Hello~

[Arukado]

I joined this forum in hopes to find tips on how to lose weight and hopefully the support I need to keep me going. I hope to get in shape for some sports I'd like to join before I graduate high school (I'll be a Junior this upcoming year, so I don't have much time D: ) I'd also like to gain some self confidence about myself.

I'm 5'5" and weigh in at about 200 or so pounds. I hope to get to at least 130-140, which is I believe to be the appropriate weight for someone of my age (16 years old)
I hope to lose all of this during the rest of my summer(which is about three months) and whenever I have time during the school year.

I also have a question really quick. A few of the people I've asked have said I don't look like I'm 200 or so pounds, but rather a little more than 150. So should I lose 70 pounds, or 30?
I don't know if they're saying that to be nice or not, but I'd like to know because I don't want to lose too much weight..

I really appreciate any support and help on my quest to lose weight!
See you around!

 

[joebuzz]

Hi Arukado,

Firstly, I'm glad that you are trying to lose weight now while youre so young. As you get older it becomes harder, but you have nothing to worry about there.

Do you play a sport, or maybe even exercise sometimes? If so you can have muscle under the layer of fat. I am 275 now, but when I tell people who ask about my weight they usually think I am around 220-230. Something good to know is that lean muscle mass weighs more than fat. Muscle is also more compact than fat, so you probably have an advantage as far as losing weight and toning up goes.

Tips.... so many. Ok well heres a good one. If you enjoy fast food and eat it regularly, start to gradually stop it. If you eat it 3 times a week over the corse of the next month exercise and drop it down to 2x a week. Get off it gradually. Also stay away from foods high in saturated fats. That includes cheese and all fried foods (many more). Be very concious about the nutrition facts for prepackaged foods. Stay away from foods high in SATURATED fats, Sodium and Sugar. If a food has poly and mono fats (good fats omega 3 and 6) you are good to go.

Snack smart. Eat alot of fiber and have protein. You are at a the age where your body will grow and do it fast. Protein is used for muscle synthesis and aids in the repair of damaged muscles due to exercise or overuse. You can get protein from many sources but to name acouple of good ones, meats (stay away from pork and beef as much as possible... you want to have lean meats like turkey, chicken or even fish) and nuts (almonds being the best for you IMO [they have a bunch of fiber]).

On another note going from 200 to 140 or 150 by the end of summer (2 months) is a bit extreme. Your young and still growing. I would say shoot for about 2-3 LBS a week. If you want to push it do maybe 4.

So to sum it all up eat protein and fiber, dont have alot of saturated fats/sodium/sugar, exercise regularly and stop eating fast food (if you do) and try to lose a max of 4 LBS a week.

 

[Arukado]

Thanks so much, Joe! I was afraid no one would take me seriously because of my age..
I don't exactly do any sports, so I'm not sure if it's from the muscle.....

And I'll be sure to remember what you said next time I eat, and ask my parents to try and cut back on the fast food, too. We don't eat out a lot, but it's hard to refuse when offered...I guess I should work on self control, too, while I'm at it.

Thanks again for the help!