3 Tips For Healthy Teen Weight Loss

As a teenager in this day and age, it's extremely easy to fall into the traps of unhealthy eating. I should know. I am 18-years-old and have been overweight since about fifth grade. I tried many many "fad diets" in the past... and none seemed to work. Yes, I would lose weight; but I would gain it all right back. In September 2016, I started seeing Dr.Kimberly Turner, a nutritionist with Aurora Sinai Medical Centre in Milwaukee,Wisconsin. She and I discussed healthy food options and exercising. And since September, I have lost 32 pounds and this time I have kept it off.. Which is a first. I will now share with you some of the more helpful tips I got out of my meetings with the nutritionist.

Tip #1:

Exercise is important, bottom line. A lot of teens that are overweight, (or above the average weight that is ideal for themselves) find that a lot of the normal everyday exercises are to rigorous,and not fun. I myself used to think this, then my mom bought our family the Wii game console. The only thing that I play on that...Wii Fit. That game is ingenious. It comes with a step board,and the game tracks your progress. It is the most fun way to exercise I have managed to get my hands on. Not all people can afford something like that, however. You would be amazed at how much weight you can lose by doing simple things such as taking your dog for a walk, or biking to a friends house. No matter what, try as much as you can, to find an exercise regime that works best for you and your lifestyle.

Tip #2:  

Portion control was by far the biggest struggle for me. Some tips that I learned from my nutritionist were; to eat off of a smaller plate. If you choose a dessert sized plate,or even a salad sized plate, you will have less room on your plate, meaning less food. Another helpful tip I learned was, at holidays such as Thanksgiving, there are schmorgas boards of different foods. Pick out your absolute favourites,and take one spoonful of each favourite. When you are done with that plate, walk away from the kitchen and dining area, so you don't find yourself grazing. Also practice this before the meal also, many people will put out hors d'oeuvres, so find an activity to do somewhere other then where the food is, so you don't snack before your meal.

Tip #3:  

Snack foods and soda should be gratefully cut back on. If you drink one mountain dew a day, and you completely cut it out of your diet, you will lose approximately 12 pounds just from doing that, my dad and I both did. Instead of soda, try sugar free juices. Some good ones are Sugar Free Hawaiian Punch (Lemon Berry Squeeze flavor) or Sugar Free Kool-Aid. Some good snack choices are almonds, 100 Calorie Pack varieties, raw veggies and low fat dip or Weight Watchers yogurt. I wish all of you the best of luck in your weight loss journeys for 2017!