I need help to lose weight... Any recommendations?

[Anonymous]

I am in 8th grade and I just want to be confident for once in my life and not have people hurl insults at me about my weight, there is nothing else that I am unconfident about that someone could use against me. Please I just need tips, because I go to school and I don't buy the food that i consume. I just need input that will make a difference in my weight. So like what to eat/what not to eat and how long I should exercise- how I should exercise and so on <3 thanks!

[Riggers]

When i left school at 15 i weighed 240lb, I never ate particuarily badly, I just NEVER exersized, I litteraly did nothing.

Since then I've gone to gym everyday, Ate healthy (Little) all whilst working a very physically intensive job in construction. Im 16 Now and in the 3/4 months I've been commited to weight loss I've lost 43/45lb,

I've always been rather strong and ''Burly'' and my job has obviously made me much stronger (Like i have 7inch Biceps) so although my BMI still says im in in the lowest percentile of Obese, BMI dosent take muscle mass into account so im currently medically ''Overweight'' not ''Obese''.

The key to weight loss is burn more calories then you eat. To find out how many calories you should eat, just do your weight x 10, So i would do 200 x10 thats 2000 calories a day. And i burn about 300 - 500 calories in each gym session.

by the way, if i ate 2000 calories i dont need to burn 2,100 at the gym to loose weight, your body constantly burns calories throughout the day doing nothing, And with me having a physical job i just naturally burn 2,000 - 2,500 calories a day, With the excersize aswel it creates a good recipe for weight loss.

Also dont undercut your calories too much, if you eat too little your body goes into a state of starvation and starts storing fat reserves to ensure that the brain has enough glucose to burn to fuel it

Some pointers :
-If you want to loose fat you dont need to eat excess protein, Protein is for gaining muscle not loosing fat. To loose fat, Eat less fat (Obvious) and seriously cut down on sugar, sugar that isn't used as energy in exercise is VERY quickly stored as fat.
-Dont eat carbs on days you dont exercise
- Drink nothing but water and drink LOTS of water
- Dont gym everyday, Your muscles need relax time, Do it every other day but try and do at least 60 mins of physical stuff every day.

Any other questions just message me and we can journey weight loss together xD

[Asker]

obviously I don't have a job doing construction but I can see where you are coming from :) though I was just wondering how much weight did you lose per month? and also what protein would be the most smart to have? Lastly, what from of exercise do you think is the most effective? sorry for all the questions !

[Riggers]

No worries ;)

1) Uhm. I believe i was loosing like 11 lb per month, One thing i would say, Is dont try and loose weight too fast or it becomes unhealthy, Take it steady, Dont starve / physically overdo yourself. Know your limits. Some of these Physical transformations take upwards of a year, I plan to be where i want to by August. (Im loosing fat until i get to 180lb, then gaining more muscle) thats my goal.

2) Protein - You won't need a lot, Protein helps gain Muscle, Ie you get bigger and heavier and stronger. But you want to loose weight right?, Dont worry about protein. You will get all you need just from eating normally ;)

[Asker]

thanks for being so helpful! :)

[Riggers]

3) If youve tried running and you enjoy it i would do that, But, What typically happens to larger people (I got it really bad) is something called shin splints, Its a really common thing that happens when running, Basically your shins (legs below the knee) will get a dull, aching pain when running.

This is caused due to a hard impact with the ground. If you experience this, Dont simply run through it because it will get worse, I would switch to something like Eliptical/Cross/X Trainer whatever you call it, or cycling or rowing, All are good for Calorie burn without impact to shins. Eliptical trainer is probably the best besides running though and burns about the same calories.

If you are trying to do running but get tired, Do something called Interval training, When i do it, I run at 7-8mph for 1 minute, Then walk at 3.5mph for 1 minute, and keep switching to recover. This way is good for getting fit / burning fat.

[Asker]

yes my dad has a ton of equipment from when he used to work out and I have been currently using the elliptical

[Asker]

thanks for the advice about slowing down so that I build up endurance

[Riggers]

Know worries, I know we can all use support sometimes ;).

[Dandeus]

Increase your length of exercise to at least 30 minutes a session. 15 minutes isn't doing you much good. Ramp it up over time to 45 minutes or an hour.

Manage your portions as well. When you serve up a plate of food, put a bit of it back if you can. If you're presented with food of various size (chicken breast for example), pick the smallest piece available. Your natural inclination is probably to take more than you need. Be careful what you put on foods as well. Salads are no good for you if you drown them in ranch dressing and croutons for example.

And replace things like chips with nuts or dried fruits. You have to watch the portion of those as well, but they're healthier than processed carbs.

Get soda out of your diet if you drink it.

Healthy snacks between meals helps you not overeat at the table.

[aamy811]

losing weight is extremely simple. Exercise at least three times a week for an hour and eat balanced meals. A proper plate should consist of 1/2 veggies or fruit, 1/4 complex carb (such as brown rice, quinoa or wheat bread, etc), and your protein should be the size of your palm. For exercise I think weight lifting is most effective (don't worry about getting bulky, women lack the necessary hormones to get muscles like men), I think it's more effective because it burns calories long, and build lean muscle which burns calories by just existing. If you want bigger muscles (example, larger butt or arms) then do heavy weighted exercises with low reps (low weight high rep) and if you want smaller leaner muscle do low weights high rep (this basically toned preexisting muscle. And add about 20mins of cardio of your choice. This is what I find most affective but great at home workouts like blogilates or tone it up on YouTube are great and free.
Staying motivated us hard, but I suggest making a vision board. It sound stupid but it works (mine has a picture if my setting or before body and next to it are a bunch of pictures of my dream body) seeing how far I had come or was going really set the tone of my day and reminded me what I was working for. I also keep one picture of my dream body on the fridge so that it reminds me to make smart choices about what I'm eating
I also recommend the essena oniell set plan it's great for teens and really approachable. Also it free just google it

[Asker]

thanks! :) what foods should I definitely stay away from? and what about running on an elliptical is that a good idea?

[aamy811]

Yeah that's good. I personally don't think cardio is most effective for weight loss.
But of course things like candy, fast food, chips, etc. basically the simpler and more natural the foods, the better.
Just ask your mom what isn't healthy and she could probably point it out (hint if it comes in a package or its experation date is like two years away, it's probably not that great)

[Asker]

ok so what do you think is the most critical way to exercise then? thanks so much for your help! :)

[Asker]

because I don't understand the weight lifting.. sorry just confused

[aamy811]

Cardio burns calorie for as long as you do the exercise and 15mins after until my heart rate goes down. So if I jogged for 30mins then I really only Burned calories for 45mins.
Lifting weights burns calories more consistently for hours because the muscle gets damaged and has to relate itself which buns more calories.
Also when you lift weight you build a little muscle and muscle burns calories by just ring there, it doesn't have to do anything and it burns calories
But even if your not lifting weights things like lunges or push-ups will build some small lean muscle and burn extra calories.
Also don't be afraid of getting huge we don't have the hormones men have, so we can't get as big a they can so lift away.
Look up blogilates before and after, they're nice, toned and fit looking but still look feminine

[aamy811]

Or I'll give you pictures
www.blogilates.com/.../image.jpg

www.blogilates.com/.../katy.jpg

[Asker]

thanks so much for your help, I also have one more question if I use an elliptical should I base the way i do it on amount of time like 30 min or by amount of miles my goal is per day?

[aamy811]

I'd say amount of miles. But if your doing time then you have to say I want to get x amount f miles in 30 mins so that your still getting you heart rate up

[Asker]

is it a good idea to follow the blogilates plan? and do the videos and such, is that a smart way to lose weight?

[aamy811]

You can do the meal plan but you don't have to do it lose weight. But she has a monthly calendar with the workouts planned out and that worked amazing

[Asker]

ok so i am looking at the beginners - that is what I should be looking at right? do I just follow these excercises or should I run along with it. Also since I have school when I wake up do the first thing like it says and then in the afternoon do the rest? www.blogilates.com/.../beginners-2b-1.png

[aamy811]

When I was in highschool I didn't do the morning thing in the morning because I had very little time to get ready, so I would just combine that with my evening workout. And you can run I would just go on 30min walks

[Asker]

thanks so much you were so helpful :)

[Asker]

so you did that program in highschool? is it really helpful if you try your best?

[aamy811]

Yeah I still use blogilates when I get tired of lifting. I Lost 10lbs at the time

[Asker]

ok last question, what should I have for dinner tonight to have after I do the blogilates exercise. I have quinoa what should I have with it?

[aamy811]

I suggest a nice quinoa salad (1/2 cup quinoa, half a tomatoe, 1/4 red onion, 1 teaspoon lemon juice and salt or pepper to taste)
Also an apple or orange and a grilled chicken breast (or pan fried with some Pam)

[Asker]

thanks for all your help! That is all I will pester you with for now :)

[aamy811]

No thanks for MHo. But if you have any questions just ask

[_SpecialMexican]

I totally get what you're going through. I say stop eating junk like hot cheetos and cake. Drink water instead of soft drinks and juices. You don't have to do a super serious workout. Walking, running, squats just things like that. I lost 20 pounds in 4 months when I was in high school. I ran/ walked a mile every morning and did tons of walking throughout the day for about a week for my JROTC program summer thing. That really helped. Oh and I ate nothing but salads that week.

[Asker]

thanks so much! :) I will try my best!

[_SpecialMexican]

Just try not to worry so much. It just ruins your life to worry about how big you are. There are tons of bullies out there who are gonna say mean things so just try to ignore it. Don't do this for them, do it for you!

[Asker]

I know, I just want to reach a point in my life where I don't have to worry what other people think because I have many flaws but weight is the one that is visible and people use it as an insult and I am tired of it. I actually have one more question- if i am using an elliptical should I base how much I do by miles or by amount of time per day?

[kheserthorpe]

What do you typically eat? give us the full day. Height/weight would help. You cannot do an extreme diet at your age (or at least shouldn't).

[Asker]

ok well I don't eat breakfast because I don't generally have the time, lunch well actually recently just carrots and guacamole and a granola bar or apples, and dinner salad and a small portion of whatever is being served but the issue is that I stay up late on weekends and such causing me to splurge and eat popcorn and stuff. I am a size 14 and I weigh about 180- this is where I am gonna be completely honest I am not super large seriously like not fat fat but my bones are denser or something, I promise you I am not obese looking. Not even looking that fat, I can't wear a bikini without dying of shame but you get the basics.

[kheserthorpe]

Eating breakfast would probably help, not hurt. Something with fiber and or protein. Not sugar or refined carbs.

What's 'stuff' by the way? If you're up late, you're gonna need food, so maybe plan a healthy snack in advance?

but you should be able to get away with popcorn once a week.

You mention 'recent'? how long has 'recent' been, and has your weight started moving?

[Asker]

well at first I know bad idea I wanted to starve myself but then realized when you stop starving yourself you basically gain weight faster then before. And stuff is just like pretzels and chips. I don't in my house have tons of junk food there is rarely anything like that just laying around. and recently I just don't like to think about food but before that I just ate way to much of food that would generally be ok in small amounts

[Asker]

and no I don't think I have lost any weight

[kheserthorpe]

Flat out starving yourself burns up fat, burns up muscle (which slows your metabolism -permanently-) and throws hormonal signals saying slow down metabolism. And is really bad for you. There are very aggressive diets that try to burn fat, hold muscle and fight off metabolic impacts, but i wouldn't use them until you're an adult (if then). Don't want to screw around with a metabolism that is still developing.

pick one night a week to have popcorn. Do not eat as much as humanly possible, have a reasonable mid size serving, and enjoy it guilt free. the other weekend nights, have veggies or something.

eat either oatmeal or a smoothie (try egg whites/fruit/greek yogurt) or some scrambled eggs for breakfast. it will help fire UP your metabolism.

i'd like a little protein added to your lunch, and dinner make sure you get the protein. carbs are better earlier in the day, so with 'small portion' try to go more small on the carbs, keeping protein up at dinner time.

How about exercise?

[kheserthorpe]

by the way, we all carry weight differently. I'm the opposite - lighter than people think, but i look better lighter still. i am tall, but light bones.

[Asker]

what protein should I add to my lunch? and also I have been trying to do go a mile a day on the elliptical but I don't know if i should base it differently like by time or should do it by miles? or if i should aim for two miles?

[kheserthorpe]

How long does that take you on the elliptical?

protein at lunch - depends if you're adding at breakfast. If you are, i suspect its less important. if not, some lean meat, or... lentils... greek yogurt... eggs...

[Asker]

a mile on the elliptical takes me generally 12-15 minutes

[kheserthorpe]

12-15 minutes is good for you, but in terms of calorie burning, it's not doing much. If you're feeling like that's the maximum you can do, i'd forget distance for now, and try to increase how long each day or each few days till you're up to at least 30 minutes. At that point, you might want to try varying what you do, maybe some days trying to extent longer (time) and other days doing less time, but more high speed/low speed intervals. And once you have the time duration you want, try to gradually increase distance you cover IN that time. but the duration you're at now, focus on working out -longer- as the goal you're improving.

This is all gonna work, not instantly, but it will. :)

[Asker]

thanks for your help :)

[matheus_mb]

You should eat just the necessary not to stay hungry and work out as much as you can every day. This is how I lost weight.