Weight loss is essential for both adults and teenagers, as losing extra weight makes people healthy and chronic disease-free. Because of displacing the playgrounds with buildings and shopping malls, children & teenagers spend time through video games and cartoons instead of sports that help maintain a healthy life. That’s why teenage obesity is drawing the attention of doctors and dietitians today. Today we will discuss effective Teenage Weight Loss Programs.
Losing weight does not mean choosing a crash diet & a quick loss of weight for teenagers. Instead, they need healthy and nutritious food for their growth. So they should not select a fad diet to lose weight quickly. The most important thing they need to do is develop some good habits that will motivate them to maintain a healthy lifestyle and nourish their growing body.
Unique Benefits of Teenage Weight Loss Programs
Teenagers who maintain a healthy lifestyle have less chance to suffer from heart disease and high blood pressure in adulthood. Today, using too much technology, and maintaining a busy life, taking fast food, keeps teenagers away from a healthy lifestyle. But those small healthy habits keep them fit in both the present and future.
Eight Helpful Strategies for Teenage Weight Loss Programs
For teenagers, weight loss doesn’t depend on maintaining a strict carbohydrate and fat-free diet. As they hold the period of growth, their focus must be on being healthy, not drastic weight loss. Adults can find several weight loss programs from different platforms.
Teenagers also need unique weight loss plans. They need to make some small changes like maintaining a nutritious diet, physical exercise, avoiding extra sugar & processed food, early bedtime & sufficient sleep, staying hydrated, etc. Those good habits help teenagers lead a healthy life. Those weight-loss strategies are described here:
1. Avoiding Sugary Beverage, Extra Sugar & Processed Food
Teenagers usually prefer to take food with extra sugar, sugary beverage, or highly processed food. But sweet beverages like soda, energy drinks, sweet teas, etc., contain high sugar and accelerate weight gain among teenagers.
Moreover, taking candy, cookies, sugary cereals, etc., increases hunger and overeating. So it is mandatory to cut back on sweet beverages and sugary food to lose weight.
Again most processed foods contain high calories and low essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, fibre, protein, etc. These foods hinder the metabolism of teenagers and weight loss. These highly processed sugary meals and beverages increase extra body fat and hamper teenagers’ academic performance, mood, and sleep.
So they should take fruits, vegetables and other homemade meals & snacks instead of those processed sugar-loaded foods.
2. Maintaining Physical workout and adding activity
It is quite difficult for teenagers to go to the gymnasium daily for physical exercise, as they are busy with their academic life. But a regular workout is necessary to increase metabolism and burn extra body fat.
So, teenagers need to choose an activity or find a new game weekly that keeps them fit. They can go hiking, biking, yoga, swimming, walking, dancing, etc., for mental refreshment and physical fitness.
Moreover, teenagers can be engaged in social volunteering to increase activity levels. These activities reduce stress and depression and energize teenagers for daily life.
3. Taking Vegetables and Fueling Body with Nutritious Foods
Vegetables are full of vitamins, water, minerals, fibre, and other healthy elements. Moreover, it contains low-calorie and antioxidants that protect the human body from unstable molecules and damage.
As vegetables contain fibre and water, teenagers feel full and satisfied after taking vegetables after taking meals. That’s why dietitians suggest them to take plenty of fruits and vegetables.
Again, in choosing food, teenagers should not focus on nutrient containment like vitamins, minerals, water, fibre, etc., rather than the number of calories. For being at a growing age, they need more nutrients than adults. That’s why they are suggested to take vegetables, fruits, whole grains, eggs, chicken, beans, nuts, and so on from which they can get necessary vitamins, fibres, carbohydrates, fat, and protein.
Moreover, these foods not only energize teenagers but also encourage weight loss.
4. Deterring diet food and fad diet
Teenagers have to avoid fold tagged as diet-friendly because it includes artificial sweeteners, unhealthy fat, and other elements that are not good for health. The artificial sweetener may cause stomach upsets, migraines, and sometimes weight gains.
Moreover, several fad diet programs are followed by celebrities, which is why teenagers tend to follow these programs. Fad diet includes a very restrictive meal plan and low calories. Though this program causes quick weight loss, it doesn’t last long.
Also, it is tough to continue due to a restrictive diet and does not include sufficient calories. So the fad diet is not appropriate for teenagers. They have to focus on a sustainable weight loss program that consists of a healthy balanced diet and habits.
5. Holding healthy breakfast and Necessary Fat
Teenagers tend to skip breakfast and cut out fat while trying to lose weight. But it is rather harmful to them. Rather than cutting out too much dietary fat, they should replace unhealthy calories with necessary calories. For example, they can replace highly processed food with nuts, olive oil, avocados, fatty fish, etc.
These healthy fat contained foods are helpful to both weight loss and brain development. Again, teenagers have to take a balanced breakfast to be energized for the whole day.
6. Staying Hydrated
Teenagers tend to prefer sweet beverages to weather. But drinking sufficient water is a crucial factor for maintaining a healthy life. Drinking water regulates hunger and extra calorie intake. Thus it helps enhance weight loss. Moreover, it strengthens metabolism and boosts. performance
7. Reducing Stress & Maintaining Sufficient Sleep
Though human life is not street-free, having too much stress badly affects both body and mind. Too much pressure leads to hormonal emissions that may increase hunger and extra weight. That’s why teenagers have to be involved in gardening, physical exercise, sports, etc., to get mental refreshments and reduce mental stress.
Again, teenagers need 9-10 hours of sleep per day. It is demonstrated that less sleep is responsible for weight gain. So they need daily restful sleep to maintain a healthy weight.
8. Maintaining Balance & Consistency
It is effortless to start weight loss programs for women and teenagers. But the most important thing is consistency and continuity. Teenagers have to set realistic goals and develop healthy habits that encourage them to burn extra calories. It will be tough to continue if they set unrealistic weight-loss goals and cut out fats and carbohydrates. So, they have to set realistic goals to lose weight from the kitchen and be consistent.
Conclusion: Losing extra body fat enhances the confidence and self-esteem of teenagers. It curbs chronic diseases in adulthood. Also, it is almost impossible to lose weight permanently in adulthood. It has been proven that health habits built up in childhood & adolescence remain permanent for the rest of life. So, we believe above mentioned Teenage Weight Loss Programs will be helpful for their future physical and mental development.
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