Struggling to lose weight in your sweet teens, and feeling a little lost from all the noise in the fitness industry? This post will tell you how to lose weight as a teenage girl, with the help of 7 tips that are easy to implement.
Hello, sweet plums! Hope you’re feeling fine and healthy.
Today’s post is dedicated to all the teenage girls who’ve been struggling to lose weight in this growing period of their life.
Your problems are real. I understand because I was once like you.
As a schoolgirl, I can’t say that I was shy. But sadly the confidence I was carrying, I was faking it for the most part.
I was really insecure about my body, even if I didn’t let it show.
Now that I look back on that time, I feel sad, yet so proud of myself for getting past that.
The thing is, as a teenage girl, there are two things you can do to gain a positive body image:
- Work on your physical health
- Improve your mindset for a positive body image
Whatever you choose is totally up to you, but one of these two must be pursued. Or better yet – Go for both of them if you can.
Your life is yours to nourish, and nobody gets to make you feel like you’re not good enough (not even you, my dear friend.)
You need to get rid of your doubts. Gain some confidence by sweating or strengthen your mind to love yourself.
For now, I am going to tell you how you can achieve the former task.
This post is all about tips on how to lose weight as a teenage girl.
Read each tip carefully. There is a mine-full of information here that could help you get started on a beautiful fitness journey.
7 Tips On How To Lose Weight As A Teenage Girl
1. Make a Habit of Drinking Plenty of Water
Regardless of the age group they belong to, when anyone asks me for tips on how to lose weight, this is what I tell them.
DRINK WATER, AND KEEP DRINKING.
No, you don’t have to choke yourself.
Lord, no.
All I’m asking you to do is increase the amount of water you drink every day because there’s a good chance your water consumption at the moment is not up to par.
Prior to my weight loss (-22 pounds, that is), I used to think I hydrate myself well enough.
But once I properly got into fitness, my water intake went up to 15 glasses!
This number was far off from what I was drinking before, which was hardly 4 glasses of water a day.
I don’t count my water intake anymore, because I have ingrained this habit in every molecule of my body now (literally, lol).
But for someone who’s just getting into this habit, I’d tell them to keep track of how much they drink in a day.
Also, water is one of the most basic elements humans need to survive. It only makes sense for it to be the first key to weight loss.
Drink water during your workouts.
Carry a water bottle with you wherever you go, and keep sipping at it regularly. Even if you’re sitting doing some work, keep it within your reach.
2. Avoid Processed Foods
There is a popular 80/20 rule in the fitness world.
It implies that 80% of your fitness comes from eating healthy, and the rest 20% from exercising regularly.
This means that food that is unhealthy for the body might be causing a hindrance to your weight loss.
I won’t ask you to cut processed food completely, because that might not be fun or realistic at this stage of life. But honestly, the less of it you eat, the better off you would be.
Here is a list of things you should avoid (that are reasonably simple to cut from your diet):
- Cake
- Biscuits
- Packed drinks (even diet coke)
- Chips
- Any sweet snack that is not a fruit
Most of the time when we reach for these foods, we’re just hungry or need something to munch on. This means they can be replaced with healthier choices.
The next time you’re craving sweets, grab an apple, and you can be assured you won’t be seeing a doctor that day. 😉
3. Exercise For 30 Minutes A Day
If you read any blog post on how to lose weight as a teenage girl, it’s most likely to suggest you incorporate exercise into your routine.
Remember the 80/20 rule?
While 80% of your health can be improved by fixing your eating habits, the rest 20% still comes down to your level of activity.
Take out 30 minutes every day and do an exercise of your choice.
Take a walk, or do some workouts at home to get a feel of what works best for you.
I just like to hit play on a youtube workout and move along with it. It’s convenient and fun to do so.
You can try some of Chloe Ting’s youtube videos. I love her workouts and recently completed her Summer Shred Challenge. You can check my review of that here.
4. Pile Up Your Plate With Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables can be game-changers for your health.
They’re natural and are filled with goodness that processed foods often lack.
Some of the fruits you have daily are apples (added to your breakfast or as a mid-snack), grapes (seriously, yum), and bananas (though be careful not to eat more than one in a day.)
Vegetables you need to focus on are broccoli, cucumber, carrots, spinach, and tomatoes.
5. Stay Active
This tip needs very little on your part but can give you a big payoff in your long-term health.
By making a few simple changes, you can fasten your weight loss progress:
- Instead of taking the elevator, climb the stairs
- Pick up more physical house chores
- Walk to the store instead of taking the car or the bus
- Sit more instead of lying down while doing tasks
- Stretch after waking up, and before going to bed
You can add more according to what suits you.
Really, as long as you’re moving, you’re winning.
6. Find Fun Ways To Get Moving
Joining a gym as a teenager might not be possible. You have school, tuition, and a hectic schedule that won’t let you be a regular gym enthusiast.
So what else can you do at least once a week that would shed some major calories off your body?
Pretty simple.
You get creative with your choice of movements!
Here are the activities I recommend:
Go for a Hike
This is my favorite activity! I can walk for 20 miles at a time and I love every second of it. I take regular hikes with music plugged in.
The fresh air you get during a hike is refreshing and as students, you really need this.
If you opt for this one, don’t forget to carry your earbuds. Music and nature blend together like colors in the water. It’s a beautiful combination, and hence fun to be with.
Dance Your Heart Out
When I was in the last year of my school, I had a phase where I’d dance my heart out in the solitude of my room.
I’d blast some Taylor Swift/Avril Lavigne, and enjoy the beats as if there was no tomorrow.
My friends and I even formed a pact where all three of us would go back home and dance at the same time, to the same songs, in the same order.
We were crazy, and we loved every second of it.
Dancing can be vigorous if you want it to be, and it can also be moderate, again if you want it to be.
So basically you’re in charge of how hard you want to go.
The best thing is you won’t be able to stop smiling throughout it, so it’s also a happy way to burn fat. 😀
If swinging your body around randomly without any cues doesn’t sound like you, I have a Zumba video in my Youtube workout playlist that is my current favorite.
Seriously, love this one.
(Don’t forget to check out the rest of their workouts. They’re just as fun.)
Ride a Bicycle
Oh, my brother will love this one. He’s a bike geek through and through, and for good reasons.
I only remember riding a bicycle till I was in school, but I’m pretty sure that was what kept me from gaining any more weight than I already had on.
I rode to school on a bike, and while it would make me feel icky at times, the wind would remind me just how alive I was.
There’s no other feeling in the world like the wind blowing in your face while you’re paddling down a road full of trees.
If you already own a bike, that’s great! Take it out for a spin regularly, and have a great time burning some stubborn fat.
Swimming
I will be honest with you here. I do not know how to swim, yet. But it’s always seemed so fun that I can’t wait to get started!
I’ve read enough articles to know that swimming is a splendid exercise that can help you shed excess fat at a good pace.
So let me get that straight.
You splash around in the water, sweating while having fun, and you get to lose weight? Honestly sounds too good to be true, but it’s very real.
If you know swimming, you need to add it to your exercise routine at least once a week.
There’s no end to this list of fun activities. You can add more according to what you love best.
7. Keep a Health Journal
If there is one thing I’d ask my past self to do sooner, it would be to keep a journal.
I now keep one where I record my feelings and mark goals that I am actively working on.
I also write entries about my health, and there are days when I even record what I’m eating.
Journaling reminds you to be mindful of what you’re doing and feeling.
You don’t have to keep a journal for every aspect of your life, but I strongly encourage you to keep one about your fitness.
Start by penning down your physical goals, then form a plan for them.
By doing so, you hold yourself accountable for any plans you make, hence you’re more likely to actually see them through.
Try keeping food entries, if that works for you, though take care not to fret too much about it.
The whole purpose to keep a journal is to get everything out of your mind onto a piece of paper so that your brain can be at ease.
Be kind to yourself, and life will be kinder in return. 🙂
So those were my 7 tips on how to lose weight as a teenage girl.
Which one caught your eye the most? Have any more you’d like to share? Leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you.
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