logo for exercise for weight loss
 
Custom Search

Teen Weight Loss

Teen Weight Loss- The "Don'ts" of Teen Dieting

Even though the urge to try a quick diet pill or a fad diet to lose weight fast is something all overweight people want, the truth is these methods are unsafe and eventually lead to weight gain – often more weight than where we started. 

An effective teen weight loss program is one where you can lose weight and more importantly, keep the weight off. 

Although my kids are no longer teens (they are now 27, 26 and 23), I remember the days of their impatience of wanting anything and everything now.  So I can relate, or at least understand, why teens are looking for a quick weight loss.  

I also know that these methods, while giving some nice results at first, are not lasting results and furthermore can be harmful to your health.  So, before moving on to the some healthy quick ways for teen weight loss, I wanted to first address what not to do for a quick weight loss.

Don’t Crash Diet

As a teen, your body is still growing and changing, and getting the proper nutrition is critical to your growth process.  Crash dieting usually in tales extreme reduction of calories, depriving your body of key energy and nutrients.  In fact, crash dieting for anyone, including adults, generally leads to reduced metabolism and ultimately weight gain.

Fad diets and crash diets that reduce calorie intake too extreme will show some short term results, even for teens.  However, the body’s natural defenses take over and will slow down your metabolism, conserving energy.  

It begins to store your foods as fat and reduces your Basal Metabolic Rate.  This is why after the short period of time, instead of seeing quick weight loss results, people hit a weight loss plateau and then eventually gain the weight back and then some.

An extremely low calorie teen weight loss diet can cause health problems for anyone but is especially damaging to teens.  Because teenagers are still growing, their body needs higher amounts of calories and nutrients to supply the body with the energy it needs for the growing process.  Without these nutrients and calories, you may experience skin and hair problems, extreme tiredness, bone weakness as well as hormonal problems.




Don’t use Laxatives and Unsafe Supplements

diet pillsRecent surveys show that some teenagers are resorting to using laxatives as a way for quick weight loss for teens.  Laxatives are for a specific purpose and weight loss is not one of them. 

Using laxatives for teen weight loss is neither a healthy approach nor a successful approach.  Here’s why laxatives don’t work as an easy weight loss for teens and can be harmful to your health.

  • Most of the weight loss is primarily water weight loss and not fat loss
  • Using laxatives speeds up the digestive system which can reduce the absorption of vitamins and nutrients you need.
  • Extended use of laxatives can ultimately lead to dependency on laxatives for bowel movements.  This is because it can damage and upset the colon.


Instead of using laxatives, make sure you are getting enough fiberous foods, yogurts and fruits.


Don’t Fall for Fad Diets

Most fad diets have some kind of gimmick that they use to lure you into their “perfect and fast way to lose weight”.

The truth is, most fad diets are just a fancy way of saying an extremely low calorie diet.  Fad diets, like crash dieting, can be harmful to your growing process and tend to lead to additional weight gain once the initial quick weight loss is over.

With any diet plan, you need to make sure it consists of a healthy eating plan.  This advice applies to both adults and teens, but for teens is especially critical.  Not only do you need to make sure you are getting the right types of foods and teen calorie intake, you are at a younger age where building a new healthy lifestyle is critical for not only your teen years, but your adult life.

Now that we’ve talked about what not to do, you are probably asking yourself, what can I do to lose weight?  Check out these quick weight loss for teens tips to help you start losing weight today.

Back to Teen Weight Loss





Related Articles



Tips for Parents with Overweight Teens
Parents play a special support role in helping teens lose weight and maintain their self esteem.  Find out how you can help your teenager.





Exercise 4 Weight Loss 2 Achieve Fitness and Health

© 2008 - 2009 Exercise4WeightLoss.com
Exercise 4 Weight Loss is powered by Site Build It!

Find out how it can help you build a website and make money from home.

Site Build It!
Home Page                      
What's New                      
Getting Started               
Tell Your Success Story
Calculators
BMI Calculator                
BMR Calculator                
Body Fat %                     
Calorie Calculator           
Exercise Calculator        
Target Heart Rate           
Weight Loss Calculator 
Weight Watcher Points  
All Weight Loss Tools     
Exercise
Abdominal Exericses    
Aerobic Exercise            
Exercise Benefits           
Exercise Tips                  
Fat Burning Exercises  
Free Fitness Videos      
Strength Training            
Stretching Exercises      
Workout Routines          
Weight Loss
Lose Belly Fat                
Metabolism Boosters    
Teen Weight Loss          
Weight Loss Motivation
Weight Loss Myths        
Weight Loss Plateaus    
Weight Loss Tips            
Senior Fitness
Senior Fitness Tips         
Senior Exercises             
Menopause                      
Weight Loss Over 40      
Super Foods
Eating Healthy Tips        
Fat Burning Foods          
Metabolism Foods          
Healthy Recipes              
WW Points List                
Diet Plan Reviews
Diabetic Diet                    
Low Carb Diets                
Weight Watchers            
More Diet Reviews          



diet solution banner





negative calorie banner