Teen Weight Loss
Winning at Weight Loss
A calorie is a
block of energy. Our bodies use energy all the time to perform the normal
functions of living, like breathing, digesting food, pumping blood and
contracting muscles. This energy comes from the food and beverages we
eat and drink.
If we eat and drink
more energy than we use, our bodies store the left over energy as glycogen,
a quick energy source; or as fat for long-term storage. Our bodies also
store water and vitamins, which it will use in its many chemical reactions
to support life.
Food & Drink Calories = Calories
Used
When food and drink
calories equal calories used, body weight stays the same. When we eat
more than we use, we gain weight. Weight loss is simply eating and drinking
less than we are using.
Food & Drink Calories< Calories
Used
One pound of body
fat is 3500 calories of energy. Using 500 calories a day more than you
eat and drink will cause a weight loss of one pound a week.
So which is better:
high protein diets, high carbohydrate diets or low fat diets? Calories
are calories, no matter what form they take. One diet does not work
better than the other, except for the fact that a diet which nourishes
the body well, will not cause the body to fight weight loss.
The best diet is
one which reduces empty calorie foods, foods that have few nutrients
to offer the body. Soda, candy, chips and cakes have a lot of calories
in a small portion and give little nutrients in return. A person can
eat more in volume and still lose weight, if the foods they choose are
not tightly packed with calories.
1 Bottle of soda
250 calories
Average candy bar 300 calories
10 potato chips 105 calories
Most cookies 50 calories ea.
Snack cakes 300 calories
Compared to:
1 Peach 35 calories
1 Apple 60 calories
10 Cherries 50 calories
1 Cup Strawberries 45 calories
Fried foods are
wicked high in calories and prevent us from getting the nutrients we
need without eating so many calories that our body must store them as
fat. Try to avoid fried foods like:
Fried chicken
Fried dough
Fried potato chips
Fried peppers and onions
Chicken fried steak
Fried seafood
You get the idea.
By replacing some of the higher calorie foods you eat, with lower-calorie
foods like baked foods, you can lose weight easily. Make sure you are
hungry when you eat. Don't eat just for the fun of it or because everyone
else is.
High Calorie Foods
to Avoid:
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Sausages
|
Meatballs
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Hamburgers
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Pepperoni
|
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Cheese
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Creamy
casseroles
|
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Cold
cuts
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Hot-dogs
|
|
Nuts
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Fried
foods
|
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Alcohol
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Sub
rolls
|
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Gravy
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Flaky
pastry
|
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Sugar
|
Fats
|
You can have these foods, just not too much or too often.
Luckily, your teen-age
years are the easiest time to lose weight because your metabolism is
high naturally and you have more free time to be physically active.
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Your Diet
Diet may be a four-letter
word, but it doesn't have to mean something unpleasant. You are already
on a diet really. Diet is simply, the pattern of foods you generally
eat. Unfortunately, if you weigh more than you should, you have been
on a weight gaining diet and now you need to make some changes.
Our bodies need
certain foods to work at their best. A good diet can make you feel better,
give you more energy and help you lose weight without feeling hungry.
Whole wheat breads, beans, low-fat proteins, fruits and vegetables can
really make a weight loss program easier to stick to.
Highly refined
foods like sugar, corn syrup, white rice and the white flour found in
soda, cookies, cakes and white bread can cause changes in our bodies
make us more hungry all the time. That is why a balanced diet of good
foods is so important to being able to lose weight.
What is a balanced
diet? A diet balanced to give you the nutrients you need might look
like this in a day:
9 Breads
4 Fruits
5 Vegetables
7oz Meat
2 Milks
4 Fats
8 Glasses of water
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Start
Losing Weight Now!
Sometimes taking
control of your weight is just a matter of not sitting in front of the
TV, computer or video games so much. We just plain sit too much. If
you want to lose weight, you have to change something in your daily
living that will burn more calories. Take the dog for a walk, play baseball
with friends or dust off your bike and see the world. Just keep moving
and start losing! top
