I know how it feels being told that I am fat. Believe me.

I’ve got a flabby belly and my friends’ happiness increases almost directly from seeing my belly standing out more than my breasts when I wear a tight t-shirt. You should be comfortable with who you are no matter how much you weigh, but let’s be honest: it’s not always easy.

At one point I even thought of taking diet pills, but after I searched the internet about its effects, I immediately changed my mind. Not only is it unhealthy, but most of the diet pills that you can find here is not even registered with the health regulator!

After I found out about the side effects of taking diet pills, I start finding out about how to lose my weight naturally. My best friend’s mom happens to be a doctor and I consulted her about this. She gave me some healthy diet tips for teenagers like us.

1. Set a Target
A small target can be a good start to lose your weight. For example, if you like to eat fried foods, you can set a target to minimize consuming them.

2. Drink a lot of Water
Doctor Mita said that I need to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. Drinking a lot of water can reduce the risk of dehydration and it’s also effective to reduce your weight, because it fills our stomach, making us easier to be full when eating.

3. Do Sports and Be Sure to Move Your Body A Lot
Running, jogging, or doing aerobics are some good example of sports that can reduce your weight. Also, if you are in a shopping mall, try to use the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. Walking up or down the stairs can burn a lot of calories in your body quickly.

4. Eat a Lot of Fiber
Fiber is very good for our body, it can keep our digestion system healthy, lower our cholesterol, and also reduce our weight. Try to consume more banana, broccoli, apple, and greens.

5. Replace Carbs with Complex Carbohydrate
Rice, noodles, and bread are sources of carbohydrate, but it turns out that these foods are hard to digest. It can also pile up fat, so it’s better if we switch it up to complex carbohydrates with higher level of fiber like oatmeal, brown rice, potato, or corn.

6. Avoid Instant Foods
Fast food or packaged foods have a high level of calories and fat, not to mention the preservatives and flavoring. Those are the reasons why you should try to avoid instant foods.

I know it’s not easy to lose your weight by the ways mentioned above, it indeed is not as easy as taking diet pills, but everything takes process. Your health is more precious than everything, and good things never come easy, right?