Many teenagers in America look to diets such as Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers, but what many don’t know is that a diet can hurt more than it can help.
A thought of going on a diet first sparks as a thought of “I need to change.” In teenagers, the pressure to be skinny is inevitable, and many go on a diet to try and help themselves, but most of the time, it does not end that way.
As the pressure of appearance is the biggest factor in teenagers wanting to go on a diet, unhealthy habits can arise. Skipping meals, using weight loss pills or laxatives, and going on ‘crash’ diets are some unhealthy habits.
According to the center for Pediatrics and Child Health, “When we hear about ‘going on a diet’, we usually think about eating less or eating differently to try to lose weight. Going on a diet can mean making some good choices about nutrition (eating more fruit, vegetables and fiber, or cutting down on snack foods) or bad choices (skipping meals, eating too little or not eating enough variety of food).”
Another reason why diet plans are not successful is because the mindset of the dieter is not forever impacted by that diet. The dieter might stick to that plan for around 2-4 weeks, but after that period is over, he or she will go back to old habits and gain the weight back.
To achieve the goal of safely losing weight, a proper plan needs to be devised.
Eating a wide variety of enough food to meet your body’s needs is where it all starts. Aim to eat more fruits and veggies, and cut back on meats high in fat (hamburgers and hot dogs), greasy fried foods, and sweets, and drink more water in place of sugary drinks like Gatorade or soda.
Senior Chris Bilardo said, “I have seen many people try to go on diet plans, but it never works. They starts to lose weight, then after a certain amount of time they start to gain the weight back on/gain more. I think everyone should know that diet plans are not healthy and are not the best option available to lose weight.”
Balanced nutrition combined with an effective exercise regiment are the keys to losing weight. Cardio, which can be performed at a gym or at home, is the most effective way of losing weight because it gets your heart rate up and allows you to burn calories.
Senior David Abraham said, “An effective exercise regiment that you stick to and cutting out junk food is the plan that I chose to try and lose weight this summer. If you do stick with this plan that you chose, you will see results because it truly transforms your lifestyle to the point where you look at certain foods differently.”
At the end of the day, the most efficient way to lose weight is to have a healthy, balanced diet. Your consumption of food has 80-90 percent of the responsibility of your successes and failures weight loss-wise. Keeping your total number of calories under control, cutting out all junk food, and giving up soda are ways to control your diet and create a healthier mind and body. If you want to change your lifestyle, how are you going to do it?