8 simple ways help teens to lose weight

Posted by Dr. Richard Pichel

Let them know the fact

Let them be active

Suggest breakfast

Keep an eye on liquid calories

Encourage smart snacking

Size does matter

Allow occasional treats

Make it a family affair

One of the greatest problems that the modern world faces is teenage obesity. There is no secret way to keep the teens in ideal shape, but there are ways that will help them and you can start the process by encouraging them to shift to healthy habits that will help them in their entire life.

Let them know the fact

You should be able to make your child understand that losing extra weight should be a lifetime commitment. They may tend to use some weight loss pills that will offer quick results. But these medicines have some side effects and they may rob the child from calcium, iron and other essential nutrients.

Let them be active

Like adults, teens too need physical activity at least for one hour a day. They do not have to do it at a stretch, but repeated regular activities will be enough for them. The ideal thing for the teens is to get engaged in team sports through the community or school so that he will not felt bored. If your kid is not interested in sports, ask him to walk, skate, or bike to the school. Alternatively, he may be asked to walk a few laps through the corridors of the school for a few minutes before the class, or to do anything that involves some physical activity.

Suggest breakfast

You should make sure that your teen is getting up in time to take breakfast. A nutritious breakfast is very vital for his metabolism and it will give him the energy he needs for the entire day. It will also help your teen from eating too much during the rest of the day. You can suggest him to take last night’s leftovers if he resists to high fiber cereals. Even fruits and a handful of nuts can do the job and make this a habit so that your kid will be in a healthy frame.

Keep an eye on liquid calories

Teens are fond of soda, but it contains 10 teaspoons of sugar and has more than 100 calories. The presence of sugar in coffee, tea and fruit juices will also result in excess intake of calories. Insist your kid to take pure water instead of other drinks that will not do any good to his body. If you have some worries about the calorie needs of your child, you may give him some herbal supplement that will keep him in good shape. (Read more about How Many Calories Should you take for weight loss?)

Encourage smart snacking

The child may be interested in a bag of chips. Ask him to replace it with something that is really smart like frozen grapes, cherry tomatoes, sliced red, orange, or yellow peppers, oranges, strawberries, pretzels, baby carrots, low fat yogurt, or any other fruits that are available. The health benefits with the help of this change will be really amazing.

Size does matter

Size does matter while eating. Encourage your teen to stop taking food while his belly is full. There is no shame in sharing the pizza or pasta; make it a habit.

Allow occasional treats

The teens are full of energy and you need not have to worry if your teen has pizza with his friends or nachos at the mall. Instead of garlic bread coated with butter and cheese, you can suggest a breadstick and marinara sauce, or even a shared snack for a full one. Occasional treats are just fine and all you need to do is to let him be aware of doing things in moderation.

Make it a family affair

All the habits form from the family and instead of singling out your teen, you need to adopt a healthy habit for the entire family. Healthy food and moderate exercise is good for everyone and it will keep a person energetic and free from diseases. You can:

1.Encourage everyone in the family to eat more vegetables, fruits, whole grains like brown rice, oatmeal and whole-wheat bread. You should be able to lead by example.

2.Abstain from junk food; it may be tasty, but if you eat healthy food, it will be the most important investment for you.

3.Encourage family outings, weekend visits to any place of interest or even evening walks so that there will be enough time for interaction between all the family members.

(Read more about Best Reviewed Weight Loss Supplement)

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