Teen Weight Loss
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Talk – The first thing that you want to do is to sit down and talk with your son or daughter. If they are overweight, make sure that they know that you are there to help them and support them, but the changes are going to have to be made by them. Let them know that you will offer them guidance and suggestions on what they can do to help them lose weight.
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Dispute Images That are Unrealistic – The second thing that you should do is to is emphasize to your teen or tween that everyone is different and what is right for one person may not be right for him or her. Avoid using words such as fat or thin. A better choice is to emphasize maintaining a weight that is healthy. A good example is the show Full House where DJ was unhappy about her weight and using pictures of models to compare her body. She went on a crash diet and became sick. Don’t let this happen to your teen. It’s also a good idea to take him or her to the doctor and help your teen set goals that are realistic.
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Resist the Fast Fixes – Make sure that your teen knows that when they want to lose weight and ensure it stays off that they are making a commitment for a lifetime. Steer them away from the fad diets, because they can rob them off things like calcium and iron and other things that a growing teen needs. Pills that are sold for weight loss and other so called quick fixes aren’t going to address the problem’s root and come with other problems. If they don’t’ change their bad habits, the weight won’t stay off.
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Promote Staying Active – Your teen should get approximately 60 minutes of activity a day, but it doesn’t have to be all in one chunk. Any portion of physical activity is going to count toward burning calories. If a teen is interested in sports, encourage them to join one through their community or their school. If they aren’t interested in team sports, swimming, walking, biking, or rollerblading are also great ways to get exercise. Exercise doesn’t have to be a chore. The Nintendo Wii has proven that. It helps to get people up off the couch and get active while having a great time.
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Encourage Breakfast – Another thing you should do is to encourage that your teen eats breakfast. Not only does it get your teen’s metabolism jump started and help them to have energy, but it also means that they are less likely to snack throughout the day and eat a lot at lunch. If they aren’t into eggs and traditional breakfast foods, let them choose their own. Yogurt and fruit are good suggestions, cheese, or even food left over from last night’s dinner.
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Snacks – Another of the healthy weight loss tips for teens is to make sure that your teen is eating healthy snacks. It’s not so easy to do it when there are a lot of unhealthy options at school, but encouraging your son or daughter to make the switch might just work. And when your teen is at home, keep plenty of healthy snacks on hand for them to choose from – graham crackers, baby carrots, string cheese, fresh fruit, yogurt, lot fat pudding, pretzels, and popcorn are all healthy and smart choices.
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Portions – Help your teen to stop eating when he or she is full. Encourage them to take smaller portions and to eat their food slowly. When making dinner at home, don’t make mounds of food. Simply make enough that everyone will get their fill. That way your teen isn’t seeing additional food that they want to eat.
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Watch the Liquid Calories – If your teenager drinks a lot of soda and lattes, chances are that cutting back on these things can help them lose weight faster. Help them to realize how many calories they are getting just from their drinks alone. Encourage the teenager to drink water that has been flavored or seltzer water. Remember, even diet soda can be a problem, so encourage water drinking.
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Get Family Involved – Don’t single out just your teenager to eat healthy. Encourage your whole family to adopt habits which are healthier and it will be easier for your teenager. Don’t keep junk food in the house – instead stock up on fruits, vegetables, and whole grain rice and bread. Keep fruit on the table so that people see it right there and chances are that they will reach for it when they are hungry. Encourage activities for the family like bowling or other things that get everyone active.
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Stay Positive – Make sure that you are staying positive with your teen and encouraging them. Listen to their concerns and comment on the efforts that your teen is making. Don’t single them out. Let them know that you love them no matter what. Help them to develop ways to get their frustrations and feelings out. Keeping a diary or a journal is a good suggestion.
If you discover that your teen has really low self esteem and is depressed, why not look into a support group for them, a counselor, or a program to help them control their weight? Any of these things can help them to know what to say and do to help with their self esteem, get control of their weight, and counter pressure from others.
A lot of teenagers have weight issues but they have to be handled the right way. Otherwise the teen is going to turn to unhealthy ways to lose weight. Showing them healthy ways to control their weight and keeping unhealthy food out of the house are two good ways to encourage the teenager and help the whole family to become healthier. Let your teenager know that you are there for them, that you will listen to them, and that you love them no matter what. It will make things a lot easier on everyone and it will help them to feel better about themselves.