A Teenager's Guide to Fat Loss

The United States is a country of overweight people and teenagers are no exception. Before we look at what teens can do to lose weight, let's look at the most common reasons for the excess weight.

- First of all is "puppy fat." This is a natural occurrence. The growing body stores fat for future growth. A little puppy fat is harmless but in excess, it can be as harmful as any other form of fat. Also, sometimes when the body stops growing, the body retains this fat and often increases it.
- Second is genetic predisposition. If being overweight runs in the family, the teen may also develop this problem.
- The third and most common cause is bad diet and a poor lifestyle.

The young teen body adapts easily to diet and lifestyle changes that can result in rapid weight loss, if done properly. The first thing to do is talk to your teen. Don't be patronizing or brusque. Belly fat, or fat anywhere on the body, is a problem that has to be fixed, just like the ones you do every day. Once you are in agreement, work out a program to lose weight you can both agree upon. Remember teens always want things to happen fast, so you can use the idea of rapid at loss as a motivator for aspects of the plan your teen is not to eager to undertake. And keep in mind that you need to provide support and encouragement throughout the fat loss program.

Start off with the diet. A teenager's body is still developing so it needs adequate sustenance. If your teen wants to go on a starvation of fad diet like his or her friends, explain why this is not a good idea - thee is enough material available on the internet. Find a high carb low fat diet designed for the teen body. Plan it around 5 meals a day. Yes, 5 meals. 5 small meals will be easier to digest and provide regular energy inputs. When the body is hungry, the metabolism slows down and the amount of fat the body burns drops. The idea of eating more meals may sound counter productive to your teen, so explain to them that to lose weight the food eaten and the quantities are important, not at what time of day the food is consumed.

The next thing is work out is the fat loss based exercise plan. Sports are a great way to do this, but overweight teens may be reluctant to expose themselves to locker room abuse from their more fit peers. Start with something that does not look like a fat loss exercise. The simplest is walking. Walking to and from school or, if not possible, a one hour walk either in the morning before school or in the evening is fine. If this is "boring", remind him or her about the iPod and also say that now he / she is an adult, taking time to think and plan is important and a walking is a good way to do this. Let the focus be less on the need to lose weight and more on something else. The results will be the same.

In most cases a proper diet plan and exercise routine will show up in rapid weight loss - teen bodies adapt and respond quickly. Once your teen's weight is down to a level where the confidence in his or her appearance has increased, playing a game can be considered. Of course, many teens are not interested in sports. A gym membership is a good alternative.

Teens often do not like to talk about their personal issues. The belly fat on your child may be troubling him or her more than you realize. The way to help your teen lose weight is to approach the topic of fat loss gently and make losing weight a team effort.

About the Author

Matt Lisk is a fat loss expert who has used his knowledge to lose over 80 pounds of body fat, reduce his body fat percentage to under 10% and to resolve a variety of health issues he was experiencing. He is the author of Lean State University's Fat Loss 101 Newsletter.

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