Questions.

[MisterF]

This is my first time on a fitness forum, so bare with me.

Im 16 years old. I weight about 160 pounds and I'm about 5'3, which is pretty short.

Currently I'm not happy with the way I look, my goal is to lose about 20-30 pounds considering Im so short. I excersize. I do cardio in the form of running for about 30 mins everyday and don't really include what I do during the day as being active (I walk for about 80 mins a day).

However being active is not really where I am concerned. It's my diet. I usually eat cerial in the mourning around 7 oclock, one cup of frosted flakes along with one cup of milk (Cup according to my measuring cup says). Which is about 270 calories, although I round it off to 300 because I know I may go over 1 cup.

I can't eat until I come home, which is about 3:30, and even then I eat whatever my grandparents cook. I try to eat an average dish because I can't really count the calories I eat during that time. I go on websites and search up calories for whatever my grandparents make. So I usually eat 500-600 calories at that time.

Then I eat again at 8 oclock, 1 hour before I run at 9. I usually eat about 400-500 calories at 8 oclock.

So on average I suppose Im eating about 1200-1400 calories a day. Is this safe for a person of my height and weight? I don't want my body to think Im starving myself and start to store whatever I eat as fat, which I am already concerned about because I don't seem to be using the restroom as much (I used to go almost immediatly after I ate). Does anyone have any suggestions on how I could better my diet? I did an estimate of my BMR online and I got 2700 calories.

2700
- 1200/1400
1500/1300

Along with my excersize Im about 1600-1800 calories under what I should eat a day, is this healty? Please help

 

[Fil]

You'll want to eat more frequently and in smaller portions. You say "I can't eat until I come home" but you *must* have at least a lunch break at school, and commonly, another break earlier in the day. You should try to get a snack (at least) in at these times.

I'm not entirely sure about calories for people of different heights, but 1200 - 1400 sounds very healthy, especially if you're running nightly.

How long have you been on this regimen? Have you not been noticing weight loss, or are you just getting an evaluation of a plan you just started?

 

[abear]

i agree, you need to eat. common suggestions are 5-6 meals a day roughly 3 hours apart. each person has to work with their own situation and do what needs to be done.

some food ideas can be found here

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/stella9.htm

are your grandparents on board with what you want to do or if not, can they assist you and help you out?

 

[MisterF]

I realize that I have to eat more fequently in smaller portions, so how does this sound?

7:00 Cerial (300 calories)
12:30 1 Red Apple (100 calories)
3:30 Dinner (500-600 calories)
8:00 Small Meal (300-400 calories)

I honestly can't see myself eating more then that, Im not usually hungry after what I eat. Should I split my dinner in half and eat half around 3:30 and the other around 6:00? Will this help my metabolism? Should I drink things such as Orange juice and other healthy drinks to increase my calorie intake?

As far as my regimen is concerned, I have notice alot of weight loss. I have lost about 20 pounds in about 2 1/2 to 3 months. However, I want to ensure I am dieting correctly and not messing up my metabolism.

Any more advice would be great

 

[McCarley]

i agree, you need to eat. common suggestions are 5-6 meals a day roughly 3 hours apart. each person has to work with their own situation and do what needs to be done.

some food ideas can be found here

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/stella9.htm

are your grandparents on board with what you want to do or if not, can they assist you and help you out?

Thanks for posting Abear - I get lonely if I don't see this posted every now and then.

 

[Fil]

Should I drink things such as Orange juice and other healthy drinks to increase my calorie intake?

As far as my regimen is concerned, I have notice alot of weight loss. I have lost about 20 pounds in about 2 1/2 to 3 months. However, I want to ensure I am dieting correctly and not messing up my metabolism.[/QUOTE]

The proof is in the pudding sometimes. If you're doing a good job of losing weight (20 lbs over 2-3 months sounds steady and on-track) you won't really have a problem unless you're starving yourself, or you hit a wall.

As far as orange juice goes, most commercial orange juice (and I'm not even sure about fresh squeezed, to be honest) has a LOT of sugar in it. Sugar isn't going to kill you, and orange juice is a great source of Vitamin D and Calcium, but you don't want to get too much of it.

 

[abear]

Thanks for posting Abear - I get lonely if I don't see this posted every now and then.

ha, i can see ppl saying "there goes abear with his basic plain jane post again"

 

[abear]

I realize that I have to eat more fequently in smaller portions, so how does this sound?

7:00 Cerial (300 calories)
12:30 1 Red Apple (100 calories)
3:30 Dinner (500-600 calories)
8:00 Small Meal (300-400 calories)

i'm no fitness expert (and i thank the good Lord every single day for that) but my honest opinion (MHO) is that this kind of meal plan will lead to trouble down the road. yes, you're losing weight but at a price.

have you ever heard of essential fatty acids or essential amino acids? thats fats and proteins that your meal plan needs to provide because the body cannot make them on their own. they are responsible for a number of duties in the human body. four meals a day can be good but you need more food in there.

if you can only stomach 300 calories at 7am, cut that cereal in half and add some protein in there. at 12:30 cut that apple in half and do some yogurt or cottage cheese with it.

thats just my take

 

[MisterF]

i'm no fitness expert (and i thank the good Lord every single day for that) but my honest opinion (MHO) is that this kind of meal plan will lead to trouble down the road. yes, you're losing weight but at a price.

have you ever heard of essential fatty acids or essential amino acids? thats fats and proteins that your meal plan needs to provide because the body cannot make them on their own. they are responsible for a number of duties in the human body. four meals a day can be good but you need more food in there.

if you can only stomach 300 calories at 7am, cut that cereal in half and add some protein in there. at 12:30 cut that apple in half and do some yogurt or cottage cheese with it.

thats just my take

Would protien shakes and protien bars be healthy to add to my diet? I can get yougourts and Protien stuff and I realize I might need some more natural sources of protien. Also, would multivitimins do the trick?

Also, what exactly are you implying? That I need more protien or the fact that I need to eat more? If so how much more do I need to eat?

 

[abear]

protein shakes would be a good choice to have in addition to meals, not as a meal itself. pass on the bars, fine now and then but not part of a daily meal plan.

what i was trying to get at is that until 3:30 you only have eaten carbs and no protein or fats and they are important for the body to function.

The word protein is derived from the Greek word "Proteios,"which literally means "of prime importance." Much of what we see when we look in the mirror is protein — our skin, hair, fingernails and muscles, for instance.

Enzymes, hormones and antibodies, all critical to the function of the body, are types of proteins. Enzymes facilitate various chemical reactions in the body (e.g. breaking down food during digestion). Hormones such as insulin and thyroid regulate the body in many ways. (NOTE: Not all hormones are proteins - estrogen and testosterone, for example, are sterols). Antibodies, which are proteins, make up a critical part of the body's immune system.

EFAs support the cardiovascular, reproductive, immune, and nervous systems. The human body needs EFAs to manufacture and repair cell membranes, enabling the cells to obtain optimum nutrition and expel harmful waste products. A primary function of EFAs is the production of prostaglandins, which regulate body functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, blood clotting, fertility, conception, and play a role in immune function by regulating inflammation and encouraging the body to fight infection.