Why is it good to be at a healthy weight?
Staying at a healthy weight as a teen may help you control your weight for life. Being at a healthy weight helps you feel fit, stay well, and feel good about the way you look. It can also help prevent health problems like heart disease and high blood pressure. If you have diabetes and are overweight, weight loss may improve your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, and make your diabetes easier to manage.
How can I get to a healthy weight?
If your doctor says that you should not gain more weight or that you should lose weight, you need to get more physical activity every day and eat fewer calories. Ask a dietitian or diabetes educator to:
help you decide what kinds of activities might fit into your busy life as a teen
help you and your family create a well-balanced meal plan and make healthy food choices
Here are some things to try
1. Be active every day for at least 60 minutes.This will help you burn up extra calories and get fit. Invite some friends over to dance to your favorite music. Play a sport or go for a bike ride instead of playing computer games or going to the movies. Ask a friend or family member to join you on a walk instead of watching TV after school.
2. Cut some calories. The number of calories shows how much energy a food supplies. Calories that are not used up are stored as body fat. Calories are listed on food labels. Get in the habit of reading food labels. If you cut 100 to 200 calories a day, it can make a big difference.
3. Eat smaller amounts of food for meals and snacks. Try raw vegetables or fruit for a snack. To avoid “grazing,” measure out your snacks for the day into baggies that are easy to carry.
If you eat less and are more physically active, you should lose about one or two pounds a month—and feel great. It is best to lose weight a little at a time because you are still growing. If you lose weight slowly, you are more likely to keep it off.
What are some healthy eating tips I can try?
Take your time when you eat. It takes about 15 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain that you are full. So… wait 15 minutes before eating second helpings.
Ask if you can help plan, make, or shop for the family meals sometimes.
Drink a glass of water before you eat.
Fill up half of your plate with salad or vegetables. Use small amounts of low-fat salad dressing, mayonnaise, or margarine.
If you like to eat sugary foods, sweets, desserts, or candy, eat only a small serving at the end of a meal and not every day… then take an extra walk. The less you eat them, the less you may crave them!
Very low-calorie diets are not healthy for teens.
If you do not eat enough of the right kinds of food, you may not grow or develop properly. Never make a drastic change in what you eat without talking with your dietitian or doctor. They can help you determine the right amounts of food to keep you healthy and happy.
To know full information- http://ndep.nih.gov/teens/StayAtHealthyWeight.aspx
Staying at a healthy weight as a teen may help you control your weight for life. Being at a healthy weight helps you feel fit, stay well, and feel good about the way you look. It can also help prevent health problems like heart disease and high blood pressure. If you have diabetes and are overweight, weight loss may improve your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, and make your diabetes easier to manage.
How can I get to a healthy weight?
If your doctor says that you should not gain more weight or that you should lose weight, you need to get more physical activity every day and eat fewer calories. Ask a dietitian or diabetes educator to:
help you decide what kinds of activities might fit into your busy life as a teen
help you and your family create a well-balanced meal plan and make healthy food choices
Here are some things to try
1. Be active every day for at least 60 minutes.This will help you burn up extra calories and get fit. Invite some friends over to dance to your favorite music. Play a sport or go for a bike ride instead of playing computer games or going to the movies. Ask a friend or family member to join you on a walk instead of watching TV after school.
2. Cut some calories. The number of calories shows how much energy a food supplies. Calories that are not used up are stored as body fat. Calories are listed on food labels. Get in the habit of reading food labels. If you cut 100 to 200 calories a day, it can make a big difference.
| If you: | You could cut about: |
|---|---|
| Drink water instead of regular soda or a sweetened fruit drink | 150 calories |
| Eat a piece of fruit instead of a candy bar or a bag of chips | 200 calories |
| Eat a small serving of french fries or share a big one | 250 calories |
| Eat one half cup of sugar-free, nonfat pudding instead of regular ice cream | 150 calories |
3. Eat smaller amounts of food for meals and snacks. Try raw vegetables or fruit for a snack. To avoid “grazing,” measure out your snacks for the day into baggies that are easy to carry.
If you eat less and are more physically active, you should lose about one or two pounds a month—and feel great. It is best to lose weight a little at a time because you are still growing. If you lose weight slowly, you are more likely to keep it off.
What are some healthy eating tips I can try?
Take your time when you eat. It takes about 15 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain that you are full. So… wait 15 minutes before eating second helpings.
Ask if you can help plan, make, or shop for the family meals sometimes.
Drink a glass of water before you eat.
Fill up half of your plate with salad or vegetables. Use small amounts of low-fat salad dressing, mayonnaise, or margarine.
If you like to eat sugary foods, sweets, desserts, or candy, eat only a small serving at the end of a meal and not every day… then take an extra walk. The less you eat them, the less you may crave them!
Very low-calorie diets are not healthy for teens.
If you do not eat enough of the right kinds of food, you may not grow or develop properly. Never make a drastic change in what you eat without talking with your dietitian or doctor. They can help you determine the right amounts of food to keep you healthy and happy.
To know full information- http://ndep.nih.gov/teens/StayAtHealthyWeight.aspx
