Practical Advice
For healthy weight loss, try to lose 1-2 pounds a week. I’m wondering why the rush in losing 20 pounds in 2-3 months. This is probably what you don’t want to hear. I am here to support you. I have over 10 years of experience helping people, including teens, with weight control. Losing weight gradually helps to keep it off. Losing weight too rapidly may mess with your metabolism making it more difficult for you to keep the weight off. Plus, you’re young and still growing, so you want to make sure you’re eating a balanced diet and not depriving your body of the nutrients it needs to be healthy. Overall, think lifestyle change instead of diet. That will help with weight control over the long haul.
Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, low-fat dairy products, etc. Drink plenty of water (8-10 glasses a day). Start eating around 1500 calories a day. If you lose more than 2 pounds a week, increase your calories until you’re losing 1-2 pounds a week. If you aren’t losing 1-2 pounds a week, decrease your calories.
For exercise, do physical activities that you enjoy. Sports, biking, swimming, jogging, and walking are some ideas. If possible, have someone join you in that activity. If you need to exercise solo, you can get support from others through these forums. You can also “work in” physical activity. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. If you drive a car, park away from the building’s entrance for a little walk. If you take public transportation, get off the bus or subway a stop or two before your usual stop. These simple “working in” activities can help you burn more calories during the day. There are numerous posts on this forum about muscle building and toning exercises.
To help you get started, set small, manageable goals for yourself every week. Whatever you think you can reasonably do. For example, one weekly goal may be to walk 30 minutes 3 days a week. When you reach that goal, you can increase it if you feel ready. You can then walk 30 minutes 4 days a week or walk 45 minutes 3 days a week. Whatever works for you. If you don’t feel ready to increase your goal, you can do the same goal again for another week. Slowly building up your goals will help your exercise and eating habits to stick for the long haul. If you do too much in the beginning, you may think that exercising and eating healthy are too challenging and give up. Again, the goal is to make lifestyle changes instead of diet.
Best wishes in progressing with your weight control efforts.
