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Loosing Weight Sucks - Help Please

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Started 9 months ago by smartbylaw
Latest reply from cr0m

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smartbylaw

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I am a 14 year old who just doesn't have the support to loose weight. When I was 9 my father died of diabetes and high blood sugar. This year I've been committed to lose weight but, its harder than I thought. I have no support and my house has horrible food options. I want to be muscular and nice looking but it just hasn't happened.

So here are some stats about me:

210 Ilbs
5 ft 9in
OBESE - I hate the word..

My doctor says I have a lot of muscle its just covered by fat. And Ive done everything I could

So if you could suggest some things I would appreciate it :)

Posted 9 months ago #
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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It's going to be hard if you don't have the support, especially when it comes to changing food. Same with going to a gym, since most at your age require parents with you.

The Y here in Columbus is 21 per month for youth under 15. They also have assistance programs for the fee. I joined about 2-3 months ago and have been working with a trainer doing their fit start program, which has really helped me. Worse comes to worse, start taking a 30 minute walk around the block and when school goes back in, see if they have any facilities you can use.

Diet is a little harder if your family isn't on the same page. I know where you are coming from on this one. Have you asked about them adding or getting some stuff to help you out? If not, you are old enough to work at Kroger (know this from experience as well). Maybe work a few hours a week and put it towards some healthier options.

Biggest things, at least the ones that have been working for me, are fruits/vegetables, lean proteins, controlling portion sizes and staying away from processed foods. You might have stuff in the house already that could help you towards your goals.

Posted 9 months ago #
manticore33
Delaware, OH
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First and foremost, change your perspective of losing weight. Losing weight does not "suck" and it should not be consider "work." It should become a lifestyle adjustment that enables you to make better choices about what you eat and your activity level. A positive outlook will help your commitment to healthy living.

Start by liking yourself today. I realize you may not be your ideal weight, but you have to like and accept yourself today. At 14, you still have years to grow and realize your more ideal physical appearance. In addition, most people will view you based off of how you project yourself (confidence, kindness, etc) over what you actually look like. 210 at 5'9" is not too bad. I weighed about the same at that age (I'll be 30 in November). However, I tortured myself through my youth and ended up cutting down my self-esteem and sense of self-worth by my early 20s. It took me many, many years and many set backs to finally build myself up (still not my ideal appearance, but I accept myself at 5'10" and 170lbs).I am squishy in areas I wish I was not squishy, but I have never adopted a regular workout regime.

As lifeontwowheels stated, controlling how and what you eat is critical to weight loss. My family modeled me to crave massive portions and go for seconds. Furthermore, I eat very, very quickly which only compounds the problem and leads to over consumption. Slowing how quickly you eat, using small plates, and drinking water help with overeating. In addition, food choice is critically important. I am a firm believer in whole foods and real foods. I do not believe in synthetic or low-fat alternatives. That said, I focus my food consumption to vegetables. My wife and I also cook for ourselves and make most things from scratch. Being young, it can be difficult to get the foods you want and the time to cook them. However, frozen produce is amazing easy to prepare and can be a life saver.

Read books on diet and other cultures. In addition, consult your doctor. I personally enjoyed The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan, which really changed my thoughts on diet.

Some TEDs because TED is awesome:

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/dan_buettner_how_to_live_to_be_100.html

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/dean_ornish_on_the_world_s_killer_diet.html

http://www.ted.com/talks/mark_bittman_on_what_s_wrong_with_what_we_eat.html

Posted 9 months ago #
melikecheese
Merion Village
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The Kinect for the Xbox 360 has some great exercise games, that really work you out and they are fun, maybe you should try that.

Or, you can go the pill route, you wont find them at GNC anymore but if you go to the Asian supermarkets you will find them behind the counter.

You may also find if you just focus on lifting weights you will build muscle which will burn more fat and while it may take a year or two, you will probably start slimming down. Lifting with 1 to 2 days of high intensity cardio for just 20 mins is enough.

Nothing happens over night and it is very hard, like anything in life worth doing.

Posted 9 months ago #
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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Another good tip is let yourself cheat once a week. This seems to be pretty well recommended across the board from different things I have read. Pick a meal or a whole day once a week and cheat on your diet. The idea is it gives you control and keeps you from completely falling off the bandwagon by succumbing to a particular craving.

Posted 9 months ago #
Cookie
Flyntonville
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melikecheese said:
Or, you can go the pill route, you wont find them at GNC anymore but if you go to the Asian supermarkets you will find them behind the counter.

This is terrible advice. Smartbylaw, please do not do this. Talk to your doctor.

Posted 9 months ago #
bldng4jstc
Downtown
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Be consistently active - you must do something mobile every day no matter what. Anything you can do to put physical activity into your daily life is best. Walking to the store, taking the stairs, go for a walk every evening are great ways to start. Keep calories in check - aka a 10 min walk does not equal a pop tart. Don't eat many processed foods/sodas, and drink more water. Don't worry about losing weight and concentrate more on being active. You are only 14 so now is a great time to adopt an active lifestyle - it may lead to some new fun hobbies.

Posted 9 months ago #
rus

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lifeontwowheels said:
Another good tip is let yourself cheat once a week. This seems to be pretty well recommended across the board from different things I have read. Pick a meal or a whole day once a week and cheat on your diet. The idea is it gives you control and keeps you from completely falling off the bandwagon by succumbing to a particular craving.

That's an important one. Sort of a release valve.

The way to lose weight is to consume less calories than you burn. Given what you've posted, at a moderate activity level ( working out 3 - 5 days a week ) you'd need about 2964 to maintain weight. More than that and you're gaining. Eat less.

Since you mentioned diabetes, there's the obvious comment about sugar: avoid it. No soda. No dessert. No sweet snacks. Nothing, except on a cheat day ( and you only get one of those ).

Lifeontwowheels comments on what to eat are spot on, but if you're not in control of shopping for food control what you can: how much you eat.

Posted 9 months ago #
ThisGuy

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smartbylaw said:
I have no support and my house has horrible food options.

Do you have any interest in cooking? I would suggest that it is easier to eat right if you know how to cook even a little. Maybe you could offer to start cooking for the family even just once a week. This give you a reason to ask for specific (and healthier) ingredients and prepare them in healthy ways. If that is too much maybe just offer to make a side dish a few times a week to go with the family dinner then you could prepare some healthy side dish like a vegetable or salad and you can eat a higher proportion of the healthy dish than the unhealthy parts. I've assumed that you have family dinners and they are generally unhealthy. I understand this may not be the case. If you aren't eating as a family and there are just generally unhealthy things in the house you might start having to ask for healthier foods during to be in the house. If you can be specific about what you want and what you might make it might work better. If you eat out a lot (this is how I grew up) then try as best you can to pick healthier items from the menu or pass and eat at home, assuming you have or can get healthier things in the house...

Sorry for the ramble. Mostly I think it would be good for you to really learn what is healthy, healthy preparations and how much of the various things you should have... Then find the best way you can to get those foods...

Then of course get some kind of exercise every day. Workout, ride a bike, skateboard, walk around the neighborhood.... anything...

I also, think finding some kind of support system would be good... Friends in similar situations, other family members....

Posted 9 months ago #
smartbylaw

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Thanks guys, for everything. I really appreciate the advice and I willthe surely take it all into consideration (except the pills).

But what ARE good foods? Because ever thing has different things. I know pop and sugar need to be either gone or cut out (Ive been going off pop for a week now slowly so i dont get caffine withdraw.)

Posted 9 months ago #
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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smartbylaw said:
Thanks guys, for everything. I really appreciate the advice and I willthe surely take it all into consideration (except the pills).

But what ARE good foods? Because ever thing has different things. I know pop and sugar need to be either gone or cut out (Ive been going off pop for a week now slowly so i dont get caffine withdraw.)

I loosely follow the Abs Diet guidelines. Basically look more at ingredients than calories. If it reads like something in your school's science labs, more than likely it's not good. If you end up doing your own shopping for any of your food, stay on the edge of the market to get good foods: fruits/veg, meat and diary.

Portion size is a good thing to watch. I think the recommendation for your protein is about the size of your palm, about 4-6 oz.

Posted 9 months ago #
alexs
Limestone bluffs of the Scioto
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I cut out pretty much everything deep-fried and lost 20 pounds.

+1 on the increased activity though if you gain muscle mass in the process, you weight won't go down as much. But you will be more fit. I suggest you develop upper-body strength because your legs already have enough power to move you around with the extra weight. Losing some weight changes your power/weight ratio and you'll find yourself more capable of long walks, climbing stairs, etc.

*G* to amuse yourself after you've lost 10 or 20 or 40 pounds, lift something like a bag of charcoal or topsoil, and think of how you used to carry that much more weight around all the time.

Posted 9 months ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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Sign up for a free account on Daily Burn: http://dailyburn.com

Enter everything you eat into it, record your exercise and record your weight every day. It will help you identify good foods and bad and help to trim down on portions, snacking and everything else that you put under its microscope.

Posted 9 months ago #
rus

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alexs said:
I cut out pretty much everything deep-fried and lost 20 pounds.

+1 on the increased activity though if you gain muscle mass in the process, you weight won't go down as much. But you will be more fit. I suggest you develop upper-body strength because your legs already have enough power to move you around with the extra weight. Losing some weight changes your power/weight ratio and you'll find yourself more capable of long walks, climbing stairs, etc.

*G* to amuse yourself after you've lost 10 or 20 or 40 pounds, lift something like a bag of charcoal or topsoil, and think of how you used to carry that much more weight around all the time.

True. Developing muscle helps with fat loss but doesn't necessarily mean weight loss. If the goal is to lose the blubber, though, it works great for that.

When it comes to resistance training, especially free weights, form is very important both to achieve the desired result and avoid injury.

For getting started, I'd suggest focusing more on total body development rather than limiting to one particular area. Tends to provide better results, since that total body development provides the foundation for focused work.

Doesn't even require a lot of gear if you start with pushups, squats, etc..

All that said, diet is a larger part of weight loss than working out.

Posted 9 months ago #
lifeliberty
Here
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read this: http://www.amazon.com/Body-Life-Mental-Physical-Strength/dp/0060193395

they were giving them out at one of the Arnold fests when I used to study nutrition, it is a great read.

the book also advises this:

lifeontwowheels said:
Another good tip is let yourself cheat once a week.

to get your metabolism going and increase you testosterone do quats and bench press. they are multi muscle group excercises. It's good to start the week, say monday with one multi group excercise and them do the other on Wed. but seriously, get the book.

Posted 9 months ago #
paktinat
WP
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smartbylaw said:
But what ARE good foods?

Foods that;
Have less than 10 ingredients
Have only ingredients you can pronounce
Have a shelf life (food should rot if left out)

Posted 9 months ago #
CalebR
Lincoln Village
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confidence is what matters!

Posted 9 months ago #
lifeliberty
Here
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paktinat said:
Foods that;
Have less than 10 ingredients
Have only ingredients you can pronounce
Have a shelf life (food should rot if left out)

http://artofmanliness.com/2009/01/01/your-grandpas-diet-plan/

Posted 9 months ago #
smartbylaw

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I only have weights. Nothing else. What can I do with them?

Posted 9 months ago #
rus

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smartbylaw said:
I only have weights. Nothing else. What can I do with them?

What kind of weights? There's a lot you can do with dumbells and a straight bar.

Posted 9 months ago #