Teenage bodies have special requirements when it comes to weight loss. You may want to cut calories in an effort to reduce your body size, but you also have some unique challenges along the way. To help you (or a teen in your life) lose some unwanted pounds safely yet effectively, here are some tips to keep in mind:
- Think increase versus decrease. The last thing you want to do is start a cycle of deprivation followed by binges as this will almost guarantee that you will struggle with your weight for the rest of your life. So, you need to put more focus on the things that you need to increase (such as the amount of activity you get, the vegetables you eat, and the water you drink) versus the things you need to limit or eliminate, giving you a positive spin on living healthfully.
- Take it one decision at a time. It can be overwhelming to think about dropping ten, twenty, or fifty pounds while still trying to manage school and a busy social calendar, but if you take weight loss one decision at a time it becomes more possible to your mind. Essentially, don’t get caught up in worrying about tomorrow or the next day, just focus on making good decisions right now.
- Don’t compare yourself to others. Trying to figure out how you stack up against the other girls will do nothing for your self-esteem or your drive. In fact, it often has the opposite effect, making you less likely to strive for your goals and causing you to give up on yourself sooner. We each have our own individual journeys so comparing yours to someone else’s does no good.
- Don’t fall for get-thin-quick schemes. While you may want to lose weight and feel good about yourself overnight, it isn’t feasible. Get-thin-quick schemes should be called get-frustrated-quick schemes because that is all they essentially do in the long run. Make lifetime changes and you’ll get lifetime results.
