Diet and Nutrition

• A common misconception about dieting is that you need to cut meals or eat as little as possible. That is actually counterproductive. The key to a good weight-loss plan is to speed up your metabolism. An increased metabolism helps break down the food you eat rather than store the extra calories as fat. The best way to stimulate your metabolism is to eat smaller meals more often. You should aim to eat six to eight small meals a day. As a result, you will be eating every two to three hours. This will keep your metabolism consistently working throughout the day as well as prevent you from getting hungry and overeating.
  
  Along with eating smaller meals more often, it is important to adjust the type of food that you eat. Check the labels on all the food you intake and try to avoid saturated fat, trans fat, simple carbohydrates and sugar. Teenagers, especially, have a tendency to eat junk food, which is high in calories, fat, and sugar. Teens trying to lose weight should substitute junk food like chips, French fries and soda with whole, unprocessed foods like raw vegetables and fresh fruit. Simply switching from soda to water will help you achieve your weight-loss goals more quickly.
  
  Another good way to cut down on junk food is for parents to pack a healthy meal for teens to take with them to school, rather than rely on the school lunch menu. Teenagers often feel pressured into eating unhealthy food and may make bad decisions. By eliminating that option, it will be much easier to maintain a proper diet. An example of a healthy small meal is half a turkey sandwich, or a cup of yogurt with a piece of fruit. Some examples of healthy food include fruit, vegetables, lean meats, fish, fat-free dairy products, unsalted nuts, egg whites and whole grains.
  
  Although your overall diet should include foods that are healthy for you, you need not cut out the foods you love. Once a week, satisfy cravings and eat a small meal of your choice. No matter how much calories, fat or sugar it has, if you limit yourself to one small "anything goes" meal a week, it will not negatively affect your diet and you will have something to look forward to after all your hard work.
  
  

Exercise

• The best way to jump-start weight loss is by boosting your metabolism through exercise. The fundamental key to any weight-loss exercise program is cardiovascular exercise. This consists of any form of exercise that increases respiration and elevates your heart rate. The easiest and most common way to get cardiovascular exercise is through aerobic training. Aerobic training involves exercising at a static pace for a prolonged period of time. This effectively raises your heart rate and keeps it at a fixed speed for the duration of your workout. Running, biking and swimming are all excellent aerobic exercises. When doing aerobic training, aim for 15 to 45 minutes of consistent exercise. For best results, work out three to four times a week.
  
  Because aerobic training is sometimes considered tedious and boring, it may be difficult to stay motivated and maintain your training routine. As a result, it is important to find a form of exercise that you enjoy that incorporates cardiovascular training. Playing sports such as hockey, soccer, and basketball are all good ways to stay active and burn calories. Most schools have intramural sport teams that students can join if it is too difficult to make the varsity teams. This will help keep you active as well add a structured exercise routine to your weight-loss plan. Moreover, participating in gym class is another way to add exercise to your daily routine. If the options at your school are limited, find an exercise class at your local gym that you enjoy and try to attend it consistently. Although aerobic training is often linked to weight-loss programs, it is not necessary to do aerobics to get exercise. However, it is important to stay active and get your heart rate up at least four times a week.