Need teenage weight loss advice

O

Omninick

New member
Hey all. I'm a 14 year old guy who is looking to start a weight loss plan for myself. I currently weigh 1/4 of a pound under 14 stone (13.13 1/4) and I need help to do it before I hit the point where I will struggle a lot more to do it. Unfortunately, I know near to nothing about doing it. It's my New Year Resolution and I have gathered some content from the internet that seems to suit me and my lifestyle and so I shall place it here. Once I have a response from somebody about whether the plan arrangement shall work for me and is effective, I shall begin a record of my weight loss plan. Currently, I am thinking along these lines, as it shall probably be repeated daily:

Calories per Day: 1787 (Including minimum 60 min exercise per day.)

Breakfast:
2 Weetabix Biscuits
1 glass of Asda British Semi-Skimmed Milk (100ml)
1 glass Cold Water

Morning Snack:

1 Banana

Lunch:

2 slices Brown Bread
1 serving Butter
1 serving crisps (Generally Hula Hoops, Quavers, low calorie value etc.)
1 serving Nature Valley Granola Bars
2 glasses Water

Afternoon Snack:

1 apple

Dinner:

1 serving Asda Breaded Chicken
1 serving mashed potato
1 carrot
1 glass Water

Evening Snack:

1 pear
1 glass Water

Cals: 1465

Fat: 47 g

Cholesterol: 32 mg

Sodium: 1311 mg

Carbs: 226 g

Fiber: 24 g

Protein: 44 g

Sugars: 63 g

My fiber is out by a tad bit so help to improve that is appreciated. I also need an exercise plan which I am unsure of. I have a gym membership, which entitles me to access of a swimming pool on certain days & a full feature gym. Any other advice is appreciated as I am so stuck for what to do atm. :)
 
I am not convinced that you are having enough water. One way to be sure is to look at the toilet and see if your urine is clear (the colour of water). If it is - then you are having enough water. If it is not - then increase your water consumption level.

Also - I would be tempted to swap the mashed potato for other vegetables. We get all sorts of vitamins from vegetables (and for instance there is a complete absence of green vegetables in your plan) and some vegetables can be great for fibre too. If it is the mashed texture that you are looking for - then you can opt for things like swede, celariac or butternut squash.

I would really recommend you experiment with vegetables and expand your horizons in that area. Lots of people think that they do not like vegetables and have been stuck in a rut of only one or two things... The fact is that you can bake or boil them and they are diet friendly - but they continue to be so if you use fry light to fry or roast them.

It all comes down to what you can stick to that produces the right analysis numbers at the end of the day.

Lots of people think of granola bars as being very healthy - but there can be a lot of sugar in them... They can be in my opinion a convenience food that masquerades as a healthy food. I always thought that I could get something more satisfying for the calories...

I always thought that I could get something more satisfying than spending my precious calories on crisps too - but my husband finds crisps to be such an enjoyable food that he would rather do without something else...
 
Well thanks for the reply :) Having run it past my parents I am going to begin with this but literally the day after, I am going to modify it so that I get some more vegetables in there. It's just that I am told that I am very picky with my food and I have had negative experiences in the past with some foods. There are certain foods my parents shall not have in the house which are healthy because my father refuses to eat vegetables that aren't drenched in a fat-based oil or sauce. Thanks for the thing on the granola bars though :) I assumed when I saw them that they weren't healthy but my mum was convinced they were and they really aren't. I was just judging the food consumption on a calorie only limit and so, with 1787 calories as a target in mind, it seemed suitable but I guess I should have just paid more attention. Thanks for the reply though :)
 
While we always say "check with your parents" the sad fact is that there are a lot of people of all ages out there that have hopeless nutritional knowledge.

I am 53 years old - and an intelligent person (well qualified, had a good career etc) but had absolutely hopeless nutrition and nutritional knowledge until I was in my late 40s... That is how I got to 21 stone...

I am not in any way being judgemental about your parents - but it sounds like they are wrong in this instance... I can say that I was probably a lot worse about nutrition than your parents when I was their age...

The bottom line is that you put the food into your mouth and want to learn as much as you can so that you do not have to go through life as a very big person.

I know that as a young person you are very reliant on your parents buying healthy food for you.

I certainly encourage you to try as many vegetables as possible and experiment with healthy ways of cooking. With luck you may expand the horizons for your parents too. Lots of people think that they do not like vegetables - and when you discuss things further you find that there are maybe 3 or 4 vegetables that they know that they like and then maybe another 5 that they remember not liking - and then there are all the rest which they can hardly remember having ever tried... Tastes change with time too... When I was a child I really did not like spinach - then I tried it as an adult and found that I really liked it.

Vegetables are a really good way of filling yourself up and giving yourself naturally lots of vitamins and fibre.
 
I can speak for the wonders of veggies...when previously on a low cal diet, I would still eat junk, just within my cal range....now for the past week I've gone to 50% veggies in my diet, plus chicken or turkey, some fruit...I can NOT tell you how much better I feel!! I feel like the fog has lifted....so I'm gonna sing my praises for veggies...fill up!
 
It is true, many parents are clueless, but sometimes obese children of my age use their parents as an excuse when actually they consume the bad foods when the parents cannot be there. I always saw it when I was younger as "Mum bought it so it's good for me" but with age I have come to understand that I am my only hope and they can only do so much... I certainly am going to experiment and your posts have certainly helped me a lot and given me a lot of support with this. I now feel like I am ready to start this weight loss journey and I guess when it works out (not saying IF because that's too negative ^^) you can take some credit XD Thank you very much :hurray:
 
As far as exercise - the biggest rule is to find something that you enjoy and do that... That is a whole lot better for you than theoretically coming up with the idea of (for instance) jogging or doing weight lifting if you hate doing those... We all excuse ourselves from doing the things that we do not like and are much more likely to let it fall by the wayside...

I suggest that you try as many exercise options as possible and find out if there are any that you enjoy doing. You may surprise yourself.

When I was a very big lady, no one in their right mind would have guessed that I would find out that I love Zumba and to salsa... We can surprise ourselves.

Try everything on offer and find something that you like...
I have gained weight recently - but I hate to think how high my weight would be if I hadnt been going to two salsa sessions and two zumba sessions every week.
 
@Korrie Well I guess that I should bump it up on the veggie side, it seems :) I never have been one for vegetables but that negative experience was only brought into my head over the easy access I had to junk food :) Thanks for the reply
 
Being a teenager struggling with weight conditions is really hard; you just have to believe in yourself that you can achieve your goal!! Always motivate yourself to do it :)
 
Hmm, I admit, I find trouble with exercise and sports which I don't like. It's just the ones where you are focused on something without motivation (like treadmill running, still bikes, etc.) I guess I will have to try everything then :D I do like surprises :)
 
I signed up for classes in all sorts of things - yoga, pilates, keep fit, nordic walking, aerobics, water aerobics... LOL I stayed in a hotel for a week and was hardly away from the gym - trying out every class that they did. It was a great opportunity to try all sorts of things... You mentioned that you have access to a gym - chat to the people that work there and ask about all their facilities and classes... then try them all...

As far as motivation goes - you can play all sorts of little tricks on yourself... I have worn a pedometer every day for a number of years now and would advise you to get one and wear it all the time... You can then play a little game with yourself to compare how many steps the you of today manages compared to the less fit person you were last week or last month... I found this very motivating for a very long time...

Have fun discovering new things that you like.
 
Well the pedometer thing sounds good ^^ The main facilities they have there are a large swimming pool (which I LOVE) a fully equipped gym, large courts that can be rented for badminton, tennis etc. and some squash courts and other stuff which I am not sure where it is. I did know a guy called Ben from a previous youth gym I went to, who is now a model and martial artist, and I guess I could get help from him as well over facebook, since he's moved to norway and portugal for his career. Also, i'm planning on going to the doctors and getting it all sorted to ensure that it's all safe to be doing what I am doing :) Some of that stuff does sound fun though, so I will have to try :D
 
If you know that you love swimming you are part way there to finding a load of exercise options that you will really enjoy. That is the secret to finding exercise that will really help. Swimming is actually an excellent form of exercise... So good for you in so many ways... The water can support the weight of your body and can also give a resistance to make exercise more effective...
Two of the simplest forms of exercise are walking and swimming - and they are also two of the most effective things...
Checking out the link - there are all sorts of classes there which should give you lots of things to try.
You mention martial arts - that provides a whole array of exercise options in itself. One of my friends on another forum is very keen on kung fu. The world is your oyster - and I am sure that your doctor will be very enthusiastic about you becoming more active.
 
I'm sure my doctor will ^^ Some of those things do sound great, and I have always felt that martial arts is something I should do, since nearly everyone I know does some from of martial arts ^^ I do have a very long route that stretches very far which I could walk every other day and usually I end up doing football in school a lot, so there seems plenty for me to try and do ^^ Thanks, you're a great help :D
 
Hey buddy, i was pretty tubby around 15 or 16, but I'm a much healthier 20 year old now having been at uni. Basically on the exercise front, It is much much much more beneficial to have something or someone to work for. If it's on your own, perhaps gym classes are a good shout, as the person running them will push you to the best of your abilities, and plenty of gyms run introductory classes for beginners. then you could move onto tougher classes such as RPM (although they are also great as you can make them as tough as you want). Alternatively, what I found most effective was joining a sports club that I had a specific aim to reach. For me it was boxing at uni, where i set myself the goal of gaining a squad place (something I wouldnt get unless I turned up to every training session, it was quite competitive!) Alternatively, try a sport that requires you to turn up, such as 1v1 sports (tennis, squash etc.), or team sports (for example joining a rowing club means if you dont turn up, your teammates cant train, as they need a full squad).

Basically experiment with sport. It's a much better way of staying motivated for exercise than running or just going to the gym.
 
No bother. Let me know if you want any more exercise advice, can't really help on the nutrition side of things. We have our big university fight coming up in 2 months so my trainings gone through the roof (9 times a week!) So I can give you some advice on good exercises to do.
 
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