Teens Losing Weight
Teens losing weight need an understanding of good nutrition and plenty of common sense!
Teens are particularly sensitive about their weight. If you’ve indulged in too many sweets, junk foods, soda and fried foods as a child and pre-teen, you may now be looking with dismay at some legitimately extra pounds that you don’t want! On the other hand, you may be of a normal weight, but be of the ’skinnier-the-better’ mind set. In either case, you’ll first want to consult your physician to see how much, if any, weight you need. Often, teens losing weight simply embark on a program of their own making, lacking an understanding of basic nutritional concepts and also, perhaps some common sense.
Surely your Mom has pushed the balanced diet theory on you, fixing nutritious meals, ‘for your own good’. However, the snacks of candy bars and soda at school and maybe a bag of fries on the way home, have caught up to you now. Young kids burn a lot more energy, riding their bikes, playing at the playground and other strenuous activities you no longer do on a regular basis. So, if your physician agrees that you should lose 10 pounds, it’s probably sound advice. Getting and staying fit and trim is far easier to do when you’re young than it is once those pounds are firmly entrenched! So teens losing weight under responsible guidance can give you an advantage for life.
On the other hand, some teens should not be trying to lose weight. Let’s say that you’re 5′6″ tall and weight 120 pounds, but the image you see in the mirror says ‘You’re overweight.’ This is a psychological misconception. If your doc tells you that your weight is normal, believe it. Dieting will only rob your body of nutrition required to keep you developing normally. If you nonetheless continue feeling ‘fat’, let your doctor or Mom know. You might need to adjust your perceptions of your physical image through counseling.
Sometimes, as an adolescent, your rate of metabolism may change, slowing down from what it was as a kid. This is another reason for a seemingly sudden gain in weight. This means that when you were a kid, you could get away with the candy, sodas and fries, never gaining a pound. Teens losing weight so often take a radical approach, cutting their calories dramatically, thinking this is the only answer. In this instance, a better approach might be to simply cut out the junk foods, for the most part, and instead load up on the healthy foods to your hearts content. You may shed all the weight necessary, using the less sugar, less fat strategy.