Carrying extra weight in your stomach and thighs can be uncomfortable and damaging to your self-esteem, especially in your teenage years when body image has a profound impact on your self-confidence. However, simple changes in your eating habits and regular exercise can help you take advantage of your youthful metabolism and shed weight. While you cannot target your midsection and legs for weight loss, you can lose weight throughout your body to gain a smaller stomach and thinner thighs as a result.
Step 1
Reduce the number of calories you eat each day by 500 to create a calorie deficit and safely lose 1 pound a week. Eat more plant-based foods such as fruit, vegetables and whole grains, and reduce your consumption of sugary, fatty and greasy foods.
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Step 2
Eat breakfast every morning and continue eating healthy foods every three to four hours to get your metabolism going early and to keep it going throughout the day. Eat consistently so your body keeps burning calories and does not go into starvation mode, which will cause you to store fat.
Step 3
Monitor your portion sizes, eat only when you are hungry and only eat the amount you need to feel full. Use appropriate sizes of bowls and plates to help moderate your portions rather than eating from the bag or container, which would make it difficult to know how much you ate. Choose single-serving bags and containers when using a plate is not possible such as at a sports game or school social event.
Step 4
Engage in no less than 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity each week to burn fat and lose weight.
Step 5
Choose workouts and activities you enjoy, join sports teams or participate in your physical education class at school to make sure you stay active throughout the week.
Step 6
Do body-weight exercises like pushups, situps, squats and lunges to build muscle throughout your body, since building more muscle helps burn calories faster and will leave you with a firm stomach and toned thighs once you start shedding fat.
Tip
Choose sports and physical activities you can do with your friends to help you stay motivated and have fun. Chart your weight-loss progress each week to stay encouraged to keep working hard. Set small goals and reward yourself once you've reached them. Give yourself rest days from working out and cheat days from your diet so you don't get burned out.
Warning
Consult your doctor before starting any new exercise program or diet.
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