How to Lose Weight Without Your Parents Knowing

Co-authored by Jesse Gaynor

Last Updated: January 20, 2023 References Approved

There are healthy ways to lose weight that you don't have to hide from anyone. Small lifestyle changes can make a big difference in the long run, and focusing on getting healthier will make your weight drop. Unless you're underweight, you should be able to eat a normal diet, exercise an ordinary amount, and lose weight at a safe pace without causing your parents any concern. Talk to your doctor or a nutritionist about ways to achieve your healthiest weight.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Eating a Healthy Diet

1
Eat a variety of foods. Eat foods from all five food groups every day. Don't substitute one kind of food or supplement for another. You'll get all the vitamins and minerals you need if you eat a varied diet. If the options in your home or at school are always the same, start working on getting some variety.^{[1]
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- Get plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits. Eat them raw and cooked.
- Juice lacks fiber and can't provide all the benefits of whole produce, so don't replace your eating with drinking.
- Get protein every day. If you're a vegan or a vegetarian, make sure you get adequate amounts of protein-rich foods like rice and beans, hummus, tofu, and nuts.
- Eat whole-grain carbohydrates for energy and minerals.^{[2]
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- Yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese, and milk are delicious and provide essential calcium.
- To stay healthy while losing weight, focus on adding nutritious foods to your plate. Adding more protein to your diet can help boost your metabolism, burn more calories, and curb cravings.
- Set small attainable goals for yourself and plan a non-food celebration for your accomplishment.
2
Make food at home. Homemade food is almost always lower in calories than frozen or prepared food. Tell your parents you want to pack your own lunches. If your parents buy a lot of take-out, ask them if you can all start taking turns making dinner several nights a week.
- Your parents are going to worry if they think you're starving yourself. They're less likely to worry if they can see that you are eating well and getting interested in food preparation.
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3
Eat regular meals. Skipping meals will make you gain weight. Make sure you eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with some healthy snacks in between.^{[3]
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Research source} You will overeat if you get too hungry. Try keeping a few snack bars, nuts, apples, and other filling snacks in your locker or backpack so that you can eat when you're hungry.
- Make sure you get breakfast! Skipping breakfast will make you hungry and low-energy. It may even lead to weight gain.^{[4]
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  Mayo Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
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4
Limit your soda, alcohol, and candy. Don't consume these things every day, but don't eliminate things you like completely. Treat sugary drinks and snacks as treats. Consume them as a special occasion. If you get out of the habit of eating sugar all the time, you won't crave it as much.
- Alcohol is very high in sugar, and it's best to avoid it if you're trying to lose weight.^{[5]
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5
Eat mindfully. If you eat when you are stressed or distracted, you might eat too much or eat the wrong things. Try paying attention when you eat. Eat slowly so that you notice yourself filling up. Start eating when you're hungry, and stop eating when you're full.
- Try tasting every bite you take.
- Eat with your family. Eating with people you like can help you eat the right way.
- Most restaurants will serve you more than you need to feel full.^{[6]
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6
Beware of dieting. Dieting can actually make you gain weight. Most diets will cause you to lose weight at first, then gain it all back. The best way to have a healthy weight is to eat a healthy diet, get ordinary amounts of physical activity, and feel fine about your body and your habits.^{[7]
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- Avoid any crash diets that claim you can lose a lot of weight at once.
- Never take laxatives, skip meals, vomit, or take weight loss pills to lose weight.^{[8]
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- A major drawback to diets is that people can easily confuse a temporary diet with a way to live your life. It's not recommended to live your whole life quantifying and calculating, as that can cause psychological issues for most people.
7
Talk to a doctor or nutritionist. It's hard to calculate your own correct weight, because everyone's healthy weight is different. You can calculate your BMI, which is how you find out if your weight is correct for your height, but the BMI fails to factor in things like your genes and your growth.^{[9]
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Research source} You can talk to your doctor during an ordinary doctor's appointment.
- Talk to your pediatrician, who has a record of your weight over your whole childhood, and ask if you are an ordinary weight for your age.
- You might also ask: "I'd like to lose weight. How can I do this safely?"
- Your doctor might refer you to a nutritionist who can give you advice.
8
Don't worry. When you stress about food, you make worse eating choices.^{[10]
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PubMed Central
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Go to source} If you worry too much about your weight, your calorie intake, and eating the "right" foods, you may make worse and worse eating choices, and even develop an eating disorder.
- To strike a positive balance, try eating healthily but having the occasional treat.
- If you overeat, don't beat yourself up. Let it go.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Losing Weight

1
Exercise. Get into a regular exercise routine so that you get fit and stay fit. Aim for an hour of physical exercise a day.^{[11]
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Research source} Consider trying out for a team sport, like swim team or volleyball.
- If you're not competitive or don't like teams, try solo exercise like biking, jogging, skateboarding, or walking.
- Get an exercise buddy. If you have a friend who enjoys exercise, ask if they'll go on hikes with you, or join a dance class and learn ballroom dancing or contra dance.
- You can lift weights, but wait till you're fully grown. You can't build muscle if you haven't gone through puberty.
- Using weights can increase your lean muscle mass, burn more calories, and help you to get better results.
2
Lose weight gradually. If you lose a ton of weight all at once, your parents will notice and you'll damage your health. If you lose a few pounds a month, you'll be losing weight safely, it will be easier to keep it off, and nobody will worry. It's safe to lose 1-2 pounds a week—any more than that is hard to keep off, and may damage your health.^{[12]
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- If you lose a lot of weight very quickly, you might actually damage your body's metabolism. This will make it hard for you to control your weight later on.^{[13]
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- Avoid compulsive exercise. This is when you feel like you can't control your own urge to exercise—you must exercise, or you can't relax. This is a warning sign that you may be developing an eating disorder.
3
Sleep. Getting a healthy amount of sleep every night will help you regulate your weight.^{[14]
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PubMed Central
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Go to source}^{[15]
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Research source} If you're a teenager, aim for 9-11 hours of sleep a night.^{[16]
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Trustworthy Source
Mayo Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source} Naps can't make up for lost sleep, so try to go to bed at a reasonable time every night.
- If you sleep fewer than 9 hours a night, try adding hours on. You'll lose weight for every hour you add (up to 11—after that, you'll just confuse your body).
- To get enough sleep, get into a good sleep routine. Go to bed at the same time every night if you can, and do relaxing things before sleep, such as reading, chatting with family, or watching a comedy.
4
Get offline. Being on your device can cause you to zone out and lose track of time. Try replacing your online time with sleep, reading (offline), and activities that involve movement (walking, cooking, making art, exercising).^{[17]
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Getting the Right Mindset

1
Look out for yourself. Remember that your brain and body are developing. If you restrict too many meals, you can damage your future health and intelligence. You can also lower your current concentration and self esteem. Too much focus on weight loss can lead you to be unhappy and ill.^{[18]
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- If you have trouble feeling comfortable with your current weight, consider talking to your friends about it. You don't have to ask questions or beg for reassurance—just let them know that you're having negative feelings about your body.
2
Talk to your parents. You'll scare your parents if you start eating less or exercising too much, and you'll scare them if you aren't honest with them about your diet and your worries. If you are trying to lose weight without your parents knowing, ask yourself why. If you're really doing something harmless, why is it a secret?
- If the issue is that your parents are controlling, speak to a trusted adult.
- If the issue is that you have an eating disorder, you can speak to your school nurse or your doctor.
- Diets work better with family support.
3
Get help for an eating disorder. If you're trying to lose weight without your parents knowing, you might have an eating disorder. Ask yourself: do I think about food all the time? Do I eat when I'm full? Do I avoid eating? Do I try to get rid of the calories I consume, either through vomiting, laxatives, or exercise?
- If any of these are the case, talk to your doctor as soon as possible.^{[19]
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  Mayo Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
  Go to source}
- If you think of your eating or your body as a problem, talk to a doctor.