I'm 14 and need to lose weight

LegacyUser

Hello everyone

I have a problem. I am overweight, and I am only 14. First, a bit about myself. I am 14, 1.62m tall (around 5' 2") and I weight a whopping 68.5kg (around 10 stone 6 pounds).

I'm not fit, and don't live the most physically active lifestyle.

Now I'm wondering, though it may sound stupid, what is the best way to lose weight.

Now you are probably all thinking "eat less of course" but looking around I see stories about if you don't do it the right way your metabolism can go down, which obviously is not what I want.

Also, I heard if you lose weight by less eating without exercise the weight can go but the skin can still stay there. I would like to avoid that if possible.

Another problem I face, in my school, we are allowed go up town for lunch. I always go where my friends go, which sometimes isn't always the healthiest place (such as a Chinese takeaway). Its not a problem for them, they are slim and physically fit. Another problem with this is, if they go to a place where you can get healthy food, I am quite a picky eater and don't like some of this healthy food, such as salad rolls etc

OK, to try and give you all as much information as possible, I'm going to post what I eat on average days. I know you will probably laugh, its ridiculous how much I eat, but here goes anyway

Ordinary Weekday (school-day)

Breakfast: 7.45am - Bowl of Weetabix, 2 biscuits, with 2.5 spoonfuls of sugar
Lunch: 1.15pm - Sometimes a 3 in 1 (chips, curry and rice), sometimes a roll with sausages on it, sometimes a sausage sandwich, sometimes just a milkshake.
Dinner: 5.00pm - Potatoes, usually with meat, which is either pork, steak, mince, beef, lamb etc
Supper: 10.30pm - Usually 2 bowls of Kellogg's Rice Crispies with 3 spoons of sugar each. (Yes I know, awful)


Ordinary Weekend (no school)

Breakfast: Varied times - Two bowls of Kellogg's Rice Crispies, 3 spoonfuls of sugar each.
Lunch/Dinner: Varied times - Either chips or potatoes with meat
Supper: Varied times - Two bowls of Kellogg's Rice Crispies, 3 spoonfuls of sugar each
Snacks: Usually a sandwich or toast


I know, terrible isn't it

I can see two obvious improvements I can make, I shouldn't be eating going to bed, as I am sleeping and not moving and have no means of burning off the calories

So back to my original question, what is the best way I can improve my diet without affecting metabolism?

Also, I realise I need to do exercise, but that's going to become difficult. I used to go for long 20 mile cycles, but the winter is here and its too cold to do that now. I also dong have a lot of time for outdoor exercise because by the time I get home from school its just getting dark and when I have my homework done its pitch black.

I know there is a fitness forum, which is probably more suitable, but you cant post unreg there, and also, this is a personal issue for me.

Thank you for reading and sincere apologies about the long post, just wanted to give you all as much information as possible.

Thank you for your patience

Catari Jaguar

Breakfast: Special K, NO sugar, skimmed milk. or porridge. Don't want type 2 diabetes on your hands...
Dinner seems grand, maybe try more fish? Don't eat before bed. Eat slow release energy foods so you don't snack, like wholegrain bread, oats, brown rice, nuts... Snack on fruit or veg if you're hungry. Mayeb make vegetable stir fry for dinner and make smoothies to make them more enjoyable. . Drink green tea too, it speeds metabolism. and LOTS of water. (sometimes you mistake thirst for hunger)

DON'T eat when your bored or for comfort!

I'd say it's merely puppy fat, you havn't had a growth spurt or anything, more than likely a lot will drop off naturally.

I'm concerned over the lack of exercise, are there no after school sports clubs? Are you interested in yoga, self defence, dance classes or even just roller blading? I really suggest trying them out. Try to get a friend involved too.

Most important, is not to fixate on weight loss, becoming obsessive etc. Don't espect results instantly, it'l take time. Good luck!

Ruu_Old

You might want to have a look at the Fitness forum located under Rec for some tips. Good luck.

A Primal Nut

You shouldn't be ashamed choosing to lose weight. It's a decision lots of people make, but admittedly being 14, people tend to ashamed of lots of stuff they shouldn't be (been there, done that). If anonymity is a big deal, you should probably re-register with a completely different anonymous name.(I assume this is allowed). While it is a personal issue, I would imagine you would bet getter advice in the fitness fourm. Whereas here any replies are likely to focus on dealing with the effects of being overweight, the fitness forum would focus on actually losing weight (or so I understand).

Incidentally, I don't know much about this sorta stuff, but I'd imagine cutting down to one bowl of Corn Flakes each time you have cereal would be an easy start. Good luck.

challengemaster

maybe cut down on all the sugary stuff for a start, and try exercise a bit. join a local sport/fitness club of some kind (eg.karate) or something.

to be honest though, im 15, ~5' 9" and 10.07 stone last i checked.

you're only coming into your puberty years now, so you'll grow quite a bit and it wont be as noticable that you're X stone when you get taller

LegacyUser

Thank you for the speedy reply!

Believe me its not puppy fat, I have a big huge belly lol!

Thanks for the tips. We have Special K in the house, and its quite a nice cereal so I think I'll change to that!

I already drink lots of water, so I'll just continue this habit, its just a newly picked up one

But here's another problem, I suck at sports. All sports to be honest, except for golf, I play golf in the summer, which isn't the most strenuous sport in terms of exercise but it gets you walking a lot!

I'll try to think of a good exercise to do, as I know its important.

Would simply going for a walk every day (around a mile or so) have any effect whatsoever?

TerrorFirmer

Lil Kitten wrote:

Breakfast: Special K, NO sugar. or porridge. Don't want type 2 diabetes on your hands...
Dinner seems grand, maybe try more fish? Don't eat before bed. Eat slow release energy foods so you don't snack, like wholegrain bread, oats, brown rice, nuts... Snack on fruit or veg if you're hungry. Mayeb make vegetable stir fry for dinner and make smoothies to make them more enjoyable. Eat low fat bars as treats like from Go Ahead range. Drink green tea too, it speeds metabolism. and LOTS of water.

No offense but thats pretty bad advise. That stuff from the Go Ahead range is little more then a clever marketing ploy - its full of sugars and other crap. Likewise with the Special K. You might as well be eating the Rice Krispies which aren't that bad a cereal anyway. But if you were serious about changing your diet, I would agree suggest porridge. Its nicer then it looks.

To be honest, yes you could do with less sugar, but its not the sugar that causes the problem - its just when you're actually eating it. Less volume certainly wouldn't hurt though. I eat quite alot of sugar too in my morning cereal but just not during the rest of the day. Just cut out the fatty stuff like the Chinese and the Sausage rolls. Nobody saying you have to have a salad either, why not just a plain chicken roll instead of a sausage one.

You aren't actually truly over eating, more just eating at the entirely wrong times. The worst thing you are doing is eating the cereal and sugar at night - it gets turned straight to fat. Cut that out alone, even without altering your otherwise daily diet and I guarantee it'd produce results.

Replace them with something like fruit instead, or a lean meat if you feel able for it that time of night.

You don't have to be perfect, you can still eat the odd bit of junk, even on a daily basis, and still be fit and healthy. You don't need to suddenly start eating vegetable this, salad that, fruit this, a sadly common misinterpetation for some people. Just about getting the balance right really - nothing (within reason obviously) is truly awful for your system.

edit: And of course exercise is essential. A mixture of a few changes here and there combined with exercise will whip you into shape in no time, especially at that age. And like you I don't really like Physical sports, never did. But that doesn't stop me from lifting weights or cycling etc.

See my sig and/or the fitness forum here on boards. Those guys will whip you into shape in a few months if you're prepared to go the mile. You can be the authour of a new you. The results are worth it believe me.

Fobia

Hey, I had puppy fat or whatever you want to call it when I was 14 too, and like you I decided I didn't want it anymore (though I was 15/16 when I actually managed it).

Looking at what you eat, and I'm not a nutritionalist or anything, but in comparison with guys (I realise you havent stated your sex, but I wouldn't know the diet of girls that age as well) your age, is...quite normal. Firstly I'd have to ask, do you snack? You don't mention it, but I think most 14 year olds do and it'd be a key thing to cut out..

The other thing is you NEED to cut out the supper. I know it's hard, but you're not actually hungry at that time (I used to eat supper too), so it's not as hard as giving up lunch or dinner would be. Just, when you find it's supper time, try to get to bed earlyish, until you're used to not having food before you sleep at which point you can return to your normal bedtime..

For exercise, well, this would depend on whether you're a girl or a guy. If you're a girl you should probably ignore the following. Have you considered trying to turn the fat left after changing diet into muscle? You'll still need to exercise of course, but you can do things like pressups and situps in your bedroom, so they can be helpful in the Winter. Also, if your parents would allow it, consider buying a chinup bar and putting it in your door, you probably wont be able to do any chinups to start, but you can work up and try to do different types as you get stronger etc. It's a much more noticable change compared to doing 30 situps instead of 20 etc, and they cost about a tennor in Argos.

Good luck, it's a hard road, but as someone who's personally gone from chubby to slim (though once I was skinny I ended up intentionally putting on weight, but this time as muscle), the end certainly justifies the means - being able to look in a mirror and like what you see. I realise lots of people will say that it's a mental thing and you need to learn to do this with your current body. But I found at that age that just didn't happen to me, and I'm guessing you're of the same mentality.

If you find any of the above useful and/or want to ask me more in private, feel free to send me a pm if you're registered.

Faith

I had an absolutely massive reply typed out, and I lost it somehow. Oh, the injustice.

OP, basically you're consuming more sugar in one day than you need in an entire week. You're also getting no essential vitamins or minerals.

The upshot of it is, cut out the crap cereal, the white bread, the chips, the sugar, all the bad stuff.

Replace it with 100% wholemeal bread, fruit, veg, porridge, new potatoes, lean meat.

Feel free to PM me and I just might write out all the advice I previously had, again.

LegacyUser

Wow. Thanks guys!! That's brilliant advice!

I feel a lot better about myself now. I thought I was a fussy eater at the start, not liking some of the 'healthy' foods my friends like, but I realised there are some healthy foods I like

Someone mentioned above fruit, I love fruit, actually one of my favourite foods. Don't like bananas, but love oranges, apples, grapes, plums etc

Thanks for the advice guys! Its great. I feel motivated and willing to make a change

As I right this post, its 12.25AM, normally I would eat my supper before going to bed, but I'm just going to go to bed soon, without eating it . And someone said above, that I'm not actually hungry at this time, and its quite through. I don't feel overly hungry, I could easily go without eating this meal, just never really realised it before.

Just have two more simple questions

Does water make you fat at all? Can I drink as much water as I like and it would have no effects on my weight?

Also, somebody said above that Special K is a 'gimmick' and that its not as good as it is advertised to be. So what should I eat for breakfast? I like most cereals, and it will take me a while to 'wean' off the sugar, but I'm sure it will happen. But when choosing a cereal, I want to take into account that I am a school student and need energy and concentration etc

Catari Jaguar

Walking would help yea, if you do it fast. not strolling along. Any room for exercise bike at home?

CharLit

Meh, i somehow got logged out while typing, and then all these other people posted what I was going to say in between!! But here it is, anyway:

Hey hon,

Whatever you do, make it a lifestyle change rather than any crash weight loss course. You need to make changes to your diet which you can stick to without too much effort forever (and this includes allowing yourself the occasional treat!), and while getting more exercise is important, make sure it's something you enjoy.

I would suggest that, over time, you make the following dietary changes:

- always eat breakfast (I know you do that already, don't stop, this meal is vital for getting your metabolism going in the morning!)
- reduce the amount of sugar you eat
- eat more fresh vegetables and fruit
- eat dinner a little later, but cut out supper
- eat a broad variety of foods
- eat less meat (try avoiding it at lunch for instance), about 100 grams is all you need per day
- don't eat too many processed foods: you have no idea what you're actually getting in terms of nutrition and calories, but you can be sure it's going to be less good for you than anything you prepare from scratch yourself.
- choose boiled/steamed/raw foods over fried when you have the choice. Again, also allow yoursef the occasional indulgence though, chips once in a while will not kill you
- drink plenty of fluids, preferably ones without sugar, so mainly stick to water, tea etc.
- chew each bite well, if you eat too fast your body won't realise it's full until you've gone beyond that point
- listen to your body. When you're full, stop.

It's tough that your friends want to go to places where you can't really get a healthy lunch. Maybe you could bring lunch from home a few days a week? Then you can pack things which you like and which are healthy.

As lil kitten suggested, shop around for activities you might enjoy, stick with whatever suits, and find something new if you get bored. I know you have little time during the week, but maybe there is something you could do on the weekends? And is there a possibility of cycling or walking to school?

Finally, ignore what the media tells you you should look like. If you eat relatively healthily, stop when you're full, and try to exercise for about three hours every week, the weight you eventually reach is the weight that is natural for you. Anything else is unhealthy! And in the end, health is more important than weight.

Best of luck!

C

P.S. yes, any exercise is good, including going for a walk every day.

Blow Me

YEA exercise

Chucky the tree

overweight_14 wrote:

I know you will probably laugh, its ridiculous how much I eat, but here goes anyway

Ordinary Weekday (school-day)

Breakfast: 7.45am - Bowl of Weetabix, 2 biscuits, with 2.5 spoonfuls of sugar
Lunch: 1.15pm - Sometimes a 3 in 1 (chips, curry and rice), sometimes a roll with sausages on it, sometimes a sausage sandwich, sometimes just a milkshake.
Dinner: 5.00pm - Potatoes, usually with meat, which is either pork, steak, mince, beef, lamb etc
Supper: 10.30pm - Usually 2 bowls of Kellogg's Rice Crispies with 3 spoons of sugar each. (Yes I know, awful)


Ordinary Weekend (no school)

Breakfast: Varied times - Two bowls of Kellogg's Rice Crispies, 3 spoonfuls of sugar each.
Lunch/Dinner: Varied times - Either chips or potatoes with meat
Supper: Varied times - Two bowls of Kellogg's Rice Crispies, 3 spoonfuls of sugar each
Snacks: Usually a sandwich or toast

Thats actually a very small amount your are eating, its just your selection of foods is very poor. you should try and eat 5-6 meals a day to help metabolism.

Most of Lil kittens advice was pretty good. switching to brown bread and having fruit etc for a snack is the right way to go. But things like special K and those cereal bars are a load ****. A snickers or a mars bar is problay not much worse.

Heres something you could try aim for:
Breakfest: Porridge with honey
mid day snack(you should have a small break in school) - a banna or 2, a few slices of brown bread
lunch - a roll with chicken or something similiar.
Dinner - what your having now would be fine.
Supper - try keep this carbohydrate free as you wont burn those off during the night and they will turn to fat. A protien based supper is the way to go. Cottage cheese is a common one, taste isnt for everyone though, i hate it.

A few oranges or apples during the day aswell when you get hungary. Try drink as much water as you can. Cut out the fizzy drinks aswell.

golf is a excellent way of losing fat. Even just walking aswell. Both are much better for fat lose then breaking your bollox sprinting up and down a field. ideally a walk at an incline is the best way to lose fat, but obviously thats difficult unless you have a treadmill. A mile a day would definitly make a huge difference.

Also, more muscle will help with your metabolism aswell, so if you have weights at home do some excercises Even do push-ups. If you cant do proper push-ups do half weight ones and work your way up.

admiralofthefleet

get yourself a bike if you dont already have one and use it, and if you travel to school on the bus or train get on a stop after the one you usually get on at and get off a stop early too, and cut out fast food whatsoever, im a chef and when i see parents ordering nuggets/sausages and chips for their kids in work my blood boils.
finally, i was big when i was your age but i got on top of it by looking at a map of my area and plotting a distance i would walk every nite, i used to walk from blackrock dart station to sandymount station and back (approx 5km). the weight soon fell off, maybe you could do something similar where you live.
best of luck,
gar

LegacyUser

Hi again guys!

Sorry, I didn't state my sex, I had intended to in the first post, just overlooked it!

I'm male btw

Those are great tips guys! None of them seem too hard to pull off!

Here's the plan

Breakfast: Something 'slow-releasing', such as Weetabix or Shredded Wheat
Lunch: Something like a chicken roll sounds nice and healthy!
Dinner: I'll keep the same as it appears to be ok
Supper: I'm going to skip this one entirely as when I eat and go to bed I'm not burning it off. And I'm not actually starving at this time, could easily go without supper
Snack: Fruit

This morning for breakfast I ate 1 bowl of Shredded Wheat with no sugar.
I also noticed one thing, with those Wheat cereals (i.e. Weetabix, Shredded Wheat) you don't actually feel hungry for the second bowl like with the Rice Crispies, so I think I'll stick to that

Thanks for the awesome help guys!

Faith

I'd still recommend porridge for your breakfast. You can make it super tasty by adding things like fruit, cinnamon, raisins, brown sugar, honey... It's the best food you can eat and you will not be hungry again until lunchtime.

For lunch, if you're having a roll, try to ensure that it's a brown roll. White bread is the cocaine of food. It gives you a brief high and then a massive crash. There's no nutritional value in it and it's high in calories.

Good luck!

Fobia

overweight_14 wrote:

Just have two more simple questions

Does water make you fat at all? Can I drink as much water as I like and it would have no effects on my weight?

Also, somebody said above that Special K is a 'gimmick' and that its not as good as it is advertised to be. So what should I eat for breakfast? I like most cereals, and it will take me a while to 'wean' off the sugar, but I'm sure it will happen. But when choosing a cereal, I want to take into account that I am a school student and need energy and concentration etc

Water doesn't have any calories or fat so yes you can drink as much water as you like within reason. And as most people here will say, drink as much as you can! You'd need to be drinking a good 6 pints of water a day for it to become in any way bad I think..

Cereal: everyone is saying porridge, but you may not have the time in the morning to make it. One option is to have it almost ready the night before so you just need to heat it in the morning. But I think weetabix is fine in the morning really, just try and eat less sugar with it. Make sure not to eat less in the morning as part of your new routine, breakfast is the one thing you should never cut down on!

Steyr

3in1 take away? are you from Galway? I know of these 3in1's:D


i was 18stone last year im down to a healthy 12stone now, my secret is this....swimming & cycling.

My typical day is

8am bowl of special k

1pm ciabatta sandwich

5:45pm-7pm swimming ( mon-fri )

7:30pm cup of tea and banana sandwich.

8pm onwards NOTHING BUT WATER, I buy volvic 6pack water and will go through 3litres of that a day ( 1 when swimming and the other after 8pm )

I sill pig out but only a take away on sat nights after a night out and the cinema on saunday.

Take up swimming and cycling see how you go! Drink plenty of water. And Cycle everywhere.

LegacyUser

Thanks guys for the super advice

Nearly at the end of a new day, and I'd say today went pretty well

Breakfast: (9.00AM) A single bowl of Shredded Wheat with no sugar
Lunch: (1.40PM) Chips and Sausages (yes I know, I will improve this part)
Snack: (17.45PM) Big smoothie. Was very nice, strawberry, banana and low-fat yoghurt

Might not be the best, but I am pleased that its a good start. Will improve over time

And no, I don't live in Galway City

nobodythere

I was 16 stone when I was your age.

I'm not gonna do any commenting on your diet because that's really for the fitness forum and you know what's good and bad. I'm instead going to teach you the whole Zen of what I learned dropping 3 stone when I was 14, and while I'm not thin now, I never put back on that 3 stone. All this thinkin' might not seem all that useful right now but bear with me.

Learn basics of nutrition here: How calories work on howstuffworks.com . Forget the other bull, you're not a bodybuilder. Knowledge is essential but don't get bogged down.

Here's the Zen bit. Being active will make you a lot happier than you are now, and not because you'd be thin. There's just a fitness barrier to cross before it stops being a world of pain and starts being enjoyable. When you cross the barrier you'll know it, because you'll spend an hour playing some sport and when you finish you'll feel like life is fscking great! Weight loss needs to be secondary to this, a by-product of being active.

Be in harmony with it instead of having to constantly struggle against it. Those who choose to struggle against it are failing miserably. You go into a gym on a sunny day and everyone on the treadmill is overweight and exhausted looking. Go outside and watch people having fun and playing sports and you'll see the opposite. What's harder to be consistent at, enjoying something or fighting something?

Try to see that humans in their natural state are active creatures, and we are much happier this way. Since the industrial revolution we live false lives trying to maximise productivity and wealth and then try to account for our emptiness by tricking our bodies into exercise (running pointlessly like a hamster on a treadmill). It's a load of bull crap and it takes so much effort to deceive yourself that that makes you unhappy, makes you eat more to fill the void etc etc..... I guess that's for a different thread

You need patience as well. If you want this to happen over the next few weeks, it won't happen. And in a few weeks you'll make the same resolutions again, and it won't happen.

About that skin thing, you're not half fat enough for that to affect you. With regards to eating junk food, I PROMISE you that if you go off it for a few weeks (you'll have to go through sugar withdrawal, refined sugar is a bad-ass drug) you'll realise that it actually isn't that appealing, and most of it (especially fizzy drinks) tastes like utter crap. As I said, you just have to cross that barrier.

Good luck on your journey and may the Zen be with you

LegacyUser

i cant believe it you think 68.5 is overweight???
Im 13 and im hovering around the 80kg mark :O
Although i think it maybe muscle, i can lift my friend up and there like 40-50kg so i dunno
*sorry for hijacking the thread lol*

TerrorFirmer

Faith wrote:

White bread is the cocaine of food. It gives you a brief high and then a massive crash. There's no nutritional value in it and it's high in calories.

Not insulting you personally but I'm pretty sick of people portraying 'white' foods in this light. Sure, the brown option is healthier and more nutritious but there is nothing wrong either with eating white bread, pasta, etc and yeah there IS nutrional value in white bread, its pretty silly to say otherwise to be honest.

I eat brown but I also eat alot of white bread myself and surprisingly I'm in fine shape. As I said earlier, you don't want to get too involved in suddenly trying to implement a new regime. Trying to change too much, too soon will be more likely to lead to failure, or lapses.

You can eat white bread with your meal. Sugar in your cereal. A bar at lunch time. And still be in excellent shape. Its about moderation, knowing when to eat what, and control that matter most.

We can't all live perfectly, all of the time. Sure some of us chose to do so because we genuinely prefer it but most of us like our rewards and yields as well.

Anyway, yeah - good luck.

The_Minister

If you want to loose weight quickly, then I have the solution. Before, you have breakfast, go for a run. Even if its short, it will only be able to burn off stored fat, so you will tend to loose weight. Be sure to leave time for breakfast, and do not push too hard.

well loose it now rather than later as your at a good age to do it and it will be easier

go to the fitness forum and start a fitness log thread and ask advice

spacecoyote

just a little extra point, if you are going to start walking as your exercise, you should be walking at a pace of about 1mile/15 mins in order for it to be beneficial from a cardio point of view

littlesurfer

Please don't go on a diet at fourteen if you want my advice. Sorry. I was an overweight teenager....probably a bit heavier than yourself actually. My point is that i started a diet at your age and i've been on it since. My body shape has evened out over the years but i still have major food issues since your age.

I'm pretty sure that if i just tried to get a bit of excersize and cut out a bit of the crap with out the actual diet that i'd have a pretty great body now....instead of one thats been put through the mill. Over the years your body shape will change and even out! why not take up and extra sport, and maybe make one change, like bringing in your lunch,...its not that wierd.....lots of people don't buy their lunch every day ,and if you explain it to your friends they'll understand,....its definately the cooler way to be nowadays,.....i'm in work and all my friends have started bringing in packed super healthy food! You never know you might start a health revolution!

Talliesin

You say you're a fussy eater. I'd advise you to try lots of new foods, new cuisines, new ways of cooking foods you already like, things you didn't like years ago and therefore haven't tried since.

That way your options are a lot more open.

Beruthiel

overweight_14 wrote:

Does water make you fat at all? Can I drink as much water as I like and it would have no effects on my weight?

A note on water.
Drank in the correct quantities, it puts absolutely no weight on you whatsoever.
In fact, it's when you drink too little that it causes problems and you may gain weight through retention.
Your body is over 80% water, if you drink too little, your body will try to retain it for later use and this can make you feel bloated.
It's bad for you not to drink lots considering how much your body requires water, the more you drink of it the better you will feel, constant drinking of water will teach your body that it doesn't need to retain it for later use as there will be more coming later.

Water is your body's most important nutrient, is involved in every bodily function, and makes up 70- 75% of your total body weight. Water helps you to maintain body temperature, metabolize body fat, aids in digestion, lubricates and cushions organs, transports nutrients, and flushes toxins from your body.


Everyone should drink at least 64 ounces per day, and if you exercise or are overweight, even more. Your blood is approximately 90% water and is responsible for transporting nutrients and energy to muscles and for taking waste from tissues.


If you are not getting enough water, your body will react by pulling it from other places, including your blood. This causes the closing of some smaller vessels (capillaries), making your blood thicker, more susceptible to clotting, and harder to pump through your system. This can have serious implications in hypertension, high cholesterol, and heart disease. Recent studies have also linked the lack of water to headaches, arthritis, and heartburn.


Have you have ever gotten up in the morning feeling bloated, or tried on a ring or shoe that fit yesterday but is too tight to wear today? Chances are your body is trying to tell you something. If you have a problem with water retention, excess salt may be the cause. Your body will tolerate a certain amount of sodium, however, the more salt you consume, the more fluid you need to dilute it. To overcome this problem, always drink plenty of water.


What if I told you that being dehydrated promotes the increase of body fat? Water contributes to energy storage along with glycogen. Without water, extra amounts of glucose remain in the bloodstream until reaching the liver, the extra glucose is stored as fat. Your body takes water from inside cells in an effort to compensate for a dehydrated state, including fat cells. Less water in your fat cells means less mobilization of fat for energy.


One of the liver's primary functions is to metabolize stored fat into energy. The kidneys are responsible for filtering toxins, wastes, ingested water, and salts out of the bloodstream. If you are dehydrated, the kidneys cannot function properly, and the liver must work overtime to compensate. As a result, it metabolizes less fat. So remember, if you are trying to decrease the amount of fat on your body, drink plenty of water.


Luckily, water is a great natural appetite suppressant. There are three ways we get water into our bodies. We get it from the foods we eat, the fluids we drink, and as a by-product of metabolism. It is always better to drink pure water instead of soda, tea, or coffee. These products actually increase your need for fluids because most contain caffeine, which is a diuretic. Diuretics force out stored water along with certain essential nutrients.

greenkittie

The main problem im noticing is that everyone here seems to think "meat and potatoes" is a good dinner. Typical irish people. You need vegetables as well, remember potatoes don't count as one of your 5 a day.

littlesurfer

on the water thing....don't go overboard it can be really dangerous.....i've heard people who think it will fill them up and aid weight loss but it can seriously effect the salt and potassium levels in your blood. In excess it can cause medical problems. Stick to 1-2 litres a day, and then the benifits are huge....Your skin will be better, you loose weight quicker and you'll have ten times more energy!