• Teens can reduce their calorie intake by snacking on fruits instead of fast food items.apple spiral image by Shirley Hirst from Fotolia.com
  
  Though the stigma attached to being overweight in American society is overwhelming, it's important for children, teens and adults to be aware of their eating habits and active lifestyles. Excess weight gain and obesity are caused by a wide range of factors, including genetics, overeating, poor diets, stress, mental illness and lack of exercise. Many overweight teens experience weight discrimination, which can lower their self-esteem and cause them to eat when they are saddened. To successfully lose weight, overweight teens should set and follow through with their weight-loss goals, maintain a positive attitude, avoid junk food and incorporate a daily exercise routine.
  
  

Set Goals

• A teen should set realistic weight-loss goals, and should not ascribe to looks made popular by runway models and celebrities. Healthy, natural weight-loss can take time, and does not include trying to rapidly lose weight through techniques such as starvation or skipping meals. To begin setting a weight-loss goal, a teen can calculate an average, healthy weight, based on his or her current weight and height. To determine a healthy weight, use a standard weight chart, measure body fat percentage, or reference a modified BMI chart for teenage boys and girls.
  
  

Motivation

• Motivational support, such as maintaining a positive attitude and embracing self-confidence, is essential to helping a teen achieve his or her weight loss goal. Having the support from friends and family members is also important for overweight teens who want to lose weight. Parents should encourage their teenage son or daughter with positive reinforcement and refrain from berating or pressuring a child in the interim of his or her weight-loss efforts.
  
  

Food & Drink

• Adolescents, who are battling weight issues, can incorporate a healthy eating regimen by eliminating the intake of high calorie, high fat and processed foods. A daily balanced diet should include fruits and vegetables. Instead of reaching for french fries, potato chips or cookies, teens can munch on healthy snacks such as carrot sticks, whole-grain pretzels and low-fat yogurt. Teens can also consume fewer calories by eliminating sugar-sweetened drinks, such as soda, chocolate milk and sweetened iced tea, from their daily routines. A teenager should also be aware of overeating, which is often habitual. Whether or not food is left on a plate, a teen should stop eating when he or she is full.
  
  

Exercise

• Inactivity can greatly inhibit a teen's ability to lose weight or maintain a healthy lifestyle. A teen can take part in a variety of activities to help burn calories, such as joining a sports team at their middle school or high school. If a teen is not interested in playing sports, he or she can also construct and incorporate an alternative daily exercise routine, such as running or jogging each morning or after school. Certain active-based video games, such as Dance Central for Xbox Kinect and Dance Dance Revolution, can also be can also be applied to a teen's exercise schedule. DDR and Dance Central, which combines the enjoyment of gaming with cardio exercise, challenges users to emulate dance moves while burning calories.