I am too embarrassed to go to the doctor so please help?!
Question: I know it's not really embarrasing but I don't want anyone to know. You know they say you will lose weight if you eat less calories than you burn off? Well, is it possible that you can gain weight by eating less than you burn off. Like, if you don't eat enough? I keep gaining weight no matter how much or how little I eat. I am 16 years old and am 5'4 and weigh 104lbs. I exercise daily. How many calories should I eat to maintain? And how much so I can lose weight? Also, is it normal that I notice a big change in my body overnight. For example, a day when I eat less and exercise more, the next day I look so much thinner and a day when I eat what I want, i wake up a lot fatter! Am I just imagining it? No silly answers please (Danny C!)
Answers: I know it's not really embarrasing but I don't want anyone to know. You know they say you will lose weight if you eat less calories than you burn off? Well, is it possible that you can gain weight by eating less than you burn off. Like, if you don't eat enough? I keep gaining weight no matter how much or how little I eat. I am 16 years old and am 5'4 and weigh 104lbs. I exercise daily. How many calories should I eat to maintain? And how much so I can lose weight? Also, is it normal that I notice a big change in my body overnight. For example, a day when I eat less and exercise more, the next day I look so much thinner and a day when I eat what I want, i wake up a lot fatter! Am I just imagining it? No silly answers please (Danny C!)
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but when you restrict calories, your body goes into starvation mode. That causes your body to store anything you do eat as fat, in preparation for a long stretch of not enough food...
Since we're no longer living in the wild, wondering where our next meal will come from, this natural mechanism is no longer needed. However, our bodies haven't evolved enough for that to no longer be the case.
First, you need to understand that you don't need to lose weight. Height and weight has absolutely nothing to do with your health levels. I'm 5'9" and I weight 250. Sounds fat, right? Well, I'm a former body builder, have 8% body fat, and have a six-pack stomach. My wife is 5'6" and weighs 140. She's in great shape and has a very healthy 15% of body fat (which is perfect for women). So, you need to learn that you should watch your body composition, not your weight. If you're losing lean body mass and are gaining fat (like what happens when you don't eat enough), you can still be losing weight and think nothing is wrong.
Second, you're probably still growing and your body is continuously changing. While what you're seeing from day to day in the mirror is probably psychological, there is a lot going on that will cause you to look different as time goes on.
With that out of the way, here's what you really need to do:
1) Figure out your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). If you know your body fat percentage, use the Katch-McArdle formula. If not, the Harris-Benedict formula is fine, but it could under-estimate your requirements if you're skinny, and over-estimate your requirements if you really are overweight. My initial math came up with 1326 using the Harris-Benedict Formula.
2) Multiply your BMR by the amount of physical activity you currently do:
1.2 if you never exercise
1.375 if you exercise 1-3 days a week
1.55 if you exercise 3-5 times a week
1.725 if you exercise 6-7 times a week
1.9 if you exercise very hard, daily, or have a physically demanding job (probably not)
3) **NEVER EVER** eat fewer calories than the number you came up with in Step One. This is the number of calories your body needs to survive. Since you've probably been under eating, slowly increase your food (five small meals a day made up of high fiber, high protein, and only good fats, like those found in fish) until you are eating the calories you came up with in Step Two.
4) After a couple of weeks of eating what you need, reduce your caloric intake by no more than 20%, for four to six weeks. To be honest, you should never eat less than 80% of this number to prevent your body from going into starvation mode.
5) Then, start over with Step One, re-figure out your BMR, and eat the "Step Two" number for two weeks before going on to Step Four.
6) Cycle through this until you get your body fat into the mid-teens to low 20's, and keep it there for the rest of your life.
As to exercise, you should lift light weights (or do body weight exercises) three times a week, do cardio three times a week, and rest for one day of the week. This will help you build/maintain a solid foundation of lean body mass while burning unneeded fat.
My body fat estimates have been tailored for women. If you're a guy, first, I apologize. Second, you can get your body fat a little under 10% without too much worry. Women have extra fat in their bodies that they need to maintain in order to stay healthy.
Last, under no circumstances should you ever eat fewer than 1300 calories a day (for women) or 1500 calories a day (for men). This is dangerous and can have a very bad effect on your metabolism and health.
Good Luck!
well you are at a perfect weight, you dont need to lose it at all.
& I am the same way, it all depends on how much you eat the day before.
but you are very skinny and you would be hurting yourself if you lost anymore.
Diet and exercise do not affect your body that fast. You may be having some water retention which will make you feel bloated.
Just continue with exercise and a good fruits and veggie diet and be healthy. And if you are embarrassed to go to the doctor why would you want the other 800 million of us knowing your problem.ha
Why do you want to lose weight? You're actually underweight and need to gain some weight.
Please consider the possibility that you may have an eating disorder and talk to your parents or other adult such as a teacher or school counselor about this.
If I dont exercise I feel like I look fat even though its only been a day. If you want to loose weight keep exercising and dont starve your self eat six small meals a day. That will speed up your metabolism. Also eat lots of veggies and fruits.
You are still growing so of course you will gain weight.
It's just that your stomach and intestines are empty when you don't eat for a day, you're not thinner.
There's online calculators that can figure out how much you should eat.
first of all i think that the work diet in its context is meaningless... your body needs everything. you require sweets, sugars, salts, fats, so on and so on. we should all just eat everything in moderation thats all you should do in my personal opinion. exercise the way you see fit to do so. everyones body is so very different.just try to feel confident in yourself and im sure that you will be fine.
You certainly don't need to lose any weight. You just need to eat healthy, and find a sensible workout routine. Some people can use books (Body For Life), some people like home workouts (I love them!), and others need to go to a gym. Find what works for you, and find a friend to workout with you; it's always easier when someone is with you pushing you on!
Yes, if you continually eat a small portion of food, your body will slow down the digestion process in order to make the food last for an extended period of time. After a while, you might find yourself gaining weight because the body is storing fat to be slowly broken down. What you are doing is basically making your metabolism slow down.
If you are curious as to what amount of food someone of your body weight and type should be eating, try http://www.mypyramid.gov/. It shows you how much food an individual person should eat and the correct balance to maintain proper nutritional health. I have no idea why people keep faith in useless diets, when basic nutrition is the answer. For someone like you, it might seem like you are eating a lot of food per meal, but it is the right amount to properly regulate your body. If you do exercise as you say, then after a month or so, your body should be regulated where the amount of food you eat will not seem like a lot, since you will be burning it off evenly.
If you lose weight, you will be considered underweight. Being underweight can harm your body, so be careful. Exercising too much or eating not enough can make you age a LOT faster.
1) You are underweight for 5'4". Do Not lose weight. When I was 16 I was trying to gain weight and people would make fun of me because I was skinny.
2) You do need to burn more calories then you eat.
3) You probably have a high metabolism. What you eat may just burn off faster.
4) If you don't eat you send your body into starvation mode. That makes your body compensate for the lack of food.
5) Not eating along with other factors puts stress on your body. Stress also produces cortisone a hormone that produces fat.
6) Yes you are imagining the overnight weight gain.
7) I repeat you do not need to lose weight.