Okay so I am a teenage girl, so of course I am upset with my weight. I'm not anorexic or anything, nor am I stressing about a few vanity pounds. I have a gut. There I said it. I'm not obese or anything, but my goal is to lose 30 pounds by my birthday, which is June 16th. I'm trying a lot of things, but what I need is some good, solid advice. It pains me everyday to go to school and see these girls with perfectly shaped bodies and flat stomachs...it makes me want to cry sometimes. I especially hate summer, when everyone is busting out their two piece swimsuits and I'm stuck in my fugly one piece. Someone please help me! I want to get out of size 7 pants and into a modest, good-looking two piece swimsuit by the time my birthday rolls around.

This was from quite a while ago, I hope everything is going well for you.

I lost some weight a few years ago and all I did was exercise and cut out a few things from my diet that I knew weren't helping me- soda, cheese, and candy.

Exercising is really the best thing if you are just trying to tone up (I think that's probably what you are talking about... you said you were a size 7!! ) Just adding a little extra movement to your daily routine helps out a lot. For example, I do leg lifts while I brush my teeth. It seems silly, but think about it- If you brush your teeth after every meal, or even just the twice a day that they are recommending on commercials now, it really adds up. You get 6-15 minutes worth of extra movement everyday.

I also do other little things like try to walk up and down the stairs as much as possible. Or if I need to use the bathroom I always walk to the one that is farthest away from where I am. Silly little things, but they do add up.

Two pieces of advise: Eat less, Move more.

Sounds too easy, but it works. The eat less part is aided by a trick that is so simple it scares you. Before each meal, simply drink a large glass of water. It helps to 'fill' the stomach so the body' inherent controls' stop making you eat. Also, while you eat, be sure to chew lots and do not 'gulp down' your food. There is a time lag for the body being able to know when you are full, and slow chewing of moderate or small bites lets the body catch up to the indicators which tell it when you are full.

As to the 'move more' part, walking to the corner store, using a bike for short trips to a friend's house, helping out around the yard / house by raking leaves, shovelling snow are all small things which can help you move around and burn off some calories. If possible, take a regular break from Homework to walk the dog or just walk around the block a couple of times. Use stairs instead of elevators if they are in your daily pattern. Take up a sport even something like Badminton will burn away pounds quickly. If you take a Bus to school or work, don't walk to the closest Bus stop to catch the bus, leave 10 minutes early and walk to the second or third closest transfer point and likewise on the return trip, get off a couple of stops away and walk home from there.
If you are genuinely keen on the weight thing, develop a life-style which is healthier for you by including these suggestions and it'll happen before you know it.

http://sparkpeople.com
Just exercise more and only eat when you're hungry. Make sure what you do eat is healthy! You could always go see a doctor or something...

good luck though.. I've been dieting for like 4 years since I was about 12 and it's so sucky.

The most important thing though is that you feel comfortable with yourself. I mean I'm overweight and I have days where I really really wish I was thinner but I'm not crazily self-concious about my weight all the time you know?

HI IM 13 YEARS OLD AND I AM JUST BEFORE 9 STONE BUT DONT LOOK THAT BIG . I AM TRYING TO LOOSE WEIGHT FOR MY HOLIDAY WHICH IS IN THE LAST WEEK OF JULY. DOES ANY 1 KNOW ANY SUGGESTIONS TO HELP ?

Read this: http://www.trap17.com/forums/losing-weight-t33090.html

Refrain from using all caps. And search the forum before making a redundant topic.

Merging with link mentioned above.

Best way to lose weight is to increase your metabolism. There are plenty of healthy foods out there that help increase your metabolism, while providing essential vitamins and minerals. If you've been eating pretty much the same thing everyday, which you think will help you lose weight, just gotta say, that it'll just make you add on weight after a while. You have to mix it up. Different food groups, but most importantly cut down on fats. If you eat meat, go for lean. Actually, eat one serving. One serving of any meat is about the size of a deck of cards. And I'm talking about 2-3 times a week, for meat. Go for low-fat foods. It's better to eat several small meals a day than a few large meals a day. Doing so also helps increase your metabolism, cause you barely give it a chance to "shutdown". But, what i mean by meals i don't mean anything. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, cause it breaks your fasting. During "brunch", have a snack, nothing fatty or sugary. Then at lunch time, have lunch. Then between lunch and dinner, have another snack. Then at dinner time, have dinner. Remember to cut down on fats, but don't eliminate fat. The body needs fat to survive also. As for carbohydrates, they're not bad for you. Only if you don't use them. This is where exercise comes in. Hope this information helps.

Heh, forgot to mention, no soft drinks!

This post has been edited by truefusion: Mar 29 2006, 01:49 AM

Hi Brandice!
Good luck with your goal. I think you can do it, even though it will take time. My suggestions aren't very different from the others. This is because there are no magical formula to losing weight. Some of the diets may work, but it's not easy to follow a regimen of food that you don't like. I suggest you eat healthy food that you like, in moderation, and exercise more. If you feel like you're eating too much, or that you're eating but you're not hungry, just stop. You also have to make a conscious effort to exercise everyday. That means setting aside 30-60 minutes a day doing an activity that increases your heart rate. Power walking and biking worked well for me.
One of the most important thing about losing weight though is that you have to love your body. By loving your body, you will learn to recognize what is healthy for your body and do what is best for it.

This post has been edited by Kim: Mar 29 2006, 03:20 AM