions. Teen should be healthy to avoid risk factors for overweight. Losing excess body fat will improve health, boost self-esteem and confidence.
What is a healthy weight for teenagers?
BMI (body mass index) is calculated by estimating how much body fat a teen has based on weight and height. The doctor checks BMI at all routine checkups. Due to changes with age, doctors plot BMI measurements on standard gender-specific growth charts.
Healthy weight according to BMI considered as equal to or greater than the 5th percentile and less than the 85th percentile for age, gender, and height.
Why is having a healthy weight important?
Maintaining a healthy weight is important for health because it lowers the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, and cholesterol. Teenage weight loss can also lower the risk of many different cancers.
Avoid watching tv during meals and skipping sugary drinks can be done to maintain a healthy weight and also aid teenage weight loss.
How to lose weight as a teenager?
Starting a weight-management program like a change in eating habits (eating slowly, developing a routine) and plan meals will help in teenage weight loss.
- Eat healthily and prioritize fruits and vegetables. Cut down food items high in sugar, fat, and calories.
- Limit sweetened beverages like fruit juices and sodas. These drinks provide little nutritional value in exchange for high calories.
- Avoid fast foods high in fat and calories.
- Sit down together for family meals and avoid watching tv while having food.
- Serve appropriate portion sizes food to teens and not as much serving as adults.
- Limit tv, video games, and mobile time. Instead, increase physical activity to moderate activity for at least an hour a day.
- Have proper sleep.
- Discourage dieting and skipping meals.
- Stay hydrated by consuming healthy fluids.
- Medications and weight loss surgery are also options.
The best diet for a teenage weight loss
A healthy diet should consist of more healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, and many more. Also, cut down on any kind of sweet or sugar food such as candy or ice cream.
Teens need enough calories to keep the bodies running well. Any diet which doesn’t provide enough calories and important nutrients can be harmful. Extreme low-fat diets can also be bad. Everyone needs some fat in the diet, therefore don’t eat a completely fat-free diet.
Don’t fall for diets that restrict food groups. A diet that says no carbs like bread or pasta or tells to eat only fruit is unhealthy. It has no vitamins and minerals present. And although one may lose weight at first, these diets don’t usually work in the long run.
Apart from dieting, exercise daily with also help. Be active every day by playing sports in school.
Some great diets to find good health is –
- Drink fat-free, low-fat milk or water instead of sugary drinks
- Eat at least five servings a day of fruits and vegetables
- Choose a variety of protein foods like lean meat and poultry, seafood, beans, soy products, and nuts
- Eat whole grains like whole-wheat bread, brown rice, and oatmeal which provide fiber
- Eat breakfast before going out or school
- Don’t take diet pills or supplements
Weight loss pills for teens, are they good?
Weight loss pills are not good for teenagers due to the presence of toxic chemicals in the supplements. It can have side effects like increased heart rate, fainting, unusual bleeding, and heart attacks. Always contact the doctor before taking medications or pills. Instead, there are other ways to lose weight like dietary modification and exercise.
When to see a doctor for teenage weight loss
If you are worried that the teen is putting on too much weight, talk to the doctor. The doctor will consider the teen’s history of growth and development, the family’s weigh-for-height history, and where the teen lands on the growth charts. This can help determine if the teen’s weight is in an unhealthy range.
Conclusion
It is important for teens to lose weight the healthy way by making simple diet and lifestyle changes that will nourish growing bodies and can be followed long term. Always contact a doctor or nutrition specialist for a proper diet chart.
References –
- how to lose weight fast: an ultimate guide for teens | nutrition realm
- take charge of your health: a guide for teenagers | niddk (nih.gov)
