... 2. Move your body! You may find that you don't need to give up calories as much as you need to get off ur behind. And don't get stuck in the rut of thinking you have to play a team sport or take aerobics class- try a variety of activities from hiking to cycling to rowing until youfind the ones u like. 3. Start small. Drastic changes are much harder to stick with than small changes. Try reducing the size of portions you eat and giving up regular soda for a week, Once you have that down, start gradually introducing healthier foods and exercise into ur life. 4. Stop eating when ur full! Lots of teens and adults eat when they're bored, lonely, or stressed or keep eating long after they're full of habit. Slowing down can help because it takes about 20 minutes for your brain to recongize how much is in ur stomach. Sometimes taking a break before going for seconds can keep you from eating. Also drinking 1 1/2-2 cups of water 10 minutes before a meal makes u eat less because water fulls u up. Also avoid eating when u feel upset or bored-try to find something else to do instead (a walk around the block or a trip to the gym are good alternatives). Many teens find it's helpful to keep a diary of what they eat and when. 5. Eat less more often. Many people find that eating a couple of small snacks throughout the day helps them make healthy choices at meals. Stick a couple of healthy snacks (carrot sticks, a low fat granola bar, pretzels, or a piece of fruit) in ur backpack so that u can have 1 or 2 snacks during the day. Adding healthy snacks to ur three squares and eating smaller portions when u sit down at dinner can help you cut calories w/o feeling deprived. 6. Trash the junk food and buy lots of fruits and veggies. Five or more servings of fruits and veggies aren't just a good idea to help u lose weight- they'll help keep ur heart and rest of ur body healthy. Other suggestions for eating well: exchange white bread for whole-wheat bread; drinks lots of water and make sure u eat a healthy breakfast. Don't skip breakfast. (having a low fat cereal and milk and a piece of fruit is a much better idea than inhaling a donut as u run to the bus stop or eating no breakfast at all!!). 7. Avoid fad or prepackaged food. If we were meant to eat from cans, they'd grow on trees. It's never a good ides to trade meals for shakes or to give up a food group in the hope that u'll lose weight- we all need a variety of foods to stay healthy. Teens should stay away from fad diets because they're still growing and need to make sure they get proper nutrients. Avoid diet pills ( even the over-the-counter or herbal ones) unless ur doctor prescribes them! these can be very addictive! 8. Don't banish certain foods. Don't tell urself that u'll "never" again eat ur favorite peanut butter chocolate ice cream or a bag of chips from the vending machine at school. Making these foods forbidden is sure to make u want them even more. Besides, u need to have some fat in ur diet to stay healthy, so giving up all fatty foods all the time isn't a good idea anyway. The key to long-term success is making healthy choices most of the time. If u want a piece of cake at a party, go for it! But munch on the carrots rather than the chips to balance it out later in the evening. 9. Forgive urself. So u were going to have one cracker w/ spray cheese on it and next thing u know the can's pumping air and the box is empty? Drink some water, brush ur teeth, and move on. Everyone's who's ever tried to lose weight has found it challenging. When u slip up, the best idea is to get right back on track and don't look back. Don't eat a large meal in the evening when u'll have little opportunity for exercise afterwards. Eat a hearty breakfast, a substantial lunch, and a light dinner. So never skip breakfast! Eat slowly and thoroughly chew ur food. Don't eat while ur doing anything else like watching TV, using the computer, or doing ur homework. Stop frying food. If u must snack, stock the fridge with low calorie snacks like raw vegetables and low fat yogurt. hope this helped. if u ned any other tips (which i know a lot more of but it will take to much space to post), email me at dancergurl14@comcast.net