Seven Tips to Healthy Weight Loss

The majority of people in the US want to lose weight, and try all of these diets, detox teas, and pills that supposedly drop the pounds, but none of these truly help with weight loss. A healthy lifestyle that includes consistent exercise and fueling your body with healthy foods will help drop the pounds for the long run. Here are eight tips on how to lose weight for the long haul:

 

1. Make sure you eat breakfast

You hear that breakfast is the most important meal of the day from your parents and your teachers, because it is. A well-rounded breakfast will provide you with the energy to start off your day and it will start your metabolism right when you wake up. Lots of people are usually crunched for time in the morning, and that may be the reason as to why they don’t eat breakfast, so making your breakfasts the night before or having quick options will be helpful in the morning and throughout the day.

2. Drink lots of water

Drinking water and making sure your body is hydrated is a key component in the process of losing weight. However, the big question is how much water do you need in order to lose weight? The amount of water that you should drink daily for optimal weight loss varies from person to person. Divide your body weight in half, and that number in ounces is how much water you should drink a day.

3. No midnight snacks

Typically, people will want to eat late at night, but eating right before you go to bed is not favorable towards weight loss. Try to eat your last meal or snack at least two to three hours before you go to bed. If you typically go to bed at 10:00pm, then eat your last meal or snack before 8:00pm. This might not be optimal for every schedule, especially with sports, but this will definitely help in the weight loss process. Something to remember, if you wake up in the middle of the night and you’re hungry, don’t deprive yourself of food. Just know the difference between hunger and appetite!

4. Snacks

Having healthy, but delicious snacks around is one of the biggest factors of losing weight. Eating small snacks in between your meals will help boost your metabolism and keep you focused throughout the day. It will also help suppress hunger if you are not able to eat a full meal, you will be less likely to indulge in unhealthy foods at your next meal or when you get home from school. Make sure to bring adequate snacks to school, sports practices/games, and events.

 

5. Sleep

As teenagers, with all of our responsibilities, sleep can be deprived from us, but it is a major factor in dropping weight. Getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep can not only benefit your health, but can also help you lose those love handles. If you tend to get less hours of sleep during the school week, try to make up for it on the weekends.

 

6. Exercise

This is probably another thing you’ve heard, “If you want to lose weight, you need to exercise,” but what most people don’t understand is that your first workout does not need to be in some fancy gym where you do a complete one to two-hour workout. You should start where your body allows and see how much you can push yourself. Start with 20 minute walks around your neighborhood and keep increasing the time, distance, and eventually speed. And if you want to work on gaining muscle without having any equipment, there are plenty of YouTube channels that have free workouts that don’t include any equipment (i.e. Blogilates, Fitness Blender, Nike Training Club) or buy a membership at your local gym. Staying active everyday will put you on the right path to a healthier lifestyle.

 

7. Eat less added sugar

People believe that avoiding carbs will help them lose weight, but this notion is false. Although it might decrease your weight for a short period of time, it is not healthy and you will gain the weight back once you return to eating carbs. It’s important to eat carbs, because it fuels our bodies, but be cautious of which ones you eat. Try to eat foods with less added or unnatural sugars; most foods that have high fructose corn syrup aren’t the healthiest choice. Healthy choices of carbohydrates include fruit, quinoa, brown rice, sweet potatoes, couscous, oatmeal,