Monavie Health Club

Question: What to do about my weight?

(Posted by: Zoe j on 2010-03-15 06:10:35)

Hi I'm zoe I'm 17 years old and two stone overweight, I started to put weight on after my mums death in December 2008 and I think I have been overeating to fill a void that has been left, allthough I know no amount of food will make me feel any better I still get sudden urges to over eat. I live at home with my dad and brother, and my dad is also overweight, so is my grandad and uncle, I'm concerned I may also pile weight on too as I've noticed it's genetic. I find it hard to excersize as I'm also asthmatic, and no teenager wants to eat veg all the time. My current weight is 12 stone and my height is 5ft 4. Can anyone give me any suggestions? I hate talking to anyone else about this because they always tell me I'm not fat, I may not be now but I know I will be if I don't stop.

Posted by: Away With The Fairies on 2010-03-15, 06:18:49

With your bmi as it is now, you're technically obese. Sorry to be so harsh but it's true. Having battled with my weight all my life, I would strongly advise you to do something about it now, before it's too late. What about a quick fix like the Cambridge Diet? It's no fun at all (but what diet is?) but you will see very quick results. I lost 16lbs in just two weeks. Alternatively, what about the Atkins diet? Again you'll see quick results. If they don't appeal, I suggest you see your GP who'll be able to give you a sensible eating plan.

Posted by: *********** on 2010-03-15, 06:11:37

I would get rid of those two stones. Why do people carry stones around.

Posted by: lass_havin_fun on 2010-03-15, 06:13:46

Try and get a hobby in the evenings to stop you from snacking for the sake of it. Go on long walks, if you have a dog take it out in the evenings this will stop snacking and be good for you aswell. Also drink lots of water it fills you up xx

Posted by: Jaxen on 2010-03-15, 06:14:10

If you want to lose weight it's simple, have a constant healthy diet and do regular exercise. Don't buy into all that nonsense about shakes and pills, it's all about exercise and what you eat. And when I say "Diet " I don't mean changing what you eat, a diet is what you eat. So you have to change that, and keep it that way. The reason why most fat people who lose weight put it back on is because they say "Oh hey, I lost all this weight, I deserve this cake " Then BOOM, the weight piles back on. So in the end, it's all about consistency.

Posted by: Kent on 2010-03-15, 06:15:54

I went to QuickerWeightLoss.net and loss 10 pounds in 3 weeks sorry about your mom....good luck

Posted by: Wiseman on 2010-03-15, 06:19:54

Stick to eating only at mealtimes and eat what you want, but always finish when you feel as though you could eat a bit more. If you feel like a snack, have a drink of water instead. Exercise may be difficult, but not impossible. Take a 20 minute walk at least once a day. If is difficult advice to follow, but if you stick with it, you will see the results.

Posted by: neil m on 2010-03-15, 06:24:20

Regular exercise is what you need. news.bbc.co.uk/ sportacademy/ hi/ sa/ treatment_room/ newsid_2340000/ 2340911.stm Many top athletes have asthma. There are techniques and treatments which they use. Ask your doctor. We are animals, designed through millions of years of evolution to eat fresh healthy food and be active all day long. We were not designed to eat junk and sit in front of a computer 12 hours a day. I should add that I never go the gym. I find exercise for exercise' sake boring as hell. You need to find stuff that's active AND fun. Start gently. Go for a walk every day. Start with a mile a day. Then make it a mile and a half. Build up. After a month you should be on 4 miles. Go swimming. When you get bored of that, try something else. Badminton. Cycling. Variety! Exercise. It's kind of a boring word, but it's what you need.

Posted by: Katerina W on 2010-03-15, 06:26:33

One thing that I found really helpful when I lost weight was to ensure that I was hungry before I ate. Not really starving hungry, but hungry nevertheless. This sounds very obvious, but unless you are hungry before you eat, the sensation of eating (and getting rid of the hungry feeling) is not particularly satisfying, and that is when you will overeat, and get the stuffed full, bloated feeling.

Posted by: lzbthfx on 2010-03-15, 06:26:55

Well done for acknowledging that you are relying on food. This is a huge step. It has taken me years to realise this and it is now so ingrained I am finding it really difficult to break the habits. Firstly I would say that if people are saying you are not fat, it is not so much weight loss you need to worry about but not putting on any more. Perhaps you may want to go somewhere like Slimming World to loose a little, but try not to worry too much. I would say the most important thing is to get out of the bad habit or using food as a comfort. We all do it a bit, but it has obviously got to a stage you are worried about. I have a couple of suggestions, but I'm no expert and I don't know you at all, so they may be way off. 1. Make sure you are talking though you thoughts and feelings with someone you trust. Either someone you know or perhaps a counsellor if you would feel more comfortable. Your doctor should be able to find you someone on the NHS if you want to go down this road. 2. Work out what the triggers are for having a binge or 'treat'. If you know what it is that sets you off, you are more likely to be able to recognise when you are in the 'danger zone'. You can then have some alternatives that you can turn to instead. Something you enjoy that can replace that need for food. It maybe ringing a friend for a chat, playing a game, going for a walk, etc. You could even have some cards with a few words of encouragement on to look at when you're feeling down. Emails often have that kind of thing, or it could be happy memories, pictures of people or things you love or nice things people have said about you. 3. I know this one is tricky and I don't do it myself as often as I should, but most of the time when we get hunger pangs we are actually thirsty. So before you eat have a drink, preferably something water-based, not fizzy. 4. Don't let other people get you down. Whether you are physically big or not you feel it. You have the right to feel good about yourself. Above all remember that you have been through a lot in the last few years and you are allowed to feel down sometimes. Loosing a parent is hard. Don't punish yourself. Good luck.

Posted by: Milton on 2010-03-15, 06:29:45

You gave the answer and immediately rejected it. Some foods have far more calories than others and the secret to weight loss is to eat less calories than you burn and you will lose weight. You could go on a diet of nothing but butter. But ... errr, the problem would be that you could eat only a few tablespoons of it a day to get ot the maximum number of calories you could consume without gaining weight. Of course, I also didn't mention the cholesterol count it would create. You are one of the people who unfortunately picked the wrong father. He brought with him all the family tendencies to eat a lot and weigh too much and also the genes that produce a slow metabolism when it comes to burning them. You are right that you are compensating for the loss of your mom by eating too much and that is so understandable. But, now, you are looking at the consequences and don't like them So, what is your decision? Do you accept the extra weight for the short-duration comfort food gives? My response would be that no amount of eating will bring your mom back so the decision comes down to: What do you want to weigh. Your mom is gone. It hurts. it will always hurt. You are somewhat overweight and, looking at your dad, you know it could get worse. So, it is time to act in your best interests and accept that the loss of your mom at that early age will leave an unfillable hole in your life. Here is a very simple table that will predict weight gain or loss. I'm American so I will have to give you the formula in pounds instead of stone weight, but I'm sure you can convert. This formula is close to accurate but doesn't account for exercise which allows somewhat more calories and still loss of weight. Take your weight. Let's say ... 150 pounds. Multiply it by 11. That gives you a total of 1650. In order to lose weight, your calorie intake would have to be below 1650 a day to lose weight. But, that doesn't take into account that exercise takes off weight so that has to be factored in. A gym workout for an hour can burn 200 calories. So, now the number is raised to 1850. Scratching your head when it itches can burn 1 extra calorie so now you have 1851 as your base. Sorry, humor is one of the tools I believe essential to a healthy outlook on life. It doesn't burn calories but it makes the interminable wait between meals more endurable. You have to look at what you eat to get an idea of how to build a diet. Like you, I hated greenies but I decided i liked the feeling of being full and the only way to do that and diet is to eat foods low in calories per ounce. That is salads and green veggies. For instance, for lunch, I boil up a good serving of frozen mixed veggies and add them to a bowl of low calorie canned soup. The combination makes the veggies taste better and the soup "heavier. " I always add spices because they remain on the palate and you feel you are still eating after you get up from the table. Best of luck to you. When you think of your mom, think of the good times, not the loss and think also of how proud she would be of you for taking on this formidable task of changing your body to please yourself.

Posted by: Kay on 2010-03-15, 10:48:05

How about you dont cut out food, but change them? Even changing to low fat cheeses and yogurts, and foods such as Splenda instead of Sugar can help you to cut down by a vast amount fast :) Some other tips that can help you are - Drink lots of water and green tea (cause they 1) fill you 2) have barely any calories 3) speed up your metabolism [but the water will have to be cold for this, green tea is fine at any temperature to speed your metabolic rate]) - Dont eat 4 hours before you sleep - your metabolic rate slows down as you sleep - Set realistic goals - Get at least 7 hours of sleep a night to raise your metabolic rate for the day - Warm water with just a squeeze of lemon juice before breakfast get the metabolism going for the day, this also help preventing constipation and is excellent for the skin. - Remove fat by dropping ice cubes into the baking tray. Fat will stick to the ice cubes - for this you put in your current, then aim, weight. It’s really good - nutrition.about.com/ od/ changeyourdiet/ a/ calguide.htm it will say how much you need to lose to reach a certain amount, and how many calories to eat a day to reach this. Hope i've helped :) xxx