I'm fat, i think?!


Question: i am 15, 5'5", and weigh 140 pounds. i realize that, while this is still in healthy range, that it should probably be lower. i don't do any sports or anything, and i used to eat...more than necessary (3 normal sized meals, 1-2 snacks of about 100-200 calories).

now i have started seriously trying to lose weight, because i wish i looked better, for my own standards. i no longer eat between meals, and go for walks that are fairly fast paced (~3 mph) for 20 to 40 minutes almost every day. i also try to do calesthenics (push ups, sit ups, stretching, leg lifts, knee bends) for 10-20 minutes a day.

do you think this is a reasonable plan? i would like to lose at least 10 pounds, preferably 15 or even 20, by the beginning of the next school year, in mid august. if i stick with it, do you think it would work? what else could i do, other than taking up a scheduled sport?


Answers: i am 15, 5'5", and weigh 140 pounds. i realize that, while this is still in healthy range, that it should probably be lower. i don't do any sports or anything, and i used to eat...more than necessary (3 normal sized meals, 1-2 snacks of about 100-200 calories).

now i have started seriously trying to lose weight, because i wish i looked better, for my own standards. i no longer eat between meals, and go for walks that are fairly fast paced (~3 mph) for 20 to 40 minutes almost every day. i also try to do calesthenics (push ups, sit ups, stretching, leg lifts, knee bends) for 10-20 minutes a day.

do you think this is a reasonable plan? i would like to lose at least 10 pounds, preferably 15 or even 20, by the beginning of the next school year, in mid august. if i stick with it, do you think it would work? what else could i do, other than taking up a scheduled sport?

I did the same exact thing about a year ago when I was about the same height/weight/age, trying to lose weight.
I think your plan will work perfectly, my only difference with my plan was (1), I ran instead of walked, which you could gradually start to do, mostly because running will burn more calories, and (2) I filled my diet with tons of fruits and vegetables so that I was still eating normal sized meals, but with way less calories, since fruits/veggies are so low in calories.
It's a very reasonable plan, plus with the summer coming up, you'll have lots of opportunities to be outside and active!
Good luck! I understand exactly where you're coming from and respect your goal!

stay at that weight. since you are only 15, you can harm yourself in a lot of ways if you lose weight. you are at a good weight, just love yourself for who you are.

Whatever u d i do not suggest diet pills

You're too focused on pounds and I'll tell you that losing 20 pounds at your age and height is really being unrealistic.

Stop listening to what the media says you need to look like because that's just stupid. You're already at a healthy weight and trying to lose an arbitrary 20 pounds just means you're going to fail and feel bad about yourself later.

You should figure out your body fat%. There are methods that while not being totally accurate will give you a good understanding of where you are and what you can lose. This is really the only way you can know if your weight loss goals are realistic or not. After all "weight loss" doesn't always mean "fat loss".

So let's for the sake of argument say you have 27% bf which is an acceptable number for a woman of your age. This means that since you weigh 140 pounds, you're carrying around 37.8 pounds of fat. This means your lean body mass is 102.2 pounds.

Your goal is to lose 20 pounds of fat, so you're now 120 pounds and carrying 17.8 pounds of fat. Your bf% is 14.8. According to the body fat scale this would put you in the realm of an elite athlete that has taken off as much weight as she humanly can. Any less than this amount and you're risking complications.

That of course would take time, an iron will and discipline that most people don't have. Of course you'd have to maintain your muscles as well during this period or else you'd be losing as much muscle as body fat and wind up looking a little shrunken.

You should aim for a bf% of between 18 - 23%. This puts you somewhere between athletic and fit.





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