I need to lose weight

[Clyde]

I'm too fat now. Haha. I've tried losing weight in the past, but it's hard. Not only is it hard to excersise when your big (i'm not that big but still), it's kinda hard to eat healthy when the only thing to eat in your house is SWEETS, and fatty foods. I've tried losing weight tons of times before but I always fail because I never have any help. I'm always too embarrassed to tell anyone else I'm trying to lose weight and I never have any motivation or help. Please help guys. :]

Also it annoys me because when my parents offer me fatty food and I say no they freaking call me an ungrateful kid



>.<

[tooncesthecat]

Welcome to EF! Sorry to hear about your dilemma. Are you currently participating in an exercise program? If so, please describe it so we may offer more advice. I'm guessing you're a teenager, but give us some more info about you...age, height, weight. Are your parents overweight? I'm just guessing they might be since 1. you say all you have in the house are sweets and fatty foods and 2. they don't seem to understand the health risks of crappy food and are not very supportive of your efforts to eat better.

Do you work? I am asking because you might need to buy some decent food to eat. Just how bad is your family's typical diet? WHat are some typical meals you eat?

Again, welcome and I hope you stick around!

[Clyde]

Thank you for such a warm welcoming! I'm 14, I'm very short, i'd say maybe 5'1 or 5'2?. I weigh around 140-150.

And yes, my parents are. I can't work at the moment, but should be able to as soon as this store by my house opens up.


I usually always eat fattening stuff,

but lately,

since I can't buy my lunch,

I've been either not eating and just getting water, or just getting a water and a bag of chips for lunch, and then whatever is cooked for dinner.


And no, I'm not in an exercise program. I have tried this before, but couldn't hold on long.

[tooncesthecat]

First, you won't lose weight in a safe manner if you are eating crappy. Water and a bag of chips might seem like you're doing the right thing because you're not eating very much. But your body needs proper nutrition, especially at your age. You need to learn to eat healthy or at least healthier than you currently are. This will be very difficult if your parents eat crappy.

What is it about working out that doesn't keep you coming back for more? At your age, heavy weight training isn't really good, but lighter weight training is. I would ask you this...what brought you here? Are you looking to lose weight, gain muscle, get stronger, get in shape for a sport?

[Clyde]

lose weight/look better is what I wanna do.

:]

[tooncesthecat]

To lose weight you need to eat better and find some type of activity you enjoy which will burn calories. Since you don't seem too set on muscling up, I would suggest concentrating on losing weight. Bottom line, you won't do any activity you don't enjoy for very long. So find something fun! Swimming, biking, team sports, dancing, yardwork (LOL)! You get the point. Gotta burn more calories than you eat. But, if you haven't heard me yet, you have to learn to eat better. Maybe you can discuss the importance of adding just a few good foods in your family's meals. You all will have better odds of success if you do this together!

[ckn]

Well done for coming to a site like this with your problem. Seriously, it takes a good spirit to do that and it's a great sign that you're not going to develop into a lard-arsed adult.

I'm working on the info you've given here and assuming you're not doing much physical exercise at all.

First step, start eating again. By not eating, or not eating regularly, you're frying your metabolism. You can lose weight by eating if you get your metabolism running again... Also, a fried metabolism will often mean you're permanently tired, listless and have a seriously diminished intellectual function.

Second step, work on changing your habits. Start using your body rather than mechanical short-cuts. For example, do you ever have to go up stairs but take the elevator instead? Stop. Only take the elevator for LARGE buildings or if you're seriously late, use the stairs. Other things, need to go less than two miles? Walk or take a bike.

Third step, try to change your parent's perceptions on food. If they're concerned about costs, try this: Get the receipt from the last supermarket shop, go to a fresh-meat butcher and get him to price up the same amount of food. Then go to a fresh-food market (if there's one near you) and do the same. The owners won't mind if you tell them that you're trying to persuade your parents to buy from there. Not only will you likely save money, you're going to get better food as well, butchers' shops are much less likely to be selling water-pumped rubbish than even the "quality" supermarkets. Then give your parents the two "bills".

Also, on the food stuff. It's cheaper to chop a few fresh veggies than buy the cheapest of junk food. You could easily eat healthily for three days on the price it costs to get one McDonalds meal.

Next, get a cheap pedometer. You can get one for under $10 if you shop around. Nothing fancy, just something to tick along, you don't even need to calibrate it as all you're doing is counting steps. Aim initially to do AT LEAST 3000 steps a day and increase it over a month or two to 10,000 a day. If that means you go for a walk at lunchtimes then so be it, get a friend to go with you.

That's it for now. Keep coming back here and listing your progress. First things first though, start eating again.

[mooshue]

In case you don't already know, learn to read a nutritional info label. There is one of these on every piece of food that you buy. It contains the total number of calories a serving contains. It also breaks down the macronutrient value, protein, fat, carbs, etc....
1g of protein or carb = 4 calories
1g of fat = 9 calories
If you can sneak in a food scale at wal mart or the grocery next time you do your family shopping, a cheapy will run about $7. Weigh your food you are going to eat, and try to figure out how many servings you are actually consuming. I guarantee you are eating way more than you think.
Getting your diet under control, not just eating the right foods, but eating the right amounts is 90% of your goals as already stated.

[varbo]

Here's an option for you: Learn to cook or at least start learning to cook. If you say to your parent that you want to learn to cook you'll look like a hero and not an ungrateful kid. Then you get to choose the recipes and you will have input into the grocery list. Each time you put a meal out that is healthy that you're not sure they'll like you put it down with the disclaimer of, "sorry if its not really good, I'm just learning." You will probably have to start by learning beside one of them, but after a little while you might be able to start making the meals with substitutions that are healthier.

Its a win - win. You learn an esential life skill (that also impresses girls), you get to change your nutrition so that you and your parents will be healthier, and your parents will see you as a more responsible person and a contributer to the family.

Oh yeah, and if they ask why you can say that you heard that girls like guys who can cook.

[Russ_s]

Welcome, it's always good to see new people. I wish I had you attitude and the internet back when I was in them teen years I might have not had to work so hard in my mid-late 20's to burn it all. My parents were basically the same way, they didn't call me ungreateful, but they basically made whatever, and it was mostly 80% unhealthy.

Everything they said above is probably some of the best advice you're gonna find at this stage. IMO especially the walking part. I got my wife to do a 2 mile walk with me 5 of 7 nights a week, it was amazing how fast the fat started dropping. All bodies are different though, you have to remember that losing fat takes time, and consistency. Figured I'd bold it to try to push it into your head. When you would try in the past would you just not see any results and get frustrated and quit? It took me at least 2-3 weeks of work before I saw any loss on the scale, but then it was 1/2 lb down per week, then 1lb. When I was hardcore weight dropping I was losing 2.5 - 3 lbs per week. That's extreme but I just wanted to show how it took time, did I get frustrated... hells ya... that first few weeks was torture. But It's something you really have to work into and not give up on.

I'm curious Whats a typical day like for you? exercise, food.. don't just say "junk food" what do they offer/make you for dinner? There's probably some healthy alternatives that taste the same/better.

As for your lunches, I always tried making my lunches that morning, and more often than not I wouldn't have the time so I'd go get something unhealthy. Something I had to force myself into was making a weeks worth of lunches on Sunday then all you have to do is grab one each morning. Use an icepack if it's something you want cold. but your all set. Tell your parents it's cheaper than buying food every day.

I made this on Sunday, it's just one example of some quick meals you can make that will last in the fridge, and are good cold/warm.
-1/2 box of pasta - boil water - drop it in - wait till it floats
-grilled chicken breasts - Throw it on a grill, flip every so often.. google "chicken + microwave" cook it in there. if it's white all the way through and not slimy in the middle it's done..
-fresh mixed greens/beans - most fresh veggies just need to be cleaned and served unless you want to heat em up.
~$8-10 you've got an entire weeks worth of meals. I add a little lite salad dressing and it's complete. Divide that out into 5 plastic containers and it's all set. makes morning routine a bit easier.

Last bit then I gotta get back to work...
At 14 you're either in junior high or just starting high school. Do you have access to a gym/gym class/weights class? When I was in HS we had "weights 1,2,3,4" which was basically what it sounded like, we'd lift and spend time learning about lifting. I only took one semester, wish I did more.

[Clyde]

Thanks for all your good answers.


I usually eat meat, corn, etc for dinner. I usually don't eat breakfast, but about how long should I do cardio and what kind per day?

I don't have anywhere do run/walk etc except my yard.

[Clyde]

Today:

Ate bag of chips, drunk bottle of water.
Ate orange and banana.
Ate rotisserie chicken with mashed potatoes and a few other sides for dinner.

drank nothing but water all day.


Did a little bit of walking, but not alot.

did a bit of sit ups.



:]

[tooncesthecat]

Got to ditch the chips. The rest isn't bad. Don't know about the "other sides". Water is the best thing to drink. Orange and banana are good.

Absolutely need to get some sort of physical activity in the day! See my previous post above for ideas!

[Clyde]

Will do.

Thanks.

i'll keep you updated

[ckn]

Originally Posted by Clyde

Thanks for all your good answers.


I usually eat meat, corn, etc for dinner. I usually don't eat breakfast, but about how long should I do cardio and what kind per day?

I don't have anywhere do run/walk etc except my yard.

Just one more point on my food bit above. Breakfast is by far the most important meal of a day. It has been shown again and again that those who skip breakfast slow their metabolism, struggle to lose weight and are generally mentally tired throughout a day.

Even if you just eat a banana or a bit of fruit for breakfast and you'll be off to a good start.

[Russ_s]

Totally aggree, breakfast is imperative. A piece of fruit at minimum. If you have the time instant oatmeal is a 2 minute make, and a 5 minute eat.

[Russ_s]

Totally aggree, breakfast is imperative. A piece of fruit at minimum. If you have the time instant oatmeal is a 2 minute make, and a 5 minute eat...

[Clyde]

Ugh...I just can't stay focused.............

I'm still eating fatty foods a little....


not exercising.....

[A1food4U]

So Clyde, spread out the excercise so it won't seem daunting. Sit ups or crunches first thing outta bed. Grab a jump rope and do a little in the garrage before you leave for school. walk around the block after school. If you have light dumbells you can do curls while reading your homework. If you really really want to there are a million ways to increase your calorie burn. No pills, no magic elixer. If you want to loose it's diet and increased physical activity.

The changes you make are for YOU, YOU have to want it, and only YOU can make it happen.
One step at a time buddy, one step at a time.....

[Clyde]

I have the spirit to do it, i'm just.....when it comes time to do it....SO LAZY.