WHY GREEN TEA CAN HELP WITH TEEN WEIGHT LOSS & WHAT’S IN IT! (ISSUE 50)

By Diane Gold

All teen groups have social rituals where they meet at the park, outside the school, on the street corner, in detention, at the local food mart, at after school music and art, sometimes, even in their homes. This custom is for the purpose of gathering and unwinding from their prescribed day at school.

Likewise, every adult society has some type of gathering ritual where the group comes together to sip some sort  of tea or break bread.

Whether we are speaking of the sacred healing rituals of South America, the tea ceremonies of Asia, tea time in England and her former colonies or the relaxing meeting among friends at the local restaurant in America; having tea as a group is a common activity.
What if we could apply the socialization part of the tea ceremony with the gathering habit of teens who want to lose weight? What if the next fad were sitting down to have a tea moment?

WHAT HAPPENS FROM DRINKING GREEN TEA

•    we take time to sit down and stop the mind’s race.
•    we focus on the moment, rather than on past or future events.
•    we have a drink that is pleasant to taste and smell.
•    we supply our body with healthy antioxidants.
•    we can promote weight loss.*

*WHAT’S IN GREEN TEA

•    Catecholamine, or catechin, a polyphenol in many teas, can increase metabolism, which helps with weight loss. There is research considering whether high polyphenols disrupt mineral absorption or vegetarian sources of iron.
•    Catechin absorbs and blocks bad cholesterol.
•    Antioxidant properties in green tea protect the body from free radicals. According to Green Tea Lovers, a cup of green tea has higher antioxidants than a serving of broccoli, spinach, carrots or strawberries.

•    Caffeine in tea speeds the metabolism. Theanine, another antioxidant present, has a relaxing effect on the body, which counteracts the caffeine. Therefore, the stimulant effect of caffeine is mild or not noticeable to most, yet, it increases metabolism, which is great for weight loss.
•    CCK, or cholecystokinin, a peptide hormone, that, along with aiding in digestion, tells the body the brain that the body has had enough food. Therefore, it suppresses appetite.

THE BENEFITS OF TEA DRINKING ALONE, NOT IN A GROUP

Very often, teens who are struggling with weight issues are also not part of a social group. They may like to keep to themselves, may not like the idea of other people’s comments or may not want to put themselves in a position to be around food.

Alone can be wonderful, as long as we look at it that way.  So, here’s the great news about tea drinking.

•    It is a fantastic opportunity to smile with ourselves.
•    It is quick to, easy, fun prepare.
•    It is tasty.
•    It is not the least bit fattening.
•    The experience of making it and drinking it is meditative.
•    It builds focus and increases metabolism. The focus makes us feel great. The enhanced metabolism makes us feel like moving and becoming active.
•    It is expressive, as we begin to choose a favorite tea.
•    The process is invigorating, stress-relieving and is enacted by all socioeconomic levels.
•    Most importantly, the idea of drinking tea builds a sense of pride in being part of this meaningful ritual, that is healthy and reduces appetite. This may be the very reason tea rituals continue to be as popular now as they always were.

CONCLUSION

Taking time out to have tea can be a great way to start building a positive attitude in a teen who is working on her body weight. The very nature of the tea ritual is to slow down the process of drinking. The very reason for this has to do with the spiritual element to tea drinking, that of contemplating the current moment. The act of drinking tea correlates perfect with the zen tradition, also noted as the yin/yang theory of being in the present, not thinking about what just happened and no thinking about what is about to happen, but being contented in the here and now. Very satisfying!

ACTION STEPS FOR TEENS

Here are some action steps to begin this relationship with drinking tea.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: For those who cannot or don’t choose to take caffeinated tea, herbal tea is a great substitute in place of green tea. The properties are different. However, the drinking of the herbal tea, itself, suppresses appetite. And the herbs used in teas have a whole other set of benefits.

1)    After school, set aside 10-15 minutes when you get home (before or after dinner), when you will sit and have tea. If you are in an after-school program, ask the room teacher if tea drinking is allowed in class. You might get the whole class interested. If you are at work, find another time to do the same ritual.
2)    Keep a journal that mentions how you feel about the whole drinking tea process.
3)    Plan this tea time as quiet time for yourself.  Once you are comfortable with the process, you can invite another person in, or not. Come to terms with how upset you will get at criticism
4)    Continue drinking tea as a ceremony/celebration for at least 7 days.
5)    At the end of 7 days, choose whether or not to continue for another 7 days.
6)    Email us at 1 [at] warriorsofweight [dot] com for congratulations and support after 14 days.
7)    Send us a photo of your tea drinking that we can post, and ENJOY!

ACTION STEPS FOR MOMS

1)    Show the action steps to your daughter.
2)    If she decides to make her own tea, respect her space.
3)    If she does not decide to make her own tea, clear the table yourself in preparation.
4)    Ask your daughter to help you make tea.
5)    If this works, drink tea in a quiet atmosphere with no pressure from you to ask about your daughter’s day, life, feelings, weight. Make this time exceptional.
6)    If your daughter says no, ask her if she would make tea for you.
7)    Be gracious and accepting of the tea with no criticism.
8)    Offer for her to sit down with you. If this doesn’t work, just emulate the action steps for daughters and enjoy drinking tea.
9)    Repeat the process so your daughter sees that it is not just a 1-day activity.
10)  Ask her to join you, from time to time.
11)   Enjoy the tea drinking.

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DIANE GOLD, AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Moms For Healthy Daughters, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert and a dedicated mom.
She always looks for old traditions that apply to modern day situations. Diane says,

“The art of tea preparation and drinking could be the very custom that is missing from our busy lives. Think of all the stress it would relieve if it were part of everyone’s day. As it is, people are so stressed out, they ritually drink alcohol, teens and adults. What if we standardly drank tea? I am absolutely adding it to my day. And you?”

For help, check out 1-Step Consulting.

WEIGHT LOSS FOR TEEN GIRLS: 5 QUICK APPETITE TIPS (Issue 44)

By Diane Gold

So you ‘re in school, you’ve had a pretty calm day, nobody teased you yet and you’re getting kind of hungry. You know you can step out and go to the bathroom and pass the snack machine, unless you’re in one of those states that has reduced snack machines in favor of salad bars. (I’m not knocking this; I’m for it since studies are showing that curbing the sugar foods in vending machines is helping a lot of girls with weight. It’s also teaching  a better way of snacking.)

So, you know there’s some greasy food or sugary food in the vending machine that will hold you over, and you’re really hungry. You just can’t wait snack until you go home, so what can you do?

1)

Do you remember how great it was to drink out of the hose when you were little? I’m not suggesting this now, but water is the answer. A glass of water is known to reduce your appetite, and it fills you up at the same time.

When you’re hungry, it’s no fun to drink water because then you won’t really want to think about the greasy, sugary, oily foods. Why? Because you will be full, your hunger hormones will have stopped raging and you will be balanced.

But the habit of answering the call of that midday hunger is pretty deep in you.
What’s great about water is that there are drinking fountains in most schools. So, even if they are not filtered, which many of them are, if the water in your area is clean enough to drink right out of the faucet, it’s very much available.

 ACTION STEP

Put an empty bottle in your bag so you can keep filling it up and have all day at your seat. And to save on manufacturing costs, why not keep the bottle and use it over and over. Or get a fancy shmancy bottle that does the same job. Either way, having water at your disposable is a lifesaver.

2)

The next tip is kind of sneaky. It requires having a full bottle of water in each class. I know it’s a pain to drink because then you might have to go to the bathroom. I never liked to drink water at night so that I didn’t have to get up in the middle. But that was flawed thinking. The body needs it.

ACTION STEP

Drink, at least, 8 ounces of water – that might be half your bottle – 30 minutes before it’s time to eat or snack.  That way, the water will make it easier for you to stretch out the time, and it will help to balance out your raging appetite. If 8 ounces doesn’t do it, try 16 ounces. 16 ounces can’t really hurt your body. It can make you full and make it easy to control your appetite. It’s also nothing anyone can tease you over. It’s always good to hydrate the body, so that’s what you are doing. Plus you will be more alert in class, even if you’re just sitting there texting in class or writing notes.

3)

Tip 3 has to do with, yes, you guessed it, water.

ACTION STEP

When you are totally hungry, go wash your face, not drinking it, using it. Of course, not every teacher will allow you to leave the room when you want. But, if you can’t go to the bathroom to wash your face, you also can’t go to the vending machine.

Make sure to wash your face immediately after class, if you get the chance. It will slow your desire to race to the vending machine or corner store. While you are washing your face to slow down the hunger chemicals, drink a glass of water. It absolutely changes how you feel. Do it.

4)

The 4th tip has to do with what you bring from home. If you’re having trouble with weight, it’s a good idea to pre-pay for your lunch so that you can’t get too much or the wrong food.

This would mean that you would make your lunch at home, if you’re not on a meal plan.

This reminds me of my coconut milk ice cream activity. If I buy a pint, I will finish it by the end of the day. I won’t carefully designate separate dessert portions. So I rarely allow myself to bring it into the house. Because, not only will I eat the whole container’s worth, but I will get another container for the next 3 days in a row, until I will myself to stop through my super, duper Secret Consulting Method.

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ACTION STEP

Leave your money home. Pre-pay for lunch or ask the dietician (through the school nurse) to plan your meals for you and only give you no choice, no matter what you ask for. You should have this discussion in private so that it is not a source of embarrassment.
Who knows? You might start a trend where everyone starts to ask for healthy food.
5)

The last tip is to be consistent. It’s easy to take a tip and do it once. The way it makes an impact and sustains itself is if it continues to happen. It requires strong mindset which, by the way, you have because struggles make us strong willed. Anyone who can overeat with vigor, has learned a strong habit and way to act. The eating food habit can be changed to a different behavior with the strength the habit has created.

ACTION STEP

Follow through on tips 1 through 4 and write down how often the first week. Then, it should be a more natural process.

CONCLUSION

Good luck on this journey. Please don’t give up if you continue to eat in ways that make you gain weight. Be patient, self-loving and consistent. Enjoy the small changes that will certainly come about. When you implement these tips, you will see how easy and effective they are.

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DIANE GOLD, AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Moms For Healthy Daughters, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert and a dedicated mom.
She is very interested in helping teens. They are so vibrant and are at a crucial age with so many new possibilities sprouting in front of them. Diane says,

“It’s the small, seemingly unimportant little changes that matter. These miniscule actions make us strong and confident. They also begin to replace our other behaviors. Even if you pick 1 tip and use it, it will serve you well. Because it will be a painless process of forming a new habit, that will lead you to wherever you would like.”

For help, check out Simple Secret Method Consulting.