[time2shine18]

Hi, My name is Angie and I desperately need help.
I am 5'7 and 170.5 lbs. I am unsure what pant size I am due to the fact that I only wear sweats now. I used to be skinny at 145lbs (I have been 180 before) but I feel like I am fatter at 170 than I ever was. My measurements are 42-39-43 (I was professionally measured 2 times) and I am very desperate to lose weight. I am positive I am an apple because my legs and butt are thin and muscular and I have hipbones sort of sticking out(think a very fat potbellied pig who is anorexic from hips down my body looks like a giant V). My upper half though is very squishy and fat (39 inch waist sometimes 40.5 will do that). I am so desperate to loose 30lbs I am considering a water fast or eating nothing but fruit for 30 days. I desperately need help. I am only 18 and I can't be this big in shirts and pants. I don't know what else to do so if anyone can help me please respond.

[Lyria]

Do it the healthy way. It may take a little time, but it's a **** of a lot safer than water fasting or just eating fruit. You need a balanced diet to get all the nutrients your bodies has to have. I know it's tempting to want to lose that weight and lose it NOW NOW!! Oh...and yesterday would be nice if possible too!

I'm 21, 5'6 and started out at 171 pounds and am now down to about 118/9. My start measurements were a little different to you at 40" hips, 29" waist...so I guess I am a pear shape? My measurements now though are at 34.5" hips and 23" waist. If I can do it, anyone can. I am convinced of that lol.

My recommendation would be to eat healthy, cut out junk and nasty fatty foods, eat lots of fresh food...some people prefer low-fat diets (me) and some prefer low-carb diets and some use a combination of both...it's a matter of finding what works for you.

Start an exercise program, unfortunately we can't "spot reduce" areas, your body will lose the fat where it sees fit. But you could try perhaps a weight regime more targeted at your lower half? Tone up your legs and butt some more? Although i saw you mentioned they are already muscular.

I wish i had some more helpful hints, but all I found for me was slow and steady won the proverbial race (it took 14months...but i learnt so much about nutrition and health and how my body works through the process!)

Livi

[Jennifer 3FC]

Timetoshine, please don't try a fruit or water fast. All that will do is flush you out, but it won't get rid of FAT. You'll also miss on loads of nutrition that you need from other foods. Don't risk it, it will be short term, the weight will come back quickly and you won't be healthy. Choose a healthy plan and stick with it, you'll get to your goal! Look around the forum, maybe you will find a plan that works for you. We have a lot of healthy plans being discussed. Good luck!!

[funniegrrl]

At your age, I would recommend a program that will give you some structure and some instruction on how to build a healthy, well-rounded lifestyle. I truly understand your desperation, but what good will it do to lose the weight quickly through starvation, when that will only cause you to regain the weight? I PROMISE you that no one ever lost weight through a crash program and kept it off. If you don't want to spend the rest of your life yo-yoing and getting fatter and fatter over time, take an approach that keeps your nourished and allows you to lose weight gradually. If you read the maintainer's forum here -- a TERRIFIC resource -- you'll see that those folks still do EXACTLY what they did to lose weight. You need a "lifestyle makeover" that teaches you how to live the rest of your life so that you can be at a healthy weight the rest of your life. Here's what I suggest:

First of all, get out of those sweats and into real clothes. You may think you are hiding under that baggy mess, but they only make you look worse. You may not feel comfortable in spandex and belly shirts, but wearing attractive clothes that FIT will make you look and feel a LOT better. I am about the same size you are, and that's after LOSING over 150 pounds. I guarantee you that you can look nice -- even sexy -- at this size. Weight loss, even just 30 pounds, takes a lot of optimism and confidence. The negative self-image that is oozing out of your post is something that is more destructive than it is motivating. The better you feel about yourself, the more inspired you will be.

Second, look into a program like Jenny Craig (my program) or Weight Watchers. These are sane, balanced programs that take a total lifestyle approach. The idea isn't to "diet" but to learn how to manage food for the rest of your life. ALONG THE WAY you lose weight. That's the way to do it if you want to stay at a healthy weight long-term. I think that you would benefit from not only the structure of a program like this, but the guidance they offer.

Third, get moving! One of the most effective things you can do to reshape your body is exercise, both cardio AND strength training. You don't have to do anything drastic, just start walking 10 minutes per day and work up from there. Strength training is going to be VERY important to give you the hot body I know you want. There are tons of good videos (I like Kathy Smith's Lift Weights to Lose Weight series; The Firm, Tamilee Webb, Cathe Friedrich are all good too), or you can join a gym. Managing your food will get the fat off, but cardio will make you healthier overall and strength training will give you a trim, sculpted look as well as boost your metabolism, build bone health, and a million other things.

Finally, read. I highly recommend Thin for Life as a good overview of what it takes to lose weight and keep it off. You might also pick up a copy of the Dr. Phil book. I'm not a big fan of his, but this book is right on target to help deal with some of the important mental aspects of losing weight. I also encourage you to go to the maintainer's forum here and read some of the excellent posts -- there's a wealth of information there.

[dilleight]

Heya!

I'm kinda that shape too. I wasn't fitting UK16 in some stores due to my waist and even though that's only US 12-14 it's larger than most people are at 5ft5 and 161lbs. I've lost 20lbs and it has made a great difference. I've had to learn though that even when I get thinner I'm never going to be curvy! You just have to dress to acentuate the shape you have.

A line skirts are great on apple shapes, I wear things on my hips to draw attention to my hips and away from my "waist". I also wear longer tops again so there isn't a line cutting me across at my widest part. I find flared trousers balance things out the best. Stretch jeans don't tend to look good on me- saggy on the bum!

The good thing about being an apple is that you lose weight off the middle comparitively easily. I find tae bo works the sides of the waist really well.

dill

PM me if u think some pics would motivate u!