What Should I Do?

[citrinari]

Hello there! I'm new to this forum and I'm a 16 year old girl. I need a little help, I've been trying to get in shape for two years, I had made it more intense during quarantine but I actually gained weight, and it definitely wasn't muscle. I think it was because I was eating so few calories and was starving myself, pretty much jogging on the treadmill all day everyday. Plus I did some other fitness programs as well, and I felt sick so it was not super great. Anyways, I'm here now, I'm not that overweight but I definitely would like to flatter my stomach a bit. I'm also 4'11" and weigh about 125 lbs last I checked, I'm not muscular at all and I have quite a few chubby spots, especially my stomach. I'm currently eating 1700-1800 calories, taking 5000-10,000 steps, and I'm starting to try heavy lifting. I eat very healthy, with the exception of 2 or 3 small treats throughout the week, I don't let myself go over that usually. Sorry that this is a bit long but the more details the better, hopefully. I've struggled with weight for a long time, but the doctors can't find anything wrong. But they do think I'm sensitive to excessive sugar and dairy because it causes pain and bloating. I have quite a bit of fat on my belly and waist, it's 30-31 inches, and I'd really like to get rid of it to help myself gain confidence and just generally like how my body feels. Thanks for any help I can't get here, it means a lot! Maybe weight lifting will be my holy grail because I think I might be skinny fat. If that is what I should take more seriously, what schedule should I follow as a beginner?

 

[overlandflyer]

i'm pretty much convinced that once you reach a BMI of 24-25, diet is no longer about losing weight, but rather there has to be some change in your lifestyle to affect any further change either up or down. it is also on the cusp of not being very friendly about "cheating". whether you think your body is overweight or not, you are at the point where your body will do anything it can to add some fat. i have been at a BMI of about 23-24 for almost two years now and if i go a little nuts one day, it takes a week of eating properly to recover.

one thing i suggest to anyone is to get smarter about nutrition. and i'm not talking about counting calories (useless math as far as i'm concerned)... i'm talking bout learning how your stomach, liver, pancreas deal with food. how the basic macronutrients react differently. the part insulin levels play in storing or burning fat. how to keep you basal metabolism from lowering. lots of talks online (i'd start with TED Talks).

lastly... if it's not now, get your sugar intake under control.
added sugar is in more food than most people probably realize.

 

[Err2]

Welcome! I'm a calorie counter, so here's my advice from that perspective.

I'm a 16 year old girl.
I'm also 4'11" and weigh about 125 lbs last I checked

Your BMI is just above the overweight threshold, although BMI can be a poor measure of healthy weight for muscular individuals.

I have quite a bit of fat on my belly and waist, it's 30-31 inches

A better measure of healthy weight is waist to height ratio which should be under 50%. 30.5 inches waist / 59 inches height = 52% waist/height ratio which is slightly above the unhealthy threshold (at your height aim for under a 29.5" waistline).

I'm currently eating 1700-1800 calories
taking 5000-10,000 steps, and I'm starting to try heavy lifting.

1700-1800 calories is probably a little above your daily caloric needs at the moment. You are probably burning about 1515 calories just sitting around - about 1 calorie per minute. You are probably burning an extra 2.5 calories for every minute that you walk - which I estimate to be about 160 calories for 7,500 steps. Alternatively, you are probably burning an extra 6 calories for every minute you jog (which I'd estimate to be about 200 calories for 7,500 steps). General weight lifting (not the cardio-intensive crossfit type stuff) burns even fewer calories than walking - about an extra 2 per minute. In a 30 minute weight lifting session, most people probably only lift for 10-15 minutes so you're talking maybe an extra 30 calories there.

1515 base calories + 160 calories from walking + 30 calories from weight lifting = 1705 calories maintenance (on days you walk & lift) or 1745 calories (on days you jog and lift).

The middle of the normal BMI range for your height is 22 which would put you at 109 lbs. However, you're 16 and probably still growing so my random-stranger-on-the-internet-advice would be to shoot for a weight between 110-120 lbs - a loss of 5-15 lbs. Let's call it 7.5 lbs. I'd aim to lose 1/2 lb per week which would put you at your goal weight towards the end of April if you eat at a calorie deficit of 250 per day (1455 calorie daily goal).

If you find that you are hungry when eating 1450 calories, I'd try to cut out some of the more calorie-dense foods:

I eat very healthy, with the exception of 2 or 3 small treats throughout the week, I don't let myself go over that usually.

That's great as long as you account for the extra calories (you've got around 12,000 calories per week to play with before you start to gain weight)

 

[Trusylver]

When changing body composition what you eat matters, making small changes at a time. To ID what is causing the pain and bloating an elimination diet is usually suggest, where you cut out a food item one at a time for a few weeks to see if your symptoms improve, if not then move onto the next food item on the list.

Also listing your food here can help members find areas of your current diet that could be changed to improve your diet.

Maybe weight lifting will be my holy grail because I think I might be skinny fat. If that is what I should take more seriously, what schedule should I follow as a beginner?

The first thing you need to do is learn how to do the actual lifts correctly, a lifting coach would be optimal but a skilled trainer would be ok, in either case check qualifications and experience. It is better to learn correctly from the start than to correct form problems once bad habits creep in from watching YouTube videos and causing ling term injury risks.

The lifting needs to be paired with adequate nutrition, mainly ensuring you meet protein needs.