Need to lose 3 stone

JBoyle4eva

Hey,

I'm 15, 5 foot 10 and weigh 15 stone, going on 16 st. I've been to the doctor about this and he told me that I need to lose 3 stone and he recomended that I should start cycling(I live in countryside so this should be easy) but the thing is, I can't ride a bike. My best friend tried teaching me three weeks ago, but we both failed miserably.

Now, I wouldn't naturally be bothered about this, but I want to be a pilot when i leave school(doing my junior cert next june). and to be a pilot, you need to be really fit and energetic. I'm detirmened to do that, but I really need a whole load of advice and moral support. So, that's what I'm asking for.

PI mods, if you think this question would fit better on the fitness thread, could a mod please move it there.

dudara

To lose weight effectively, you're going to need to instigate both an exercise and diet program.

Start with the diet and some regular walking. Once weight starts to shift, you can then take up more energetic exercise.

However, as you're probably still living at home, diet mightn't be so easy. What I will say, is cut out junk food, all soft drinks especially. I eat a high-protein diet myself, but that mightn't be easy for you to do if you're eating with the family. Give us an idea of what you eat on a normal day.

Kold

Cycling isn't the only cardiovascular exercise you know? Brisk walking is apparently the most effective way of losing weight as you are taking your energy straight from your fat stores.

Losing weight is strenuous and takes a lot of will power but it's good that you're at a young age, it would be much harder in later life. I would recommend a stable and sensible diet and actually make a timetable of when and what exercise you are going to do. Treat this timetable as religion.

Good luck.

Farls

Hmmmm i've never had a weight problem, except trying to put a stone or 2 on maybe! But i can see where your coming from losing this weight would make your life a lot better i think.

Your best job to get advice is to post a thread over in the fitness forum and the guys there will tell you what to do. I'd say join a gym but you probably don't want too and 15 is a bit young for going to the gym i think.

For morale....you need to weigh yourself exactly each week and keep a diary of this, possibly update a thread on the fitness forum, take all your measurments ie. chest,arms,thighs,waist,height etc. Update these as well as you go along. As you start to see improvements you'll love it.

Next you need to get a regime sorted out. To loose weight you need to sweat, you need to push that extra bit each time, it'll be painful in the start but after 2/3 weeks that all goes away.

I'm not too sure about cardiovascular workouts (running,cycling etc.) I do weights myself so your as well asking on the fitness forum for advice on that. I'd say start easy with brisk walks each night for a week or 2, then move upto jogging. And cycling or swimming in between if you can. Also get your diet sorted out. Post up what your eating and you'll get told then what you should be eating.

It might seem tough now but your at the right age to do something about this and you'll see results straight away if you put the effort in.

Farlz

KlodaX

cut down on carbs and sugar. eat vegetables instead of pasta. cut out chocolate completely .. substitute something else for it .. don't eat after 6 in the evening... drink lots of water ..

if walking is supposed to help loose weight .... how come all the walkers I see have big fat bums? .. this always puzzeled me

munkeehaven

fat bums? well you use your bum muscles (gluteus maximus,minimus) quite a lot when talking brisk walks ,so what you see as ''fat bums'' are probably well toned behinds.unless they jiggle.then thats just fat.and generally people have various sized bottoms.its variation.

my advice to start losing weight is not to go on a diet, just be sensible about what you eat, for eg when reaching for the fridge, think ''am i really hungry?, or is it just out of boredom/restlessness,etc.

choose grilled/instead of fried. ALWAYS eat a healthy breakfast to keep your metabolism in good working order,one of the most frequent things about being overweight is that people skip breakfast thinking that they will eat less, but its the opposite==eat bf like a king,lunch like a queen and dinner like a pauper=after dinner rest a while, after supper walk a mile.

choose wholemeal instead of white. eat plenty of fibre, to keep your stomach full and your bowels healthy.fruit , veggies are a must. dont cut down on milk as that is vital for a growing teenager, and to prevent osteoporosis in later life. dairy foods are important- just keep the treats like icecream and chocolate for the weekends as a small treat to reward yurself for sticking to your plan.
exercise is important, try something that is fun and not boring....walking with a walkman,skipping, just as long as you break a slight sweat and your heart beats fairly fast.

good luck!!

Woden

weight watches works for me in the diet category, then do what you have to do to tone up.

i don't do the classes but generally know the points for most foods that eat and thats good enough.

you're looking at the proud loser of 10lbs in the last 6 weeks or so, its not massively rapid weight loss but then i didn't cut out certain things like drinking and stuff, just instigated a massive change in diet.

anyway take a look around for weight watchers classes in your area

data

JBoyle4eva

Ok, I just want to ask a mod to please move this thread to the fitness fourm.

During the week, I'd have possibly two meals of spuds and carrots, with usally some grillled meat. The 4 other dinners really do vary, but I might have spagethii maybe once every two weeks (Should this be cut out?), I have salads every Saturday and I DON'T EAT CRISPS AT ALL(Personal acheivement of mine. Cut them out over a year ago and haven't touched them since!). mainly, I've subsitiuted snacks with either popcorn or chewing gum, but I have maybe one or two chochlate bars a week. My mum usually gives me fried chips every friday, but i'm going to ask her to eliminate this meal altogether.

Usually, I consider this to be a moderate diet, but what my doctor says it's not my diet really, it's just my fitness level. I would like to point out that I'd like to join a gym, but my mum and dad ae seperated, so the membership might be a bit costly in my situation. I'll ask about this and geeet more info on joining a gym.

I also forgot to mention this point: I was born with a kidney/bladder problem. I had ops to correct the problem, but it's left me with damaged kidneys that are only 50-75% the size they should be, so what I can't do is soccer/football/rugby/hurling! I'm pretty safe with any other sport.

Typedef

Swimming + the atkins diet.

You probably eat processed foods, chocolate etc.

Rule of thumb, if it ain't fruit, if it comes from a packet, if it's called a Mc something... it's not good for you.

No crisps, no sweets, no chocolate, no beer... just salads and high protein meats, which are low in carbs and fat.

Plus lots of aerobic exercise like swimming... not to mention *no* excuses, like (I don't know how to ride a bike).

Go running so!
Less excuses, more action.

eth0_

If that's really your diet, and you've been eating like that for a lengthy period of time and not lost *any* weight, i'd go back to your doctor, or even see another doctor. You could have PCOS or a thyroid problem...any number of treatable conditions. Your doctor can take blood tests - a full set is around 6 phials of blood.

Unless you live a completely sedate lifestyle and never walk anywhere, I find it strange you haven't lost any weight at all. Do you know what your BMI is? If it's over 30 (I reckon it might be around that) you can get weight loss pills prescribed.

Raskolnikov

Originally posted by JBoyle4eva
I've subsitiuted snacks with either popcorn or chewing gum, but I have maybe one or two chochlate bars a week.

Chewing gum generally only serves in increase your appetite! You're mouth starts to water and produce amalyse to digest the gum and your stomach in turn begins to produce gastric juices, expecting food! Not to mentioning, chewing gum can't be too good for your jaws! Maybe some sort of long lasting sugar-free mint would be a better option?

Originally posted by JBoyle4eva
Usually, I consider this to be a moderate diet, but what my doctor says it's not my diet really, it's just my fitness level.

The doctor is in all likelyhood right. Don't let your first experience of cycling put you off, give it another bash, just remember that once you get a little speed up you can control the thing pretty easily! Also you can put both feet on the ground at anytime to stop and balance yourself. I'm only pushing cycling because it's my favourite exercise, I take the camera out and cycle somewhere looking to find something to photograph Other exercises to consider are walking (a brisk walk can work as well as running), tennis, golf, basketball, badminton, squash, etc. The fact you're in the countryside though might make those sort of activities difficult to get into, hence me pushing the whole cycling thing!

Raskolnikov

Originally posted by eth0_
If that's really your diet, and you've been eating like that for a lengthy period of time and not lost *any* weight, i'd go back to your doctor, or even see another doctor. You could have PCOS or a thyroid problem...any number of treatable conditions. Your doctor can take blood tests - a full set is around 6 phials of blood.

Unless you live a completely sedate lifestyle and never walk anywhere, I find it strange you haven't lost any weight at all. Do you know what your BMI is? If it's over 30 (I reckon it might be around that) you can get weight loss pills prescribed.

You've got a point there, it could be a medical condition but I think in all probability it's his inactive lifestyle that's causing him not to lose the weight. A big misconception in the world today is that obesity is caused by overeatting when predominantly it's got more to do with people not exercising enough and lead less active lifestyles.

Shrimp

Originally posted by Typedef
Swimming + the atkins diet.

You probably eat processed foods, chocolate etc.

Rule of thumb, if it ain't fruit, if it comes from a packet, if it's called a Mc something... it's not good for you.

No crisps, no sweets, no chocolate, no beer... just salads and high protein meats, which are low in carbs and fat.

Plus lots of aerobic exercise like swimming... not to mention *no* excuses, like (I don't know how to ride a bike).

Go running so!
Less excuses, more action.

What ever you do, do not do the atkins diet, it's very bad in the long term, esspecially at your age, i would not advise it

eth0_

Originally posted by Y o u s s e f
What ever you do, do not do the atkins diet, it's very bad in the long term, esspecially at your age, i would not advise it

RUBBISH. Please educate yourself about the Atkins diet before making such comments. The diet is not remotely dangerous if it's followed correctly. You don't give up carbs forever. You don't live on food fried in butter.

eth0_

Originally posted by Raskolnikov
You've got a point there, it could be a medical condition but I think in all probability it's his inactive lifestyle that's causing him not to lose the weight. A big misconception in the world today is that obesity is caused by overeatting when predominantly it's got more to do with people not exercising enough and lead less active lifestyles.

I know that, but surely he'd have to be completely sedate and not walk anywhere to stay at the same weight even though he seems to be eating pretty healthily?

Shrimp

Originally posted by eth0_
RUBBISH. Please educate yourself about the Atkins diet before making such comments. The diet is not remotely dangerous if it's followed correctly. You don't give up carbs forever. You don't live on food fried in butter.

I am very aware of the Atkins diet, and here is my reason for saying this:

The atkins diet is not sutable for a 15 year old, the body has not developed enough to do without carbs. a 15 year old should have a balanced diet, (unlike the atkins diet).

eth0_

Originally posted by Y o u s s e f
I am very aware of the Atkins diet, and here is my reason for saying this:

The atkins diet is not sutable for a 15 year old, the body has not developed enough to do without carbs. a 15 year old should have a balanced diet, (unlike the atkins diet).

Rubbish. Are you a dietician now? You obviously know SFA about the Atkins diet, from what you have said so far. You only cut out carbs completely for the first 2 weeks and then they are reintroduced so you are eating a small amount of them. This does no damage to your body! It merely retrains your metabolism.

Do you think being 3 stone overweight is healthier than going on a diet like Atkins?

Shrimp

all i am saying is that there are other diets just as effective as the atkins one, but have not had as much controversy surrounding them

Gordon

Originally posted by JBoyle4eva
PI mods, if you think this question would fit better on the fitness thread, could a mod please move it there.

Are you sure?

Ok so.

Originally posted by JBoyle4eva
I can't ride a bike. My best friend tried teaching me three weeks ago, but we both failed miserably.

I was 19 before I first leaned to ride a bike
Just keep trying it will come to you eventually,I thought they were lethal...
Indeed I was lethal untill I got good at it(taking sharp turns on the wrong side of the road causing cars to swerve and losing balance at one stage and landing on the bonnet of one car)

Lots of advice here already, but stick to 3 square meals, plenty of water inbetween,lots of fruit and try not to eat after 7.
Eat plenty of the stuff already advised(cooked sensibly) at each meal time and definitely no snacking in between!
Oh and obviously exercise.
By the way simple things like continious tapping of your toes or feet or something when sitting at a desk will help burn calories and constant fidgeting, as long as it doesn't interfere with anything else you are doing at the time.

munkeehaven

i dont think its a good idea to go on the atkins diet if you have something wrong with your kidneys.a high protein diet can put pressure on your kidneys as all the protein has to be deaminated and eventually turned into urea.you dont want to get goitre.and for a growing teenager you need a diet that is in proportion. remember that the atkins diet is still farily new and noone knows the consequences in the long term yet.

Farls

Originally posted by Y o u s s e f
I am very aware of the Atkins diet, and here is my reason for saying this:

The atkins diet is not sutable for a 15 year old, the body has not developed enough to do without carbs. a 15 year old should have a balanced diet, (unlike the atkins diet).

Any chance of you backing this up with a link?

I'd go with etho on this and maybe pay the doc a visit again. Tell him/her your going to join a gym and want a full medical. Going by what you say you eat it's a lot less than i had expected.

Farlz

Shrimp

farls. Shh... Be quite and go back in your corner.

Farls

Originally posted by Y o u s s e f
farls. Shh... Be quite and go back in your corner.

Take some of your own advice and read the charter before posting information you can't back up

Farlz

[edit] learn to spell as well [/edit]

Johnny Versace

Originally posted by eth0_
RUBBISH. Please educate yourself about the Atkins diet before making such comments. The diet is not remotely dangerous if it's followed correctly. You don't give up carbs forever. You don't live on food fried in butter.

eth0_ it is really dangerous to make these kind of comments.

My brother is a kidney expert (works for UCD) and he says it is known the atkins diet puts a lot stress on your kidneys (due to the way we evolved - lots of protein is only a recent phenomenen.)

This guy already has damaged kidneys.

Your advice is very dangerous.

Shrimp

ok ok, sure

JBoyle4eva

Originally posted by Earthman
I was 19 before I first leaned to ride a bike
Just keep trying it will come to you eventually,I thought they were lethal...
Indeed I was lethal untill I got good at it(taking sharp turns on the wrong side of the road causing cars to swerve and losing balance at one stage and landing on the bonnet of one car)

Ok, I'll take this into account. Have to try again some day, but I'll have to borrow my brother's bike.

Originally posted by Earthman
[B
Lots of advice here already, but stick to 3 square meals, plenty of water inbetween,lots of fruit and try not to eat after 7.
[/B]

Ok' I'm kind of a nightowl, and I have to take hay fever tablets at night, but with them, I'm not to eat food for three hours before them for digestion reasons (It says on box) so I'll definitely try this!

JBoyle4eva

On the topic of the atkins diet, I'm opposed to taking part in it but only because I'm a teenager. I've heard about under 18s taking part in this diet, but some have died from doing this due to calcium defincency.

i don't have any evidence to support this fact, but just them stories would put me off it.

Anyway, no one knows the long term affect of this diet, so I wouldn't be willing to do something to me that could cause damage in the long run.

Ok, moving away from atkins, just wondering did anyone here on Boards overcome teenage obesity. If they have, could someone possibly reply or PM me with some advice and tips.

P.S. MY 200TH POST HERE ON BOARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

commuterised

how could they die from calcium deficiency when they'd be eating a lot of cheese/butter and cream?

and just to clarify what someone posted earlier, you don't give up carbs completely. There are carbs in all goods, carbs in lettuce, tomatoes, cream, brocolli, everything. You just make better choices to choose foods that are lower in carbs.

dudara

I'm a big advocator of the Atkins-type diet, but I would be reluctant to tell a teenager to try it. There's no medical reason for this, but just that I personally think that as a teenager, you're still growing.

However, having said that, you don't have to go hard-core Atkins. Just cut out excessive amounts of bread, pasta, starch and sugar. That's all. You can still have your one plate of Friday chips a week. They're more of a treat then.

I think that you really need to work on your fitness levels. Cycling is good for this, as is power-walking (god I hate that term). Once you've started to lose some weight, you can step up the activity level. Try some running. Tennis is another weirdly underrated sport. You have to put a lot of effort into tennis. I'm sure you're getting the picture now, so I'll leave you to it.

annR

Is there a basket ball club or anything where you live? Are your friends into some kind of team sport? That would be ideal motivation and it's fun too. Badminton is a good sport too in the winter time indoors.

I agree with the other posts that walking is good and you definitely should not give up on the cycling. It doesn't make any sense to just say 'I'm not capable of riding a bike'

JBoyle4eva

Originally posted by annR
Is there a basket ball club or anything where you live? Are your friends into some kind of team sport? That would be ideal motivation and it's fun too. Badminton is a good sport too in the winter time indoors.

There really isn't much of team sports around here that I can get involved with.(Due to kidneys) I was thinking of taking up swimming. I'm good at this and was trained a few years ago.What does everyone else think?

Shallow-Vision

ok em weird... right basically.. i'm 16 weight 16 stone and am 5 foot 11.. i'm the fittest person in my school.. cos of rowing probably.. i mean for all u know ur body weight could consist of muscle like mine does. have u dont a body fat test ?? im only 13% and weigh more than u (P.S. I HAVEN'T READ THE POSTS BEFORE SO PLEASE ESCUSE ME IF SOME1 POSTED SOMETHING LIKE THIS ALREADY)

ArphaRima

Not to put a dampening on proceedings or anything, but your kidney problem MAY stop you from ever holding a Class 1 Medical certificate required for the Airline Transport Pilots Licence.

http://www.iaa.ie/
http://www.military.ie/careers/cadet_coe.htm

Weight by itself would not be an issue, other than actual selection, where a fitter candidate may get the job ahead of you. The medical standards have strict limits though, and they generally only represent a general level of health rather than aerobic fitness.

*As for learning to ride a bike, I would make it a priority task. Learn all you possibly can on cars, bikes, planes, engines, etc.

Runfree

start walking. Thats alway good for you. Its easy aswell.

Also go to a gym and cycle there. Im sure you could manage that.

RunFree

PS. these are just some easy alternatives you would be better off following the above diets etc.

cormie

I haven't read any of the replies but here is my 2c.

First off, you should get a thryoid check. Just ask doctor to check your thyroid (you will need a bloodtest and have to wait for it to be sent to lab). You could have an underactive thryoid, I have one myself, I am on medication and will be for the rest of my life. Unless it goes away (probably wont)

I was about 16 st when I was 12/13. I'm not 13 stone and I'm 20. It's so much better. I feel better and I'm happier.

Cycling is a good excercise. You get to see lots of beautiful scenery and also, walking for long periods of time will hurt when your legs start rubbing against eachother.

Dieting can be quite easy. Discuss it with your mother and family. The easiest way to overcome bad eating is the shopping. Do not buy unhealthy food! If it's in the house, it going to be eaten. More times than not, out of boredom. If it's not in the house, it wont be eaten and you will try something else for entertainment. Possibly something healthy.

Thats basically how I lost all the weight. Medication didn't help me lose the weight. It just got my thryoid back to normal. It's very easy for me to gain weight and it's really tough to lose it. It will probably be much easier for you.

It's worth it buddy. Do it.

Good luck

JBoyle4eva

Originally posted by fluffer
Not to put a dampening on proceedings or anything, but your kidney problem MAY stop you from ever holding a Class 1 Medical certificate required for the Airline Transport Pilots Licence.

Ok, just had a look on both the links given, but can't find any reference to my condition. But, to make it clearer, I'm not under any meds for my kidneys and they don't affect me at all. It's just that they can't be physically hit on numerous occassions(Which could happen on Rugby, Soccer etc.) because they are not as strong as fully-sized kidneys.

L5

I dont know what kinda soccer you watch but i hardly ever get hit in the kidneys playing.

JBoyle4eva

Originally posted by Shallow-Vision
ok em weird... right basically.. i'm 16 weight 16 stone and am 5 foot 11.. i'm the fittest person in my school.. cos of rowing probably.. i mean for all u know ur body weight could consist of muscle like mine does. have u dont a body fat test ?? im only 13% and weigh more than u (P.S. I HAVEN'T READ THE POSTS BEFORE SO PLEASE ESCUSE ME IF SOME1 POSTED SOMETHING LIKE THIS ALREADY)

If you could, please tell me where can i get a body fat test done. Thanks!:)

RicardoSmith

Originally posted by L5
I dont know what kinda soccer you watch but i hardly ever get hit in the kidneys playing.

Does that mean you do on rare occasion get hit in the kidneys?

I've never been. Though I've been hit dang near every where else.

nobodythere

Read the thing on calories on howstuffworks.com, I lost 3 stone with the knowledge of being able to calculate how much weight I would lose with a certain intake.

Keep yourself occupied with something too if you're a compulsive eater. I went for chewing gum, it destroyed my teeth, go sugarfree.