The Scale Isn't Moving!

United States
October 5, 2011 10:09pm CST
So i'm 16 and i am concerned about losing weight because i think im pretty unhealthy cause apparently im 5 feet 1 inches and a half and 180lbs. and i think im supposed to be 110 i dont know . but i need help, i need advice PLEASE TELL ME ANYTHING!!! and i'll do it i don't care what it is unless it's one of those crazy extremely bad diets that will cause you to starve (that is not what im doing) but anything else will be good. PLEASE REPLY!!! Thank You :)
6 people like this
41 responses
• Netherlands
6 Oct 11
I´ve read a trick to lost weight really quick. It´s my drinking water only. Stop drinking other things. But that´s not all. Everytime when you get hungry you just have to drink water. You should eat once a day. Yes, you will feel bad. But the good news is that you can see succes in two weeks. It´s really strange but when you´re hungry and you drink some water your hunger will dissapear. This can be dangerous as well since everybody needs enough food. Think about this one meal a day. I think you should take the breakfast since it´s the most important meal of the day. Another thing: You should eat healthy things only. Stop eating delicious things like crisps or fried stuff. Some meat is alright. Meat is important for your body as well.
2 people like this
@Iram786 (498)
6 Oct 11
Eating one meal a day is really unhealthy and you may lose a few pounds but your body will go into starvation mode very quickly and it'll be very hard to lose the weight. Losing as much weight as you want to will require a few months hard work so if only eat a meal a day, that's very good for you and you'll end feeling really weak and sick so I don't recommend that. You just need to control what you're eating. I also recommend that you lay off the fizzy drinks (if you drink them) because even though they say they have low calories, it's just carbs and excess carbs always get stored as fats. So beware! :)
1 person likes this
• United States
7 Oct 11
@bartje01: Okay dude thanks for the reply and all but i dont wanna die at a young age . and i've read articles about doing crazy things like that and people gained all their weight plus more after using a tactic like this because of how drastic it is on your body so yeah i'll pass but thanks anyway :)
2 people like this
• United States
7 Oct 11
This person says that they are 16 years old. Everybody needs calcium to maintain healthy bones and muscles, but teenagers bodies are still growing and developing, so they definitely need the calcium and other nutrients for good health. If they do not have it now to establish a good foundation for the rest of their lives, then they may have health problems a lot earlier than most people.
1 person likes this
• United States
7 Oct 11
There are some responses here that give some very good advice, and others that give some really bad advice. There are basics that most people need, but even adults have special dietary needs as not everybody has the same body chemistry and metabolism, so what might work for some will not work for others. Teenagers bodies are still growing and developing, and they have specific dietary needs that will help their bodies develop properly to help maintain their health and give them a strong foundation for the rest of their lives. I really think that you should talk with a doctor, preferably a pediatrician, and possibly even a nutritionist before making any drastic changes to your diet. Having said that, cutting down on sugary foods, unhealthy snacks, fried foods, etc. is always a good start and recommended for pretty much anybody. Increasing exercise is also good, but the amount and frequency of the exercise varies from person to person, which is why a doctor should be consulted. Trying to do too vigorous and/or too much exercise too early could result in injury, which would be counter-productive to losing weight.
2 people like this
• Philippines
7 Oct 11
How right you are. When someone embarks on the task of losing weight, it is best to remember that one is not going on a hunger strike nor is one subjecting the body on those gruelling exercises. Losing weight takes time. It takes time to melt the stored fats which had been accumulated through so many years of wrong eating habits. Thus it is only logical that it will also take some years to totally shed those unwanted fats off. Dieting never means subjecting oneself to hunger strikes. Instead, it means eating the right foods at the right amounts so the ingested food will surely get properly used by the one who consumed that food. I have learned that taking warm fruit juices and ginger (salabat) concoction will also help greatly. So I am now taking warm calamansi, lemonade, pineapple, salabat with calamansi juices as supplements to my daily food intake. Dieters call these items as negative calories because, they help greatly in getting the fats dissolved. All those foods like the bottled softdrinks, sitserias, and the like, are all crushed from my food list for eternity.
1 person likes this
@urbandekay (18278)
7 Oct 11
First unless you are doing at least half an hour of exercise that leaves you breathless and sweating at least 3 times a week, forget it all other efforts will be in vain. Start the day with porridge, add 200 mil of boiling water to a pan then add 100gms of rolled oats, boil and stir. At lunch and dinner time eat fruit but avoid bananas, vegetables, fish particularly oily fish like Mackerel, include beans for protein and take no meat. Aim to loose weight slowly, that way it is more likely to stay off. Work at increasing the length and frequency of your exercise. Good luck all the best urban
2 people like this
@ShepherdSpy (8544)
• Omagh, Northern Ireland
7 Oct 11
If You're not sure how overweight you are or what a healthy weight for your size is,work out what your BMI is...it's a ratio calculation between your height and weight.The sites explaining BMI will tell you what a good result is and what's not good...all you need to work it out is your height in m. And your weight in kg. Don't think of diets as a bad thing...what you eat is your diet...you've got to eat...you just need to make a few adjustments to get it right..unless there's some medical problem you have,so long as you're not overeating and getting regular exercise to tone up your body,you will lose weight...I don't know what your favourite foods are,but cut out colas and energy drinks if you like them and drink water instead...that alone will make a difference... good luck!
• India
7 Oct 11
look i may not be a expert dietician to talk u thru but i have also been through same problems in my childhood and other children use to tease me about my obese ness and i used to get depressed .But as i progressed in my grades in school and developed analytivcal thinking i began to find the root cause of the probelm and it was so simple that i was ignoring it from the bigning.Remember that our body digest foods to provide energy to our body machinery its just like we burn coal in the train engines to provide more steam which could drive the train more faster,But the problem comes whwn we dont do enough physical activity and end up siting and eating in the home.This is the root cause of my problem then i basically identified which products i like and which of these have high calorific and fat content ,to my astonishment i came to know that almost all things that i like had high fat content potato,butter,white breadtec.Then i cut short thses from my eating regime and saw a drastic change inside me ,Now i am happier than ever and it looks and feels great to me .so just analyse what i your likng and the fat content it has u would yourself get a answer that htese are my problem areas and i need to improve upon them so as to bring a overall development chao and take care
• Philippines
7 Oct 11
If you really wanna lose weight, well you could start with the food you eat. You don't really have to go on a diet because dieting could be dangerous. Start by choosing foods that does not have much calories or fats in it. You could also go on exercise. You don't really have to go to the gym. Even jogging will do. Do you have any sport that you like? That can also help. You can go play badminton or whatsoever your sport is.
2 people like this
@ravinskye (8237)
• United States
6 Oct 11
When I was trying to lose weight I didn't Weight Watchers. Is there any way your parents would help you pay for that? You can attend meetings and it's nice to have the support of other people. You might even find a work out buddy. If meetings aren't an option, you can join just the online part of weight watchers which tells you about your points and gives you lots of tips and other resources. Basically you just have to cut back what you eat but still eat, and exercise. Sometimes stuff you are eating you wouldn't realize how bad for you it is.
2 people like this
@laydee (12798)
• Philippines
7 Oct 11
I'd say just move a lot. Do more activities like walking, running up and down the stairs, reaching things instead of asking people to get them for you, walk around instead of just sitting infront of your television or pc all day, etc. You could also do some sports at least 2 or 3 times a week. That'll be fine. Everything that goes into your mouth needs to be burned, if you want to eat more, you need to burn more. Nothing beats activities like sports, games, and a lot of walking! Have a great MyLot experience ahead!
2 people like this
@Iram786 (498)
6 Oct 11
I'm sort of in the same situation as you except I'm 17 and I'm not exactly overweight but I will be if I don't watch what I'm eating. So I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this post. I don't really have much for you but here are a few things that I've learned/heard: try and drink as much water as you can! it's very important. Not only will it make your skin and hair healthier but if you don't get enough water you dehydrate and it actually lowers your metabolism so losing weight will be harder. Try and drink 8 glasses a day which is hard of course but even 6 glasses will do. Try not to snack, I know a lot of diets say that you should have snacks throughout the day but I've seen a few doctors and they've told me the best way to lose weight would be to eat your 3 meals a day and exercise and don't eat any snacks. Which also takes me on to another point. 95% of your weight will be lost due to your eating habits, exercise only affects like 5% of weight loss. So you honestly don't need to be exercising really intensely because as long as you're cutting down on your food, exercising won't really matter, you'll still lose weight. Of course, exercising is generally good for your body and you should exercise for at least 1 hour a day, whether it's walking to school or jogging outside. And it's really useful to exercise to tone up your body because the last thing you want is to lose all the weight and be like a UK size 8 (which is really thin) but still have really flabby bits. lol. Good luck :)
2 people like this
@eurekafemme (5877)
• Philippines
7 Oct 11
Don't starve yourself, that is a no-no because when you do you will only eat even more than what you have missed. What I can tell you is to eat more fruits and vegetable and carbo rich foods. They don't build fats in the body but they are also healthy and would make you feel leaner.There are certain fats that shouldn't be avoided because they are good for losing weight. Try to do research. Sigh... you are lucky. You are not fat. I wish I'll gain weight...
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
7 Oct 11
One thing that you definitely need to do is to increase your activity level. Just making the choice to park farther away from the store is a good start. Get out and ride a bike for twenty minutes a day, play Wii or anything like that will help you to burn more calories. Another thing that has worked well for me is to eat several small meals throughout the day as opposed to just three large meals during the day.
2 people like this
• United States
6 Oct 11
Hi, There are soooo many diets out there. You really need to find a life changing way of eating that is healthy yet easy for you. Everyone's body is so different so One diet that works for one person may not work for you at all. So many variables that can play a part. Your lifestyle? How often do you Exercise? How much you sleep? Do you overeat or just eat when you really are not hungry? What types of foods are you eating? How many meals a day? What types of foods you eat before you go to bed? How much water are you drinking in a day. (your urine should be clear looking) Also keep in mind it could be a medical problem that only a Dr. can assist you with fixing as well. ( simple blood test can rule this out ) You really have to find a diet that will WORK for you!! If it is a diet that is really hard for you to stick to - then it may not work because eventually you are going to just get to frustrated with it. This is what worked for me and I will share it. However it is just a suggestion for you to try. 1. I started eating low fat foods. Not all but little by little. 2. I started leaving just one bite of food on my plate. 3. I also started to do a routine exercise daily. Then little by little I increased my low fat foods. and started leaving 2 bites then 3 etc.... and increased my time of exercising week by week. Also if you start to feel hungry before your next meal (try more filling foods) and drink lots of water!! especially before you eat a meal. Hope this works for you!
2 people like this
@HeartROB (434)
• Philippines
6 Oct 11
I think eating properly what you're body needs not exceeding what your body demands is the best thing to do. At first, eating properly will really make you feel that you are not eating enough because of what your body has been experiencing from the previous eating habits that you have which is exceeding the demand of your body needs. Therefore, discipline is the best on gaining or decreasing on your proper weight. If you eat more do more activities. Eat less, less activity. Just do the proportions of eating and activity and by doing that i think you will surely achieve what you want. Have a balance diet my friend.
• United States
6 Oct 11
i have never understood weight loss my weight fluctuates constantly and it seems like when i try to exercise and lose weight i end up doing nothing but gaining so i have found that when i am stressed i gain weight so i just try to stay away from as much stress as possable good luck
2 people like this
• Philippines
7 Oct 11
I dont know if you will still care to read what i have to say as i can see that you have already chosen the best response. Nonetheless, I will take my chance. Losing weight will never come easy. It requires a good load of discipline for it to be successful. I used to be more than 72 kilograms and now I weigh 56 to 58 kilograms. It took me more than 5 years to lose those extra and unwanted kilograms. Little by little, i reduced my food intake of those items which carry high calories, fats, salt...i believe that you know them all by now. I consume instead high fiber foods...mostly fruits and vegetables. So no hunger pangs did I have to go through. Warm fruit juices and light exercises which make you sweat, will greatly help. If you can take it well, reduce the rice consumption to one to three tablespoonfuls only per meal. Another thing, i never lump my food intake in three meals. I spread them over by as much as eating a little of everything every two to three hours. The body will have to be continuously active unless one is resting or sleeping. So when at home, do sorts of house chores, whatever else. Mobilizing the body burns the energy which has become stored fats through the years. Never stress yourself out. Do all these excercisng in easy to manage and in your own sweet time.
• United States
8 Oct 11
You have made excellent points. It does take time for the weight to accumulate, and therefore it makes sense that it will also take time for the weight to come off. I like how you say to make the changes little by little if necessary and do as much as you can without stressing out - that is great advice, especially since there are a lot of people that tend to eat more when they are stressed. When trying to lose weight, it is all about making lifestyle changes that will be sustainable for a good many years if not the rest of your life. Otherwise, once the weight is off, it will be too easy to put it right back on by going back to the old "bad habits" of eating the wrong foods and not exercising enough. Building and toning muscles takes time as well, but once the muscles are strong and healthy a person generally feels much better and has more energy and a stronger desire to do more physical things, which helps to keep the person active without it feeling like "work" or something that they have to force themselves to do.
1 person likes this
@zubirik (111)
• Philippines
8 Oct 11
Have a protein diet. Don't feed yourself too much with sweets and carbohydrate. While losing weight through eating make sure you can incorporate it with a cardiovascular exercises. Also, take water therapy seriously. If you feel the hunger and craving for food, just drink a glass of water and you'll be satisfied.
1 person likes this
@oldchem1 (8132)
8 Oct 11
Hi there, I know just how you feel. I am a LOT older than you - in fact I will be 61 in December. But last year I realised that my weight had piled on and I was almost 100lbs overweight. This was seriously damaging my health as well as making me look older and VERY ugly! I made the decision to sign up with Weight Watchers on the 11th of January this year and it was the best decision I have ever made. I have now lost 80 pounds and feel fantastic, I am determined to reach my goal by Christmas, and it has all been done by eating a healthy diet - I NEVER feel hungry! Good luck with your weight loss, remember slow and steady is the safest and best way to lose weight and to keep it off.
1 person likes this
• Philippines
8 Oct 11
I got the same problem as yours. I grow big when I was 12 years old but lose the pounds because of a whirlwind of high school activities. They key is to exercise and create movements. If you are going up a building by several floors up you can take the stairs. I have some office mates who during lunch break go up 12 floors and down. They managed to lose weight by a lot of pounds. Walking is also a good form of exercise, if you are going somewhere a couple of blocks away you can walk instead of taking a ride. If you are fond of riding the bicycle then do so since this is also a good form of exercise or swimming.
• United States
8 Oct 11
never let anyone make you feel pressure to be thin. I'm so happy to hear you say that you would never let yourself fall into an unhealthy lifestyle and starve yourself. I'm 19 years old and am dealing with the same things you are and in fact I'm 5'1 as well, in the past I've thought about starving myself and purging but the farthest I let myself go is starve myself for a month or so, it didn't last long and it was horrible. You are so strong to not go into that, because for many people it's very difficult to not feel those pressures to be extremely thin. It's all about exercising and eating healthy. I say start off with a half hour a day, that's all you really need, if you want you can even go up to a few hours a day if you enjoy it and get into the swing of it. I would suggest looking into finding a nutritionist to help you with what you eat. Also another thing, you said you're supposed to be 110, never think in those terms, everybody has a different body type that comes natural even when they are being healthy and it's unhealthy when you say oh, I have to be this exact weight. As long as you're healthy and happy never obsess over a weight you can't control.
1 person likes this
• Pakistan
8 Oct 11
having a proper diet and exercise is very important for a person who is losing weight.first of all u should know that a person dieting should have an intake of 1000 calories per day then u start losing weight.make a good diet chart of food that have less calories but can make ur tummy feel full.you have to avoid carbs ans lots of fruits.drink 10 to 12 glasses of water every day and have a proper breakfast, lunch and dinner and difinitely no snacks.check ur weight after every ten days , i use to lose a pound in 7 days but everybody's metabolism is different.u have a long waaaaaaay to go so maintaining ur diet plan is very important ,just cuz u lose a few pounds doesnt mean u can slack off ur diet plan at any point