Okay, so I'm just now starting my diet. I'm almost 16, and I'm about 200 lbs...-_- I started last week, and I've cheated SO much since then. I bring my lunch to school every day (small salad with light dressing, 2 tangerines, cottage cheese, a banana, and baby carrots), but when I get home I'll binge on something like two bowls of cereal or a piece of bread smuthered with butter...or even the evil Hershey's kisses....a few days ago I at almost 20 in one sitting. Then I walk a mile. That's all the exercise do. Ever. I'm really starting to get down...it's so boring to walk (on the treadmill at home) every single day, and it's getting boring to eat the same thing every single day for lunch. I'm too embarassed to go to the gym, even though it's at our church, and I won't walk outside with the fear of other peple seeing me. What should I do??? I'm afraid if this keeps up I might give up. Help me!
Okay, you've just started. It's okay to not have it all figured out in one week. You're faltering but not failing. You can do this.
The one thing I see is that perhaps you need eat a breakfast that has some protein in it (you didn't mention breakfast, are you eating breakfast?) and I would also suggest that you add some more protein to your lunch. You could add a small can of tuna to your salad or a boiled egg or an ounce or two of cheese for example. You could switch out the salad with a soup for a little variety. Check out some of the recipe or meal idea threads -- there's a lot more out there that will fill you up and keep you on track.
You're doing a great job planning your lunch but you need to plan an afterschool snack. And plan a dinner.
Are you calorie counting? Trying to eat whole foods? Going low carb? Tell us your plan and that will help get you some good advice.
Try to not be discouraged. You have the advantage of youth which means that you can turn bad habits around. Trust me, it gets a lot harder as you get older. I wish I had thought about getting my act together when I was your age. I think if you keep asking questions, tweaking your plan and join some of the threads on this board you are going to successfully take the weight off and keep it off.
No, I'm not eating breakfast...my stomach tends to reject it. The closest thing to breakfast for me is our break at school at ten o'clock. At that time I eat one of my two tangerines. When I eat dinner, I've gotten in the nasty habit of thinking, "even if it's outrageously bad for me, if I that's all I eat for dinner, I'll be fine." That's gotten me in a lot of trouble with dinner.
I started off thinking I would do fine if I just stuck with calorie counting, and it worked the first few days, but I slowly started drifting away from it. Although I know that is what will help me.
I eat Kashi 'Go Lean' oatmeal at night as a part of my dinner, but that's about as close as it gets to whole foods. :/
And thank you!
I remember the frustration of dealing with weight issues when I was a teen. It's very tough, I know. One of the biggest disadvantages teens have is that they do not have proper dieting and nutrition information. The reality is that you have to eat enough to lose....but you really do have to know what you are doing. From what you've described, it sounds like you are spinning your wheels and are just going to get repeatedly frustrated and keep quitting.
How much support do you get from your family? Not only in terms of emotional support but also purchasing the foods you would need, etc.? Do you drive yet? Have access to transportation?
I'm thinking it might be a good idea for you to try doing an established eating plan....like weight watchers or one of the low carb plans (like South Beach, etc.). You seem to be winging it by eating very low-calorie (but also low-protein and low-fat) foods during the day and then totally blowing it once you get to dinner time. And it probably goes downhill from there until bedtime.
The good thing about WW for someone your age is that you could get the support of experienced adults at the meetings and they could help you learn the ins and outs of weight loss. I think it would be better if you went on a specific organized eating plan (like WW or SB....one that told you what to eat, basically)....so that you could see some positive results and meanwhile, be learning about proper weight loss nutrition as you progress. Most of these plans have great books that explain how they work and what you should eat.
Believe me...I was where you are. I know exactly what you're going through in terms of the weight issues. And then to boot, your generation of teen girls is into the whole "thin" mentality and almost starving yourselves to do it.
Believe it or not.....the body will actually lose weight if you eat the right combination of foods....ones that include proteins and fats....so you are not hungry and starving half the day. Many of these teens lose weight by almost starving themselves...not good for their health....when they actually could have lost the same amount of weight eating a lot more food and being a lot less hungry (and a whole lot more healthy).....IF they knew what they were doing and learned about proper eating for weight loss.
I did the whole "rabbit food" thing...but it never worked for me....I was always too hungry. It wasn't until I learned about low-carbing (and how it works) that I was finally successful. And I think that for you, you need to start with one of the organized plans here. There are forums here for every eating plan/diet out there....where you can learn and get support. Try one of them and see if it can work better for you.
And as far as exercise.....don't you belong to the mp3 generation? Just fire up your ipod with lots of music you like and walk. You need to gradually build up your walking legs....start with smaller distances and work your way up to longer and longer distances. Your legs will ache when you first start so you want to not overdo it initially but do want to stick with it.....and soon it will become quite easy.....and very enjoyable. Gives you lots of alone time to think while you walk and listen to your music. I love it now....esp. with my ipod.
The first thing I thought was "That's way to light!" in regards to your brunch.
You need breakfast, with some protein. And you need lunch with some protein. Produce is lovely, but it's also light calorie, and going so long with so little just sets up a binge in the afternoon when you get home as you've experienced.
Maybe think about exchanges rather than calories to make sure you are more balanced throughout the day?
And if you need menu ideas, here you go. Scroll down to the red links on the left sort of in the middle of the page and just print out the one that is closest to your calorie level.
I started off thinking I would do fine if I just stuck with calorie counting, and it worked the first few days, but I slowly started drifting away from it.
Hi! It's not really as bad as it seems, really.
I can empathize a lot with you. At 17, I weighed in at almost 260 pounds and stayed there until I was 23. Like Deena, I did a lot of calorie-counting to lose weight. It worked a few times, but I always regained. Low-carb is what finally worked wonders for me, and now I'm doing a Paleo-style diet. I find it easiest because it eliminates wondering about foods: if it's made of grain, I don't eat it; if the fruit is out of season, I don't eat it.
BUT going full-gear on those (or any diet plan, really) might not be possible if your family isn't supportive. I was only able to get away with it when my husband and I bought a house and I was the one cooking the meals.
On the whole foods issue, that alone works for a lot of people. I'd highly suggest getting a copy of Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food from your library (it's a quick read). He does a good job of explaining how modern processed foods ("low-fat", "light", "reduced-sodium", "sugar free") are terrible for weight and health. It's not a diet book, but it does offer a lot of good advice on the whys of how you should eat.
Since your main binge foods are carbs (honestly, it's the bread, not the butter, that causes the craving), you may want to consider trying a carb-restricted-but-not-low-carb diet until you have it under control. You're eating foods that are exceptionally high in sugar and starch, both of which can upset your blood sugar status and send your diet into a tailspin.
You're in a bad spot because of school, and the erratic eating patterns it causes. If your lunch break is before 11, you'd be OK skipping breakfast until then as long as you're paying attention to how you're feeling. If it's noon or later, you really should at something before you head out. But something that's mainly protein/fat, since insulin levels are so iffy in the morning.
As it stands, I'd guess your lunch is why you're binging when you get home. Aside from the cottage cheese, it's a lot of sugar to take in. First and foremost, you need to figure out what sets off your binges and alter your diet/life accordingly. If you track that down, you'll be leaps and bounds more successful on whatever diet plan you choose.
Good luck and keep posting on here. The community is a great place to get support and questions answered!
I sympathize with you about breakfast; for my entire adult life until a few months ago, I swore that breakfast was an impossibility for me. Besides, I wasn't hungry in the mornings (and I'll bet you don't feel hungry then either).
Then I ran across an article describing why I didn't feel hungry despite having had no food for ten to twelve hours. It has to do with your body's production of the hormones leptin and ghrelin. I don't remember the physiological details, but the upshot is that even though you aren't feeling hunger, your body is. Not eating breakfast means you're prolonging your fast which inevitably causes you to feel greater hunger later in the day.
Knowing that there was a physiological reason for my not wanting breakfast made me try eating it (studies have shown repeatedly that eating breakfast helps with weight loss). Now I'm hooked, and I'm glad I am. It's much easier to restrain myself throughout the rest of the day when I don't start off with that soup of hunger-provoking ghrelin in my body.
If you don't think you can handle breakfast immediately as you wake up, eat something more substantial at your 10:00 break. A tangerine won't cut it; it's good food, but it's got no fat and no protein and will leave you hungry in a hurry. Pair it with some cheese, yogurt, or nuts to add protein.
It's practically impossible to have restraint at dinner if you haven't set up your breakfast and lunch well. That isn't willpower; that's just physiology. Hunger is something we can't just ignore; we're evolved not to ignore it because if our ancestors had ignored it, they wouldn't have lived to become our ancestors. Don't beat yourself up about hunger; it's healthy to feel hungry after not eating enough throughout the day.
I feel like I'm reading a repeat of High School... <_<;;I had those problems a lot too. I started walking miles a day with my best friend during the summer and we'd just talk. Maybe you could find a walking buddy, it doesn't even feel like you're doing anything and talking is a good thing to do also... As for the eating, I can't really explain it. If I get really serious about losing weight then there is no option for eating unhealthy. But running forward like a bull isn't for everyone. I'm not saying I never eat bad, I just swap out really bad things for better things. Like dark chocolate for regular chocolate, or yogurt instead of pudding. I would also say try not eating just fruits and veggies for lunch. School lunches come so early and veggies don't last as long. It's good for quick energy but by the time school is out you will want all of those carbs and sweets. Try adding cashews, or almonds. Even a sandwich would be good. Hope this helps.
Hon what you are doing is starving and then binging. I really would hate to see such a young girl set herself up for that in life because it's a downward spiral that leads to eating disorders and lifelong obesity.
Moderation is really the key to all this. Train yourself to eat breakfast. I never ate breakfast as a teen either, but just start slowly with a piece of toast. Our bodies were not designed to have supermarkets and fridges - when we go without food for long, we become ravenously hungry. The only difference now is that there is too much food available when that time comes.
You are crash dieting, eating just vegetables/fruits and not FEEDING your body. You can be malnutritioned when overweight. Your body needs fresh rich greens, carbohydrates, lean proteins (chicken breast), and healthy fats (ie almonds).
Do you have a physical education teacher you can speak to? Phys ed teachers also take nutritional courses. You need to nourish yourself to lose weight, not starve yourself.
The one thing most overweight people have in common is they don't eat breakfast. I used to do the same thing- then I started making myself eat breakfast, I started out with small things and then worked my way up to larger breakfasts, now if I don't breakfast within 1-2 hours of being up my stomach goes nuts on me.
Start eating breakfast, that will turn your metabolism back on and people who eat breakfast tend to be thinner and also it'll help you lose faster. You already eat a tangerine- add a hard boiled egg to it and that's a pretty decent breakfast.
I agree to add some tuna to your lunch- PROTEIN is what keeps you full (besides fiber). I bet you'll see that you feel less hungry when you get home.
That's not to say don't have a snack when you get home- a stalk of celery with a tiny bit of PB until dinner should suffice.
Also drink your water- something hunger is mistaken for thirst.
Also- do you have an ipod or stereo? Crank up some tunes while you workout- that should help pass the time. I sometimes watch TV while I workout- I'll do a brisk walk while the show is on and during commercials run as much as I can- I get a good workout in that way
Also- if your "walk" isn't making you huff and puff at all then aren't working out hard enough. A 10 minute mile vs a 20 minute mile burns more calories because you work harder to finish that mile than walking it in 20 minutes.
Start eating breakfast, add in more protein, and I am sure you will see a change.
Its SO important to eat breakfast. Your brain needs fuel for morning classes too. I swear I can tell the differences in students between those who eat in the morning and those who don't. I was never a breakfast fan so I would throw a decently healthy cereal into a baggie with a piece of fruit or cheese. Easy.
I also think you need more food at lunch. I know if I get home and haven't enough enough, the temptation to just throw everything in sight into my mouth is often really high. Add some protein and some more veggies
If you find you come home and binge, change your routine. Pack a snack in your bag and take it with you to school. Eat the snack on your way home, and then go straight for your walk. Don't go right back into the same situation that makes you overeat. Or arrange to do homework with a couple friends a few evenings a week.
If your bored with the walk, buy a few exercise videos or see what you can dig up on youtube. That will allow you to mix up your work out and do something different every day.
Thanks SO much, everybody...you have no idea how much help ya'll have been.
I'm definately going to start eating more (not in a bad way, just limiting my portions), changing up my exercise routine every once in a while...I'll keep reading threads on 3FC to see what kinda stuff I kind find.
Everyone has given so much great advice, so I won't repeat them. My two cents: I see your goal is 120# on a 5'7 frame. That's a BMI of 18.8, and the healthy lower limit is 18.5. Not to say you can't or shouldn't get there, but it is a significant distance. I know when I started that my goal felt so far, so impossible that I wanted to give up. My suggestion to you is to set mini goals like *normal BMI* or 20lbs lost! 50lbs! and reward yourself with something you want like new makeup or a DVD. Just to keep things in perspective. Also be mindful, that when you get to that *normal* weight range it may become difficult to get all the way down, and you might re-evaluate your goal based on measurements or clothing sizes at that point. 120 looks a lot different on a 5'7" girl than on a 5'5" one.
That said, you can do this! I'm proud of you for having exercise in your routine from the beginning and for tackling weight loss while in school, it is so hard! Kick butt and take names!
I can really relate to where you are right now: I began my lifestyle change at age 13-14 at 210 lbs and then lost most of my weight in the span of one year. I'm 17 now and at a healthy weight for my height, but trying to lose a little bit more far vanity reasons. Anyway, the point of that was to say that I know a bit where you're coming from, and on that, I can give this advice:
If you're going for calorie counting, absolutely stick to it. Don't drift out of it during those first few weeks- the first few are definitely difficult, but it gets easier in time, I promise. Make sure you're getting the most of of your calories by incorporating healthy, whole foods and do your best to eat breakfast, even if you're not used to it now. At some point it really does become second nature.. I know that one of the very first things I do when I wake up now is to go and prepare my breakfast but I only got to that point after a bit of forcing myself at first.
As for exercise, make sure to have some variety in it. If you're hesitant about going to the gym(I've never stepped foot in one in my life, personally), have you considered some of the many other exercises you can do at home with basic or no equipment? Some of my favorite exercises include hula-hooping with my 3 lb weighted hoop to music, exercises that involve my stability ball, dumbbell exercises, resistance bands, jump-roping... and of course there are the old standbys, jumping jacks, sit-ups, squats and so on. I can manage all of those in my itty-bitty little cramped room(even the hula hoop) except the jump rope.
As for getting bored with your walks, I'd get bored if I was just on a treadmill inside, too! Definitely try to work on that unwillingness to go outside, okay? I find that I really take a lot of joy in evening walks outside with my dogs these days, especially when the weather's nice. Do you have any dogs? If you're afraid that someone's going to look at you funny for walking outside just for the sake of walking, then there's no better "excuse" to go out than having a dog by your side, I think. Either way, one of the best pieces of advice I can give is to stop caring about what other people might think! That can hold a person back from so much.
Anyway, I hope this is some encouragement to you. Just do your best and stick to it and you'll get where you want to be in time.
I'm having major issues...please help?
The closest thing to breakfast for me is our break at school at ten o'clock. At that time I eat one of my two tangerines. When I eat dinner, I've gotten in the nasty habit of thinking, "even if it's outrageously bad for me, if I that's all I eat for dinner, I'll be fine." That's gotten me in a lot of trouble with dinner.
Anyway, the point of that was to say that I know a bit where you're coming from, and on that, I can give this advice:
