Hello, I'm new here :P

G

girlonamission

New member
Hello, everyone. I have recently taken a step back and looked at my life. I realized I have it pretty good except I hate my body. So I finally decided to do something about it. Right now I am 270 pounds, 5' 2" and 15 years old. By the time I'm a senior I want to be proud of my body. I've "dieted" and "exercised" before but never with any real commitment. I joined this forum to actually get something accomplished.
 
As of right now, I am counting my calories and exercising. I allow myself up to 1800 calories a day, trying to stay within 1200-1400. I'm aiming for an hour at the gym at least every other day. Do you have any more suggestions?
 
It's always difficult to give advice to teens, mostly because you're still growing. I'm definitely no expert in nutrition, but I'm fairly confident that 1200 to 1400 calories per day is too low for you. I would think that at least 1800 calories per day is more acceptable, but you'd have to check with your doctor or a registered dietician to find out how many calories you really should be having per day. The reason that too much of a calorie restriction is "bad" is because you'd likely not get enough of the nutrients, especially vitamins and minerals, required for healthy growth and development.


As for the gym, I think that the goal of every other day for an hour is a good one to start. Once you are consistent with that, you'll need to gradually add in more physical activity. You don't have to go to the gym more, but if that's what you like to do, then by all means, you can spend more time there. The people who are able to lose weight and keep it off in the long term are not necessarily the people who go to the gym religiously.... The people who lose weight are the ones that incorporate physical activity into their lifestyles. This means limiting your TV, computer, and other sedentary activities and replacing those with activities that require you to move. Going for walks or hikes with friends, family, or by yourself, walking or biking to the store sometimes instead of driving, if you go to the beach do something active instead of just sunning yourself on the towel, are all things you can do incorporate more physical activity.


What do you plan on doing at the gym? Cardio? Weights? Both?
 
Good for you!


It really comes down to eating right and staying active with exercise. I hope you succeed!
 
@PLBFitness: Actually, I'm pretty full on the 1200 - 1400 diet. Once I started making healthier choices, like whole grain bread over rye bread, and no more cheeseburgers, I found that I get fuller quicker. I've already lost 7 pounds in just 5 days! At the gym, I do the elliptical for about 25 minutes. Then I try to do some weights... I'm not very good at it. And then I just go on the treadmill until someone can pick me up, which is usually about 15-20 minutes.


@Ernie: Thank you :). I really am trying to stick to this. Before, when I went on "diets" I would always keep it to myself so that I could just quit at any time... I was in love with food. Now I've made it very public and all of my friends and family know. Everyone's being very supportive and if I have a hard time, I just think of them and why I'm doing this and it makes it easier. I don't want to disappoint everyone, especially myself.
 
Hey girlonamission! As long as your choosing good quality foods over things like cheeseburgers, as you mentioned, and you're not feeling hungry all day, then it sounds like you're eating enough. At the gym, even if you feel like "you're not very good" at weights don't worry too much about it, you'll learn! At least you're out there trying, which is fantastic! What type of equipment does your gym have? Is it mostly free weights (like dumbbells, barbells, etc.) ? Is there a "strength" circuit (like one machine for each muscle group that you follow in order)? If you give us an idea of the type of equipment, we can give some suggestions for types of exercises to include.
 
I joined a Planet Fitness. I haven't seen any free weights... but there are a bunch of machines where you pick how many pounds you want and grab two handles and pull. I don't know what they're called. There's a bunch of different types of weight machines. Like you can move weights by swinging around with your knees. Any suggestions are appreciated!
 
Unfortunately, I've never been to a planet fitness, so I'm not really sure specifically what equipment is there. From what I can tell, it looks like in most locations there is a circuit where there is basically a machine for each muscle group. Do you have access to a personal trainer or is there an orientation included with your membership? I would take advantage of the staff there to ask questions at least on proper technique and how to use the equipment properly. Learning how to use the machines will just take time and practice, so don't worry if it takes you a while to remember how to do everything.


At the beginning, try to find a weight for each machine that allows you to perform around 12 to 15 repetitions with good form, but that still feels challenging on the muscles. At the end of your set, you should feel like you could maybe do one or two more reps. Bring something with you so you can write down the weights! Don't expect yourself to remember all of them! Aim for 2 sets of 12-15 reps for each machine. This should be enough repetition so that you'll start to remember how to do the exercises but at a light enough weight so that you shouldn't be too sore after each workout (except for maybe the first couple). Try to do this routine 3 times per week, but not on consecutive days.


Do each exercise with control, no bouncing or locking your joints, and maintain good posture and breathing.


I hope that helps a bit... let me know if you have other questions! Maybe someone else out there knows a bit more about the machines at Planet Fitness?
 
I went today and they do have free weights, after all. I started off with 40 lifts with two 3 pound weights. I also found the circuit training thing you were talking about. Thanks for your help, I've already lost 9 pounds by now :).
 
Welcome to the forum.


I saw your post and I had to post my humble opinion with the hope that it will help.


First off, I want to say BRAVO! for choosing to lose weight.

It starts out as a desire to lose weight, but, once you begin to incorporate multiple elements of a healthy lifestyle you will experience many fabulous benefits not limited to the loss of weight only.


A few quick points...


--Drink 2 oz. of water every 20 minutes or as close to this as you can. Water is the foundation for all the body functions. From the regulation of body temperature to the removal of toxins.

--80% of your fat loss will come from nutrition (what you eat). 10% will come from exercise. The remainder is genetics.

--Try to eat every 3 hours to make sure you keep your blood sugar constant.

--With every meal, eat a carbohydrate (complex), a protein and a fat (healthy fat of course).

--Limit everything "white" in your diet. White bread, pastas, cow's milk, cheese, flour, sugar, etc.

--Limit red meat or eliminate this if possible. Most people worry they will not get enough protein if they do not eat meat, but, you can get protein from non-animal sources (soy, legumes, greens).

--Try to eat food as close to it's natural form as possible, avoid processed foods. Example: Eat an apple instead of drinking apple juice, eat an orange instead of drinking orange juice.

--Learn this acronym GOMBBS it stands for (Greens, Onions, Mushrooms, Beans, Berries, Seeds). Try to get as many of these foods into your diet as possible.

--Limit the amount of fruits that you eat. Fruits contain fructose which can store as fat very quickly. It does not take many servings of fruits to reap the healthy benefits.

--Exercise with more intensity for a shorter amount of time. This will improve your heart and lung fitness. And you will get done with your workout quicker. Example: Elliptical (or treadmill), start out with a 2 minute medium pace, then sprint or go as fast as you can for 1 minute, then back to 2 minutes of medium and then alternate between very fast and medium for 10 minutes and you are done. (Literally....haha). But, seriously, this type of INTERVAL cardio training will raise your fitness level dramatically. And your lung and heart capacity will improve greatly.

--Do resistance training of some type. To maintain muscle it takes more energy, so this raises the metabolism, even when you are asleep.


I am not an expert, just a guy who has learned that food is our friend when it comes to losing body fat and that an intense, short cardio or resistance workout can greatly increase your fat loss efforts. I hope you will incorporate at least a few of the things I have mentioned here into your daily routine.


Good luck and please keep the feedback coming, we want to hear your progress!!
 
Thank you for your tips! I didn't know about the water every 20 minutes thing, I just thought you were supposed to drink 64 oz. As of now its a struggle to stay on the elliptical for even 20 minutes at a normal pace, but I force myself. Once it becomes easy then I will start to vary it like you suggested.
 
Yes, I understand about the elliptical, 2 years ago I could not even do 5 minutes at a moderate pace, but, now I can do 20 minutes of the INTERVAL stuff I talked about....you will be able to work up to this pace too....I know it.


And yes, the water every 2 minutes is done because your body really has no good way of storing water in large quantities. So, when you drink larger quantities, then all you do is spend your time in the bathroom...trust me, I know! Then the consistent water consumption keeps you hydrated all day long. Sip, Sip, Sip, Sip.....


Once again, keep up the good work, I applaud your efforts....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top