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Home > Healthy Eating > Dietary advice > Fad diets won't work - teenagers Fad diets won't work - teenagers Lots of young people are concerned about their weight and look out for ways to lose weight. Right now there’s no shortage of supposed solutions. These days it’s hard to open a magazine without reading about the next miracle diet, or watch television without hearing about weight loss programs.But you’ve got to ask yourself, if these diets are so effective, why are there so many new ones? Shouldn’t one do the trick? Why are fad diets a problem? They may provide short-term results but are difficult to stick to and deprive you of essential nutrients. By cutting out key foods, fad diets have been known to cause:
Fad dieting can result in an initial loss of weight from loss of water and lean muscle. In the long term, however, the loss of muscle tissue lowers the metabolic rate so the body needs fewer kilojoules (from food and drink) and weight loss slows down. So when people who have been following fad diets return to normal eating habits, they will put on weight more easily. So what’s the answer? There is an eating plan that works. It will allow you to achieve a healthy body weight and maintain it over time. It will boost your vitality and improve your sense of self-worth. Best of all you don’t have to cut out any foods, because you can eat everything, in moderation. It’s called balanced eating, and it’s really nothing new. But combined with moderate physical activity it will change your life in a way that fad diets only dream of. First of all remember it’s okay to enjoy your food – food is about enjoyment, both social and cultural. Also:
The healthy eating plan You might have heard it all before but let’s refresh your memory (and you might want to share this with your family):
Be active every day Healthy eating patterns will increase vitality, and being active will start to feel not only possible, but also desirable. Think of movement as an opportunity, not an inconvenience, and put together at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity on most, preferably all, days. Look for ways to make physical activity a normal part of your life, whether it be walking, running, playing sport, dancing or drama – whatever works for you. And aim to keep TV watching, video games or surfing the net to no more than 2 hours a day (unless it’s part of your schoolwork or study). Meeting your body’s needs As a teenager, your body weight will increase because your body is growing. Also, a healthy body weight will vary for different people. If you are concerned about your weight, check with a health professional such as a doctor, nutritionist or dietitian, because people’s perceptions of their own bodies are not always realistic. Generally the only reason for concern about weight gain is if body fat is above a healthy level (some body fat is not only necessary but healthy!). Your health professional can advise you about lifestyle changes if necessary. The sensible answer to losing excess body fat is to make small healthy changes to your eating and physical activity habits. These changes should be things that you can maintain as part of your lifestyle – that way you will lose weight and keep it off. A healthy lifestyle – easier than you think If you do need to change your eating and physical activity habits, it can be difficult to begin with. But once you’ve got the ball rolling, it’s easy to sustain. Here are a few tips to help ease the transition:
Being healthy includes feeling good about yourself. Don’t buy into the unrealistic images portrayed in the media. At times there are pressures, on top of study, social life, work and family, that make it harder to maintain a healthy lifestyle, but adopting balanced eating habits can help you feel better about yourself. Fad dieting is one pressure you don’t need in your life. Once a wide range of nutritious foods and physical activity become an everyday routine, the idea of dieting will start to seem strange. There is a better way. To find out more visit goforyourlife.vic.gov.au or call 1300 73 98 99. Related articles Note: The following links return you to the "Everyone" area of the website. Email this article Print a fact sheet
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