Diet and Weight Loss Advice for Teenagers


Many teens are quite aware that they have a weight problem but are unsure how the problem occured or how to reverse it.

If you are an overweight teenager you have a big advantage over most overweight adults. You are still young, so your metabolism is higher and you will burn that fat off quicker once you start dieting and exercising.

Few teenagers are aware that their daily calorie requirements are so much higher than anyone else. For example, a very active 17 year old boy will on average require 3300 calories a day. So anyone playing competitive sports, involved in martial arts, athletics or gymnastics will need a lot more calories than active adults or their less active friends. This is 850 calories a day more than 17 year olds that do no exercise.

For teenage girls the difference is also significant. Between the ages of 14 and 18 the average sedentary girls and young women (i.e. those that do not exercise) require around 1750 calories a day.

However, very active young women need 2400 calories a day, 650 calories a day more. This is one of the reasons why so often we here young women saying “my friend eats all the time and never gains weight“. It is usually because she is much more active and her metabolism is burning 650 calories more every day.
Are Calorie Restrictive Diets Safe?

Many people are concerned that calorie restrictive diets are unsafe. There are so many horror stories about people starving themselves while trying to lose weight or people becoming anorexic that many people avoid even mentioning the word “diet” to teenagers. But dieting is essential and the only sure way to lose weight is to reduce calories.

As a general rule of thumb you need to have a calorie deficit of 1000 calories per day to lose 2 pounds per week. This means eating 1000 calories less than your daily recommended amount. Reducing calories to around 1250 per day may help you achieve this.

However, good nutrition is absolutely essential. For teenagers, whether they are maintaining weight or trying to lose weight, it is very important to have a varied diet that is very nutritious.

Ideally staple foods (bread, pasta, rice, potatoes) should be controlled well so that a lot of energy comes from a wide variety of fresh fruits, vegetables and pulses, as well as healthy proteins (fish, poultry, pulses) and healthy fats (oily fish, olive oil, seeds).
But Everyone Fails to Lose Weight on a Diet!
Lets be clear. Every single person that has ever dieting and failed to lose weight while “on a diet” has broken their diet. If you restrict calories you will lose weight.

It only takes a very small snack to go over your daily calorie limit for weight loss though. 2 glasses of juice, a sandwich, some cookies, one soda – any of those is enough to stop weight loss in its tracks. If you go on a diet, stick to it. Diet plans do not fail, dieters fail.
What Diet Should You Go On?

All humans respond more or less the same way to food. Although to lose weight you just need to restrict calories, what you eat can determine if this task is easy or hard, and whether you will be healthy or unhealthy.

Studies have shown that when you reduce intake of high GI food and eat more protein appetite is reduced. People who get 25% of their energy needs from protein feel less hungry in the evening and as a result are far less likely to snack.

If you continue to eat sugar (raw and high GI foods such as bread, cakes, cookies) then your blood sugar levels fluctuate and you feel hungry more often.

If you wish to follow a particular diet plan then there are several that are suitable, but the best ones at the moment are the Caveman Diet and the Dukan Diet. Both require you to be strict with your diet, but at the same time the diets are nutritious as they limit “empty carbs” and focus on nutritionally rich foods.
Can I just Start Exercising?

No. Exercise alone will not help you lose weight. People become overweight by eating too much food and then as a result of being overweight they become less active. To reverse weight gain you need to tackle the root cause, which is food, and not the effect, which is inactivity.

However, not exercising while trying to lose weight is a sure way to slow or stop weight loss completely if you are not totally strict with diet. Studies have shown that when people reduce calories their metabolism slows down, their body becomes more efficient as saving energy (fat).
What Exercise Should You Do?
This really depends on how overweight you are right now. If you are very obese then walking everyday to start with is probably the best option. If you have access to a treadmill, stepper or elliptical trainer then theses provide a good workout. You should aim to walk for 45 minutes a day at a brisk pace, although to start with this may be too much. Start walking about 1 mile (about 20 minutes) and work up from there.

Younger teens, 13 and 14 year olds, should really concentrate on bodyweight exercises, old school gym exercises and circuit training. Martial arts, dance, gymnastics, athletics and running are all good options at this age.

Older teenagers, from 15 to 16 years onwards, can start doing weight training to lose weight and get fit. Once you reach 17 years old then heavier weight lifting can be done if your back has fully developed. Weight training is the only way to develop a strong and muscular look as opposed to a lean a fit look.

As you start to lose weight then you should start doing bodyweight workouts to increase fat burning and start building muscle and improving cardiovascular fitness. A simple circuit training routine can be done anywhere, even in the privacy of your bedroom.

Consider taking up a fitness activity outside of school. Martial arts, dance and mountain biking are good options.

Remember, once you lose weight you can do any sports or fitness activity that you desire – football, soccer, yoga, swimming etc. The World is your oyster.
End Your Relationship With Food

Understand that most people who are overweight snack in between meals in addition to eating large main meals. It is usually these snacks that lead to weight gain. Why do people snack? Why do you snack? It is always for comfort. It is human nature to look for a comforting meal at times of worry, stress, depression or upset. Unless you are a pro athlete or bodybuilder, snacks are never eaten for their nutritional value.

There is an old saying that has been used by people trying to lose weight for years: “Nothing tastes as good as thin feels.”

What this means is simply that the momentary feeling of pleasure that you gain from eating is not as great as the long term reward of being healthy and fit.
Human Nature is the Weight Losers Enemy

Again, human nature is our enemy. At times of crisis we instinctively want to eat, it is a survival mechanism. Eating feels good, again, a survival mechanism. The body is preparing itself for hardship. However, in our modern society this hardship never comes. The result is that days, weeks or months after continued overeating we become overweight and then obese.

Whenever you feel that you want to eat a snack remind yourself of this. Tell yourself that the new you will benefit from not eating that snack. Do not live for the moment, live for your future.

Quick Tip: Exercise suppresses hunger. Every time you want to eat a snack, go for a 10 minute walk / do 50 squats / 50 circuit training exercises. By the time you finish you will not feel hungry and would have forgotten about the snack!
Help Yourself Avoid Temptation
No matter how strong willed you are at this very moment there will be times during your diet that you a weaker. It is vital that you make your task of avoiding snacks as easy as possible. To do this you must insist that all snacks are kept out of sight at all times and instead healthy food is kept visible, such as a fruit bowl.

As a teenager you really need to get the support of your parents / carers if you want to lose weight. This is to ensure that your diet is healthy and that there are not snacks in sight. Out of sight is out of mind – this rule really works when it comes to diet.
You Can Do It

You can lose weight. It does not matter how overweight you are today, if you start a weight loss plan and stick to it you will lose weight in time. Even if you only lose 1 pound a week that is 52 pounds a year. This time next year you could be a new person. If you are the sort of person that needs a well structured plan to follow the head over to the weight loss reviews page.
Why Do It?

Write a list of reasons why you want to lose weight and keep referring to this list. Add more items when you develop new ambitions. Example of a list may be:

* I want to look slim and healthy
* I want to be able to play sport
* I want to attract girls / boys!
* I want to live a long and healthy life
* I do not want to develop Type 2 Diabetes like my mom/dad/grandparents

All you have to do is overcome your natural instinct to eat all the time and do some exercise too. A simple healthy diet and exercise will soon see you losing weight.
A Message to Parents

Find out why your children are eating, not what they are eating. Although unhealthy food contributes to weight gain it is not the root cause of weight gain. The root cause is over eating. When teenagers are overeating there is usually an emotional cause.

Puberty and adolescence are difficult times and sometimes kids find comfort in eating. It is your job to spot this and take action, talk to your children about it. If you are also overweight then this is a good time to rethink your own lifestyle and the lifestyle of your whole family.