Weight Maintenance

posted Nov 15, 2011, 3:42 PM by Jeanna Tachiki   [ updated Nov 15, 2011, 3:48 PM ]
Maintaining a healthy weight is important for your health. However, how to achieve your best weight might not always be so clear, especially among teens. Most high school girls interested in losing weight exercise, yet they still tend to drink pop everyday and boys interested in weight loss are more likely to be sedentary. Here are some helpful/healthful tips to help you jump-start on the path to achieve and maintain your best weight!

1. Reduce or eliminate the amount of pop and juice you drink everyday. You have to walk three miles to burn the amount of calories in one 20 oz soda or juice! In fact, just having one pop a day for a year could result in a 15-pounds of weight gain. A single can of pop has 10 teaspoons of sugar in it... Would you add that much to your own drink?

Instead...try drinking more water, low or no-calorie beverages (tea, crystal light, sltezer water, diet beverages) and milk.


2. Choose whole, unprocessed foods as much as possible. Eating whole foods boosts energy expenditure. Your body can break down processed foods much easier than un-processed foods. This means you will burn fewer calories after eating white bread, than you would after eating whole wheat bread. Whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean meats and vegetable oils will give you the beneficial essential nutrients you need with the added bonus of increased calorie burn after you eat them!


3. Eat more. Your body gets full from the amount of food you eat, not the amount of calories. So switch higher calorie (energy-dense foods) for lower calorie, nutrient dense foods and get more food for less calories! Focus on whole foods, fiber and practice substitutions. Try switching to non-fat milk, only using the egg white, and bulking up dishes with veggies!


By Annica Shumny, Loyola University Dietetic Intern