I’m a 14-year-old teenager and I have been struggling to lose weight for quite some time now. I walk twice a day for 30 minutes each time and I do 30 sit-ups each week. I eat very well but on weekends I sort of let go of my good eating pattern and eat junk food.
I weigh 66 kilos and my height is about 157 cm. What should my weight be and do you have any tips for me?
From your email address, I assumed you are a male to perform some calculations. If I am wrong, please write back and I will re-calculate.
Guess what? Your healthy weight range is 55.6 – 65.6 kg and you are average height for age. You are within your healthy weight range for height and age. So, I would recommend you maintain your weight for about 3 – 6 months rather than trying to lose.
Keep exercising like you do with walking and sit-ups, but add some weight lifting to build muscle. Get some muscle definition and I bet it will change how you view your body. Focus on achieving a strong, healthy body. The best way to keep your weight under control is by eating a healthy diet based on the Food Guide Pyramid and daily exercise. It takes a change in lifestyle for most teens to make this a regular part of their daily routine.
Periodically eating junk food won’t kill you or permanently harm your health. Just don’t eat junk food most of the time. Also, don’t beat yourself up over hanging out with your friends and doing what they are doing as long as it isn’t illegal. Try moderation. For instance, if you go out to eat, a burger or grilled chicken sandwich is fine, but skip the cheese, bacon or mayonnaise sauces. If you eat pizza, choose ham over sausage or pepperoni, which are higher in fat and skip the extra cheese. Be bold and add some vegetables (mushrooms, peppers, onions) to your pizza, but skip the olives which are mostly fat. You can choose milk over pop and limit fries to once or twice a month. Hey, tell your friends you’re a health nut.
Assuming you continue to grow taller until at least 18. When you turn 15, your healthy weight for height should be 71.9 kilograms max. Depending on how close you are to turning 15, maybe you should be slowly gaining weight. Hope that provides you with some guidance.
