Hey guys. im a little chubby at just around 169 lb according to a convertor. i am overweight for my age (13) and want to lose weight. i have started to eat healthier but was wondering on any dieting tips and what i should eat. i dont want a crash diet. also i live 10 mins away from a gym so i can cycle there instead of taking a car. i swim 2-3 times a week, skate twice a week for 1.5 hours. i cycle and play tennis 2-3 times a week. i do cardio tennis which is the most amazing thing ever. in the period of 45 mins i lost 400 calories which i find amazing. i am 77kg for those of you that like kilos. however i just failed my bronze freestyle yesterday, UK and i am quite sad. i was wondering if any of you have anything that would help in getting flexibility such as stretches or anything else, any products that arent too expeinsive. i want to be able to lose 15-30 lb's by the end of this year or maybe 15-20 kilos which would be better. i am 165-67 cm's tall last time i checked around 5ft 4" or something there abouts. i can try to skate more per week but at £4 a ticket i think its overexpensive. (sneak in maybe) lol haha. any tips on a three jump, spiral and bunny hop drag? thanks. i have the time to do enough exercise per day. 5 hours once i get home and all day in the weekend just about. also, my feet hurt abit whilst on the ice, any causes for this? thanks
-Yui-

PS: this forum rules and ive never seen anything like it.
PPS: remember this forum will always rule.
PPPS: i am 13, 169 lbs or 77 kg's 165-167 cm high or 5ft 4" and i have no money, just £40 on a prepaid master card.


Thanks ~Yui

Hi, Yui! It sounds like you are already starting to create good habits for yourself! If you cycle for at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days per week, you should start to lose weight after a month or so (maybe sooner). As for diet, don't start on any diet that is difficult for you to maintain because you'll just end up giving up on it (which is what happens to almost everyone with every diet). Instead, make small changes that are reasonable, so that you don't feel deprived and tortured.
I like the "no white food" diet. Nothing made with white flour, white sugar or corn syrup, and only foods that use the complete grain or vegetable. In other words, no white bread, white rice, white pasta, potato chips, french fries, etc. Instead, you eat only whole grains (like whole wheat bread, brown rice, buckwheat noodles, whole potato with skin, etc.) and things sweetened with an unprocessed sweetener such as fruit juice, cane juice, molasses or honey. You can eat cookies and other sweets as long as they are made from whole grain flour and one of these natural sweeteners. It is healthier, and most importantly, it prevents you from eating ANY fast food and junk food, since all junk food is made with these processed "white" flours and sweeteners.
Don't worry about how much you eat, just focus on WHAT you eat. This is a diet you can continue for the rest of your life without feeling deprived, since you can really eat anything you want as long as it uses natural sweeteners like honey, cane juice or fruit juice, and uses whole grains (popcorn is fine, too, since you eat the entire corn kernel!). You just need to plan your meals a little more.
Also, here is a good source for stretches: http://www.cmcrossroads.com/bradapp/...etching_7.html
Always stretch right after exercising, when your muscles are warm.
P.S. I am 166 cm. and that's 5'5-1/2" so it sounds like you are about the same.

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

Hi, Yui,

Basically if you just cut out junk food, you should be fine. Or don't even cut it out completely, but save it for real treats. So keep sweets, crisps (and similar, like Doritos and Monster Munch), biscuits and doughnuts to a minimum - have fruit, instead. Or veggie sticks (carrots, courgettes, celery, peppers) with a thing of hummus to dip them into.

Enlist the help of whoever prepares the food in your house, and explain what you're aiming for. Probably all you need to is ask for some extra vegetables with your evening meal, so that you have slightly more veg, and slightly less potatoes/pasta/rice (do have some, though - probably 1/4 to 1/3 of your plate should be starchy carbs). Try to have fruit-based puds rather than cream-based most days.

But don't fuss too much - you're still growing, and will probably "grow out" of being slightly chubby, especially if you keep on playing tennis, cycling and skating!

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Thanks for that advice. Hmm that should help. ill look through my stuff at home and pick out what takes my fancy.ill make sure to cycle about 30-60 mins per day. i usually stretch and im gonna start working towards my splits. i think that i do watch what i eat but when you see the variety infront of you then it goes all wobbly. however this advert is the best ive seen for cool weight loss. cant find the video, but it has a woman that passes a man with tortitlla doritos which she fancies, just when she's about to put her hand forward the guy turns into the devil, she then moves on, then she passes a woman with fatty choclate custard cream pastries and the woman then turns into the witch. she then goes to her desk and has a 90 cals special k mini breaks snack. and she is a happy woman.

EDIT To anna: i dont eat crisps alot now and looking at a doughnut makes me shiver after finding out it takes a 4 mile walk to burn off the cals gained. i rarely have a pudding and if it is its usually a muller corner fruit. at school i usualy have a sandiwhich or a salad which i buy, orange juice with bits and maybe a yogughrt. i do usually have pasta or rice and i have veggies and fruit every day of the week. i love nibbling on carrots and occasionaly a courget. last time i had a burger was on saturday and that was the first time for two years or something. but that was after a swimming gala and my dad gave me a treat

I think at your age, if you're active and watch junk food, that should be enough. A lot of teens or even young adults grow out of it at some point. The worst thing you could possibly do is overexercise and/or starve yourself.

Also, depending on your build, weight can vary greatly. You can have two people who are the same height and weight (let's use 5'4 and 150 pounds as an example). One person with a smaller frame or not a lot of muscle mass at that height/weight may look chubby. Another person who is athletic and has a lot of muscle mass may look like an athlete. Don't go by what a scale says, go by how you feel when you look in the mirror, how you feel when you exercise, and if you can, get your body fat percentage tested. The scale also may not be a good indicator of progress--a pound of muscle takes up much less room than a pound of fat, and if you lose 2 pounds of fat but put on a pound of muscle, it'll only show 1 pound of difference. (There is NOTHING wrong with putting on muscle, even if you're female...you don't have the hormones to bulk up and look manly.)

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2010-2011 goals:
Pass Junior MIF test
Don't break anything

Yes, RachelSk8r is right. Muscle is good and it weighs more than fat. So measure your waist and hips once a week to keep track of your fat loss, but throw away the scale and stop counting calories. It will just make you obsessive (I think a lot of us have been there and can attest to that!). It's all about forming long-term habits that make you NOT crave those Doritos (or even consider them food, LOL!) and it's also about raising your metabolism through aerobic exercise like the bike riding (which makes your body burn more calories for the next 24 hours, even while you're just sitting at your desk!).

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

YAY im so happy. in one week of eating healthily i lost 2lb or 1kg. i will not obsess and will not count calories

Yay!! Good for you! (or should I say "Good for Yui" LOL!)

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

Hi Yui

Keep up the good work!!!! Let us know about your progress.

londonicechamp

You should not lose more in a week than that.

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2010-2011 goals:
Pass Junior MIF test
Don't break anything

You are 13 years old and you should be consuming quite a bit of calories to allow for puberty and your activities. But as long as you follow a healthy eating plan, cut back on junk & fat you should be doing good without going crazy counting calories. What some people like to do is eat really good 90% of the time and "cheat" 10% of the time; what this means is plan for a few cheat meals (not days) where you can eat whatever you want at that meal (including dessert).

So far it sounds like you are on the right track!

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

I know the healthy way to lose weight is only to lose 2lb's per week or you gain it back most of the time. i am not counting calories but i do sometimes cheat the system i only check the scales once a week. but i try to lose weight so i can do better at sports and to look better. i get laughed at sometimes and it just horrible. i feel embarrassed walking around town or going to play sports. its like when i fall i think they are all going to go and laugh at me. it just feels horrible. i was bullied for 3-4 years because of being fat/chubby and for those of you that have its horrible.

Yui- have you talked to a doctor about weight loss?

At your age, you can't really take tips of the internet. You are in a very important stage of growth and development, and most internet tips are for adults who are past that stage.

If you "diet" you need to be very sure you are getting the proper nutrients still- it can be very challenging to do. A physician or nutritionalist would be able to guide you with what is appropriate for your age.

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-Jessi
What I need is a montage...
Visit my skating journal or my Youtube videos (updated with 2 new videos Sept 26, 2009)

Hmm good point. In my terms, the diet i am on is just eating healthier. i am still eating meat eggs and so on. but i dont eat things like chocolate, crisps or anything fatty. i am not going on a strict diet like weightwatchers or anything else. im not cutting out essential things out my life, just starting to have my 5 a day and eating better. according to a chart that was in my doctors surgery, i am well over the healthy weight for my height. i have a 36" waist and am embarrassed when buying clothes. i want to go back to 30" or so. which i used to have. but i will think about it. thanks for the help though.

No, what you said about the healthy way to lose weight is 2 pounds a week or you gain it back isn't true. Not by any means. I really think you need to talk to you doctor about this, it seems like you have a little misinformation. Your doc will be able to give you the best advice about how to lose weight. It's fine to ask for general advice here, but seeing as you're so young, it's really best to talk to your doc.

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"Where are we going and why are we in this handbasket?"

Sure, but most of the time, diets lead you to only lose 2lb a week since its not too fast or slow. i will book with my doctor and see. however if you lose 30lb a week (over exaggeration) its not going to be the healthiest thing ever is it. you'll eventually gain it back. ill speak with my doctor and see.

Defintiely speak with your doctor. The 2 pounds a week isn't accurate and like I said, your doctor is really the only one who should be advising you since you're a young teenager and they will give you the best advise.

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"Where are we going and why are we in this handbasket?"

I think that you sound like you are right on track, and sound like you are handling this very well. I am impressed with how responsible you sound for your age and how keen you are to do things healthily Way to go!

I think as far as stretching goes, it is not necessary to buy any flexibility products. Here is my advice about stretching:

- WARM UP! Very important - stretching is not a sufficient warm up in itself. The body must warm up to loosen the muscles because the colder your muscles are, the harder it'll be to stretch them. Also, cold muscles are prone to injury. You could do some light jogging on the spot or star jumps. Or simply circling each of the major joints.

- don't force or bounce stretches. Stretching gently but holding a stretch, resting and then repeating is sufficient to improve. It is commitment to a stretching routine which will help you to become more flexible.

It sounds like you do a good variety of exercise! Excellent!

UPDATE: After trying out an "unhealthy" approach i now know what is bad. so in the last week i gained a kilo as a tester. now im gonna start losing it again. hehehe

You are still going through puberty, you should expect to see a growth spurt soon, so be sure you are eating very healthy. The less junk you eat the better your growth (especially height) will be. And the healthier. I'm talking about hair, skin, muscles, nerves, etc. The whole package. If you need help, ask your doctor for a referral to a dietician; this person can help guide you in your menu planning and food decisions. These decisions can stick with you for the rest of the live-so much better if you make healthy choices.

Good luck!

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

I'll echo what everyone said about checking with your doctor, especially as you're still growing. That said, the exercise is likely to be a good idea, and biking is great for weight loss/control--but not so much for flexibility. Don't know what the UK bike magazines are like, but in the US they are full of eating tips and exercise tips. If you're on a limited budget, see if your local library has a subscription (and suggest it if they don't).

Cycling is a great means of exercising, just throw in some weight-bearing exercise. Recent research show that cycling (I'm talking about cyclists that race and go the long term) lose bone mass). I'm sure if you skate enough that will more than compensate for that!

cycling is fun in the summer (although I'm not that big a fan of it-too many dogs tend to give chase and I can't go fast enough to out run).

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

My somewhat dated Ace Fitness Manual (used to train fitness instructors) said people can't burn more than .1 pounds/day of fat (.7 pounds/week). If you lose faster, you are mostly burning muscle instead of fat, and your strength/weight ratio (which helps determine how well you can jump and stabilize balance) probably goes down. Not a great idea, athletically speaking. Unsafe if you lose too much, because some of the muscle will be from your heart and around your lungs.

In addition, if you go back to an earlier weight too quickly, the remaining fat will probably cluster around your waist and your behind (not sure why), so you won't really be as thin as you used to be. Of course, then you can use strength training to get your fat/muscle ratio right, but with less muscle to begin with, that will go slowly, and (since muscle tone burns calories) it will be very easy to regain the weight. It is supposed to make sense to go more slowly, and augment the diet with exercise, including strength training, to keep more of the muscle.

At least that is what the book said, as I recall.

I've only been trying to lose .5 pounds/week, to be on the safe side, and sometimes I give in and lose a week. Have lost about 24 pounds. Another 11 to go to get back to college weight.

BTW, expect weight to vary a few pounds / day, unless you weigh yourself in the morning after using the toilet and before eating or drinking anything. Even then it may vary somewhat because different types of food take different amounts of time to work their way through your system - you have to look at long term trends, rather than expect to lose an exact amount every day.

A lot of skaters, dancers, gymnists and such try to lose too much weight. A few get sick or die. A lot of this diet and exercise thing seems to vary by individual. Hope your doctor helps you decide what is safe. (Most doctors are totally overweight and unhealthy, work really long hours, etc. But they know what is healthy, and can help.)

BTW, People will laugh at you whether you look "right" or not. It's part of life, and you can just laugh with them and enjoy it. Laughter is beautiful. If you laugh enough, you will be beautiful, regardless of anything else. Falling isn't bad either - done right, it's a fairly safe way to avoid injuring yourself by fighting the fall too hard. If they laugh when you fall, have fun practicing a few gentle falls on purpose, with a smile on your face.

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Mitch Grunes ModifyingBoots FallingGently HomePage

Most people find they lose a lot of weight at first (anywhere from 2-10 pounds per week have been documented at the gym I used to work at), which is always very encouraging. It is a combination of many factors, from water loss to a super slow metabolism revving up. Then, as things equalize, it slows down. This is when the person enters "the danger zone" when the needle on the scale doesn't budge as quicky as it did in the beginning, they become frustrated and discouraged.

At this point (infamous plateau), instead of giving up....the person really needs to step it up to the next level. This happens because their body has adapted to this new level of fitness and eating. They are becoming more fit, healthier and stronger. More efficient.

It takes about 1-4 weeks before things start rolling again, but the next phase is worth it. We would change out their workouts every 4-6 weeks, just to keep plateaus from happening. And keep people off the scales, but do measurements and body fat measurements instead. Stepping on the scale can be discouraging, when you start gaining muscle...which tends to freak people out, instead you go by how your clothes fit and how you feel.

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

That helps since when i weighed myself i expected it to be a smaller number by 1kg or something, but it went up one again but now my trousers with a belt on fall off. the belt is on its tightest. whats most frustrating is my jeans