How to Find a Diet to Help Teen Girls Lose Weight

Even if your daughter̵7;s not exactly what you would consider overweight, you̵7;ll likely eventually hear from her mouth the phrase ̶0;I want to lose weight.̶1; In today̵7;s increasingly body-conscious culture, the teen girl is confronted with hard-to-meet expectations placed on her physical image and tempting fad diets that tend to do more harm than good. That̵7;s not to say that weight loss is bad; it̵7;s not. But your goal as a parent is to help your daughter lose weight safely without crash diets or diet pills. Luckily, no matter the body type of your teen's body, a healthful diet with restricted caloric intake can help her see results.

Instructions

    • 1

      Count calories. Begin her diet by not dieting but helping her observe how much she̵7;s currently eating. Buy a notebook, use a smartphone app, or register for a website that helps you record daily calories. For each meal or snack, look up the calories of what your daughter is eating. Record exactly the number of calories; it̵7;s easy to undercount, and every calorie counts. Even if your daughter just grabs a handful of chips from the kitchen, make sure she records it. Run this calorie counting program for a week.

    • 2

      Evaluate the results of her caloric intake. Sum the total calories for the week and divide the total by seven. This is her average daily caloric intake.

    • 3

      Set a calorie goal for the new diet. Subtract 500 from her average daily caloric intake. This new number is what you two should aim for in her diet. A reduction of 500 calories is an easy target and will help your daughter safely lose weight.

    • 4

      Design meals. Organize what your daughter eats into set meals, such as breakfast, lunch, afterschool snack and dinner. Plan these meals in advance so that you can ensure she doesn̵7;t exceed her caloric goal on any day. Remember to include drinks as it̵7;s easy to forget that juices and other sugary drinks contain many calories. Plan your meals to include the three major macronutrients growing teens need: protein, carbohydrates and fat. Aim for healthful versions of each of these, such as lean meats and fish for protein, whole grains and fruit for carbohydrates, and plant oils and nuts for fat. Also include plenty of vegetables in her meals. Vegetables contain many micronutrients that help regulate her body̵7;s system. They are also packed with fiber, which helps keep her feeling full; the fullness she gets from extra fiber will keep her from feeling there̵7;s been a major reduction in her daily food intake, making the diet easier on her.

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