Need some info on losing fat

[lture]

Alright, first some quick info.
I amm 14, 5'2ish, and I have no idea how much I weigh. My access to healthy food is kind of limited due to money problems. What I mean by this is not that I eat junk, it is just that I do not have the choice of picking what I eat too much.

School ends soon, and I am planning to lose all (if not all, then most) of the extra fat I have on me. I would not really call myself overweight, a little chubby would be a better way to put it. My problem is I do not know how to lose this fat. I know what I should eat well and exercise, and I do those, but I need to get into more detail before I commit to doing something.

So far I know this:
I have to eat healthy
I have to do cardio
Weight lifting goes good with losing fat

Here are my questions:
1. Eating healthy is something everybody knows, but due to my life situation it is not always possible. I can sometimes have a pick of what to buy and eat, but when I have that choice I am never sure what would be best to buy. I have read some articles about gaining muscle and losing weight and from what I understood gaining muscle requires protein and losing weight requires carbohydrates. But what I do not understand is why carbohydrates? I read that carbohydrates are sometimes turned into fat, so would this not be going against my goal? So, what are the best foods for me to be eating, and how much should I limit my portion size?

2. Cardio is a very important part of losing fat, if not the most important part, I get that. Cardio is not really a problem for me. I use to go to the gym to do my cardio but due to school and the times it opens it turned out to be a little more difficult than I first expected it to be, so I bought a stationary bike that I could use at home. I am aware that the best time to do cardio is in the morning because your stomach is empty at that time and excess fat is used for energy. I have read that if you do your cardio in the morning you can burn up to 300% more fat than other times in the day. My questions for cardio are how many times a day should I do it and for how long. I was told by some people that I should do it twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening, for 30 minutes. In the past I have read about HIIT and in the article I read it said that the results happen not when you are doing it, but when you are resting. If this is true for HIIT, does the same go for cardio? I have also had some debates with myself about how long I should do my cardio. I have no problem doing 30 minutes or 45 minutes but I am not really sure which one is best.

3. I am not 100% sure that what I have read about weight lifting going well with losing fat is true or not, but it seems to be accurate. I think the point of it is to gain some muscle (not really muscle mass, but some shape) and to speed up your metabolism. Should I train like I would train if I wanted to build muscle (without the high protein diet) or should I use lighter weights?

Thanks!

[pliny_2001]

Hi, and welcome to EFF.

I can conclusively tell you that you're completely overthinking this. The reason for this is that you've got access to some specific information, but don't have the experience to put it all together. There's nothing wrong with this - at age 14, no one (certainly not me, at least) knows what they're doing.

Beautifully, there's a cure for this. There are two parts: the first is more knowledge. Get a good resource book (I always recommend Schwarzenegger's Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding, though several other members prefer others - just use the search function and you'll find discussions about it). Read it all, and learn what it's saying.

The second is best described in a line from Bull Durham - "Just throw the ball, Meat." Once you learn it, just do it. Just find a good beginner routine, and do what's there. No excuses, no modifications.


That's it. 14's a great time to think about fitness (of course, any time is a great time). But I can't really answer your questions specifically - I'm afraid that if I do, you'll become like too many other "exercisers" out there, jumping from one fad to another, with no idea of how their actions relate to their goals, and unsatisfied with their progress, or lack thereof.

Good luck!

[mooshue]

Ive got to second the book read, that Arnold book really motivated me and gives good basic principals to start from, even lines out some diet and workout routines to follow. It is very long, but once you get into it, its very hard to put down.

Remember this though, what works for 1 guy, doesn't necessarily work the next guy.
If it were that easy, everyone would be walking around looking like Arnold.

[falconfootball]

It's good to see you've done your homework.

You've got the principles pretty much down.

At the end of the day, weight loss is a simple equation

Caloric intake - caloric output = caloric deficit

This caloric deficit causes you to use your stores of fat or muscle for energy. If you eat crap, your muscle will be used for fuel. If your diet and training are in check, you'll use fat (which is what is desired).

Welcome to the world of fitness. If you're anything like I was in my teenage years, you'll see some results soon and be hooked for life.

[lture]

pliny_2001, I will go looking for those books.

One thing that still confuses me is what kinds of foods should I be eating? A few example foods would get me going.