When it comes to weight loss drugs and teens it may be a case of picking the lesser of two evils. As parents we are never thrilled to give our kids any type of medication unless absolutely necessary. Many of us are concerned about any possible long term side effects. Weight loss drugs are no different.

As parents we don’t take the idea of weight loss drugs and teens lightly. But, if your teenager is obese and you need something that will help them start along a healthier path, isn’t it worth it?

I’m not a doctor and only your doctor can provide you with bona fide medical advice, but as a parent I would balance the pros and cons and proceed with the advice of my doctor.

For example, if my child was only mildly overweight, say between 20 -50 lbs. I would probably encourage them to lose weight in a more natural way. I would tell them how to eat better and encourage them to get more exercise.

Actually, that is exactly what I did when my child needed to lose weight. I worked out with him (though he only wanted to go when there was no one at the gym so we went to workout at midnight!).

But it was good for him to see his mom working out too. And though he would never admit it, I think he really appreciated the motivation and the fact that I was willing to go with him.

If your teen is hundreds of pounds overweight, though, you may need something a little more drastic. Weight loss takes time and anyone who tries to tell you different is lying (or trying to sell you something or both). Since it takes time it can seem overwhelming and it may make your teen reluctant to even start.

Any short term solution that can help them start to see results more quickly may be necessary to help your teen succeed in their weight loss goals.

It’s important for the success of your teen getting in shape that they approach this process with realistic expectations and time frames.

It will only discourage them if they think they will have a certain result in a certain time frame and they don’t achieve that goal.

But, seeing even small results may help them stay motivated and encourage them to keep going. And that is where supplements may be able to come in.

Some supplements that can help your teen kick start their weight loss and allow them to see some results fairly quickly (even if it is just water weight) might still be enough to keep them motivated and moving forward.

So, if you want to help your teen get in better shape, either try to do it yourself by encouraging more exercise and better eating habits, or talk to you doctor about some sort of supplements.

Weight loss drugs and teens may not be an ideal combination but in some cases it may just be the lesser or two evils.

Tags: Drastic Weight Loss, Drugs And Teens, Eating Habits, Exercise, Getting In Shape, Lesser Of Two, Lesser Of Two Evils, Lose Weight, Losing Weight, Medical Advice, Medication, Mom, Motivation, Parents, Pros And Cons, Realistic Expectations, Teenager, Term Solution, Time Frames, Weight Loss Drugs, Weight Loss Goals, Workout —

Let’s be honest, losing weight isn’t easy. If you are like most people then you have tried to lose weight more than once; probably several times. You meant well, you were motivated, and you found the perfect plan for you, but even if you were able to drop a few pounds you put them all back on. So, why does this happen, and how can you prevent it from happening again? The answer is to have weight loss support to help you.

How you get that support can vary, but it’s important to being able to lose weight and to keep it off. As you know, there are tons of diet programs out there, and more are being released all the time. But that shouldn’t make any sense when you think about it. After all, if a diet really worked, then there wouldn’t be much of a need for any other diet to take its place.

The reason new diets are coming out is that people have a hard time sticking to the old diets. In reality, they will have just as difficult of a time sticking to the new diets too, unless they can find some weight loss support.

Family and friends are usually the first people we think of to give us some help. But be careful! Not all family and friends will be willing to support you. Sure, they care for you, but they may not understand how important losing weight is to you. So, instead of encouraging you, they will tell you that you’re just fine the way you are, and that you don’t really need to lose any weight. Even worse, some of them may tease you and intentionally try to get you to go back to your old habits. That’s not to say everybody will do that, but you should be aware of it if it happens.

Diet and exercise are the two main ways of losing weight. Therefore, if you can work with a professional dietician or nutritionist then that would make an excellent addition to your weight loss support team. The same is true if you have a personal trainer to help you exercise.

One if the most effective ways to get support is to join a group of people who are also trying to lose weight. Overeaters Anonymous (OA), Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) and Weight Watchers are some of the more popular choices. These groups help because they let you be open about your troubles, failures and successes. In other words, you can feel free to share your journey to healthier weight with people who understand.

Don’t underestimate the power of weight loss support, especially if you have tried diet after diet without any lasting success. The more support you get, the better. Almost any diet has the potential to work, but if none of them have worked for you, then it’s not your fault. Perhaps you didn’t realize how much of a difference having a support team could make.

Tags: Diet Programs, Dietician, Diets, Eating Habits, Exercise, Family And Friends, Hard Time, Healthy Diet, Lose Weight, Losing Weight, Nutritionist, Old Habits, People, Perfect Plan, Personal Trainer, Several Times, Weight Loss Support —

Doesn’t it seem like every day brings us another fad diet or other so-called “weight loss miracle”? Don’t get me wrong, I know a lot of these plans really do work, but that’s not the problem. The problem is that there are just so many that it makes it hard for the average person to figure out which ones work and which ones they should pass on. But there is one method that is ideal…walking for weight loss. Let’s take a look at why it is such a good option for shedding those extra pounds.

Before we get to why it’s so good, it’s important to understand a bit about how losing weight works. It all comes down to a simple equation: 3,500 calories is equal to one pound of body weight. So, if you take in an extra 3,500 calories compared to what you burn off, then you will gain a pound. If you get rid of 3,500 calories, you will lose a pound. There are a few exceptions to this because some calories are more easily stored, and not all exercise is the same. Regardless, physical activity is an important part of any weight loss plan.

Almost everybody can go for a walk. Even those who may be missing a leg are usually able to walk. What’s the best way of walking for weight loss? The answer is as simple as can be. All you need to do is put one foot in front of the other, then repeat the process for as many times as you wish.

Another benefit of walking for weight loss is that you need any special equipment, except for a comfortable pair of shoes. There’s no need to buy any special clothes, and you don’t have to join a gym or pay a personal trainer, either.

Walking is a low-impact way to burn calories. In theory, you could walk for hours at a time, though that wouldn’t be practical. Still, if you have been inactive until now, it’s always a good idea to talk to your doctor about your plans. They will be aware of any underlying medical concerns, and can let you know if there are any precautions you need to take.

Exercise burns calories, but it has another benefit for weight loss and that is boosting your metabolism. You will get a little extra help burning calories for a few hours after you have stopped walking. Of course, the more brisk you walk, the more calories you will burn. But any walking is better than none at all.

Finally, people are built to walk. We’re bipedal; it’s in our DNA. It only makes sense that one of the best things you can do for your health is to use the body in a way it was designed for. But…none of this matter if you don’t take action. So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and start walking for weight loss.

Tags: Average Person, Benefit, Burns, Calories, Clothes, Exceptions, Exercise, Extra 3, Fad Diet, Healthy Diet, Ideal Weight, Losing Weight, Low Impact, Medical Concerns, Pair Of Shoes, Personal Trainer, Physical Activity, Weight Loss Miracle, Weight Loss Plan —

Have you been wondering for a long time ‘how can I lose my belly fat’? Do you have a bit of excess tummy flab that you just can’t seem to be able to get rid of? Well stop asking yourself ‘how can I lose my belly fat’ because we are about to tell you how.

There are a number of reasons why you may have gained some fat around your tummy. The trick to losing that belly fat is to control what you are eating or drinking that will cause fat gain and to introduce some exercise into your life, particularly exercises that target the tummy area.

Here are four tips that can help you to love that belly fat.

1. Sit ups and crunches are the two main exercises that people do to lose belly fat. Sit ups are probably the single most effective exercise for toning stomach muscles and getting rid of belly fat. Sit ups are even more effective when done on a stability ball. To lose fat you do need to burn off more calories than you consume so keep this in mind also.

2. Cut out all fried foods from your diet. Fried foods are the worst foods for putting on fat around the waist and they are poor in nutrient value also. Fried food has no nutritional value at all to your diet and all it does it provide you with calories that add to your weight.

3. Stop snacking between meals. Snacking is a big contributor to gaining belly fat. Late night snacking is the worst kind of all as you don’t burn the calories off if you got to bed after snacking. When you consume calories during the day you will burn some of them off with your daily movements, but at night you just relax or go to bed allowing those calories to become fat that doesn’t get burned off. When you snack a lot you will often find that you only intend to have one small snack but you keep on eating more and more and it all adds up around your tummy. If you are asking yourself ‘how can I lose my belly fat’ then you need to tell yourself to stop snacking between meals.

4. Burn those excess calories off. Belly fat is unused energy that accumulates in the form of fat around the stomach. To get rid of belly fat you need to burn off more calories than you consume. Cardio workouts are great for burning off fat and these can include aerobics, walking, jogging, running, cycling or working out on a cardio machine. There are many little changes that you can make that will also help you to burn off calories like parking at the back of the car park and walking that little bit further to the shop or office, or taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Remember that every little bit of exercise you do helps.

If you are asking yourself ‘how can I lose my belly fat’ then try these four suggestions and you will soon find your tummy getting thinner and you will be well on your way to having those flat abs.

Tags: Calories, Calories Fat, Contributor, Crunches, Diet, Eating Habits, Excess Calories, Exercise, Fried Food, Fried Foods, Healthy Diet, Late Night, Long Time, Losing Weight, Love, Nutrient Value, Nutritional Value, Sit Ups, Snack, Stability Ball, Stomach Muscles, Target, Ups, Worst Foods —