Please Help! I think I am fat and need some advice.

[WHKirsty]

Hi! I'm a 15-year-old girl. I am 5'7 and weigh 137 pounds. When I wear pants it goes over 140. I think I am fat, and whenever I tell my mom she gets mad and says I'm not. She seems to really mean it. Over the summer I went to the doctors and he said I wasn't fat and that my body weight was just fine. I don't understand though. People at my school sometimes make a joke out of me. I don't know if its because I'm fat, or if its because they think I'm ugly. I think I am but whenever I tell someone they say something like, "NO! You are very beautiful." I don't believe it. My belly will stick out if I don't hold it in a little, and I think my butt and legs are big. I also keep hearing about people even taller then me being only about 120 pounds. I want to be 120 pounds. When I was in junior high, I weighed over 160. Last year when I went to high school I managed to lose 20 pounds. I gave up regular soda and had to exercise more at school then usual. Now, I still think I might be losing a little weight, but not enough. For breakfast I eat a bowl of rice chex cereal and for lunch I eat 6 peanut butter crackers. Some people at my school don't even eat lunch...but I keep hearing that not eating very much is bad, and I know its true. I am afraid to eat much for lunch, and I don't really have a time to sit down and eat. A pack of crackers doesn't seem like a lot does it. I am just afraid of eating too much and not being able to burn enough of the calories. For dinner, I sometimes eat a bowl of cereal again, or a turkey sandwich. I do have other things most of the time, like chicken, or pasta. Does anyone have any advice to help me lose more weight? Is 137-142 pounds fat? >.< please help and thank you for reading this long paragraph.

 

[Kalrog]

Well, I hate to be the one to tell you this but your weight is about the worst measure of being fat out there. Some people would be fat at that weight and some people would be in great shape at the same weight. It all depends on the distribution between lean body mass (muscle and bone) and fat. One thing is for sure - Calista Flockhart you ain't, and I for one think that is a dang good thing!

It does sound like you might need to eat a bit more though. You might be heading into starvation mode and that would make your body hang on to fat much longer than it would if you were eating more. Figure out how many calories your body "should" use based on your lean body mass and body fat percentage (there are many calculators on the web) and then eat that many calories in a day divided between 5 or 6 meals. At least that would be ideal.

You don't say what your workout schedule is like, but keep it up and you might even want to add some weight training to it. It won't get you bulky, but it will help tremendously with dropping fat.

 

[jimmy b]

try xenadrine its around £30 but the results are outstanding..

 

[freakmebaby]

I agree with Karlog. But it sounds like you aren't eating right. Peanut butter and crackers aren't the greatest choice of foods if your body is going into starvation mode. I've gone to school with lots of people like that. They starved themselves but as the years go by they end up having a higher body fat % and do end up getting much larger with time. Its a known fact that a persons metabolism slows down as one ages. Only muscle can help increase your metabolism.

If your really serious about losing weight don't starve yourself, it'll only make things worse (will result in an increased body fat %). Body weight means nothing! Muscles weighs more than fat. Meaning that you could weight more and look much better than someone else. Eat less carbs and more protein. Carbs are good for energy, but if not used up will turn into fat. Atkins diet of all meat has been known to work rather well, but you can't expect it to be the solution. Working out with weights and eating healthy is by far the best solution.

hope this helps

 

[Sipowicz]

Also you are bound to weigh more with your clothes on, as they weigh something too. This quickly explains your "gaining" 3 pounds when you put your pants on. That's the nature of the beast so to speak when you wear clothes.

 

[tbal]

You absolutely must exercise consistently to lose weight and keep it off. Try to involve yourself in sports with friends or family if you don't have access to a gym. Whatever your method of exercise, be consistent with it. If a gym membership is over your budget and you don't have access to a school gym, I recommend that you purchase a pair of light dumbells - there are so many exercises that can be done with them; in fact, you can exercise every muscle in the body using a pair of dumbells.

 

[MrDan]

Kirsty,

It's not what people think of you, it's what you think of yourself. Check your ego when you look at yourself in the mirror. Imagine the perfect body for it and act upon your goals.

IMO (In my opinion) you are eating waayy too little. You are killing your metabolism. EAT EAT EAT good foods -- plenty of fruits and veges and lean protein sources. Grab a yogurt or a handful of trail mix with you for a snack.

Use weights to tone up (yes even for women)

And do cardio 5-6 times/week.

Congrats on your 20 lb reduction,

Good luck