~ QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ~

Here is where we answer your questions about your weight and reaching your weight goal. Our site provides general health information only and cannot give medical advice.
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 Belly Fat - How to Lose It Fast

=> Hey..I am 16 years old and I have a stomach that I am not proud of. I weigh about 135 pounds. I feel ashamed when I am around my friends because they have a nice body. I also feel like the guys in my school think I am fat and that bothers me. My mom will not let me get a belly button ring until I lose the weight. The thing is I would LOVE to lose my stomach fat by April. I would really LOVE it if you could give me some tips on losing this ugly weight. Thank you

=> hey, well im 13 and im a little fat. I have a big stomach,and I dont like my body. Do you have any advise for me to lose the belly? please and thank you

 

Trying to lose weight or fat in one area of your body (spot reduction) doesn’t work. But, any exercise or weight loss will help your problem areas. Toning, or strengthening the muscles in a certain location (your stomach) can also help give your body a better overall appearance. The key to toning is REPETITION. Repetition of movement (exercise) tones and strengthens.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

1. Watch your plate. Check your food portions to make sure you aren't overeating. Take a look at more portion control tips and the Healthy Weight School to learn more about how to control your hunger.

2. Get moving. The simple act of walking more can make a big difference in your weight and overall appearance as well as reduce your stomach size! Try more fun activities like swimming, dancing, jumping rope, or playing sports at least 30 minutes a day.
Here are some activity ideas to try:
- Cardio Exercise.
- Physical Fitness.
- Increased Physical Activity.
- Exercise For The Cold.
- Exercise When Your Busy.

3. Exercise EVERYDAY. If you do that, you will notice your stomach size reducing. You are sure to get that belly button ring. Good Luck!


 Can You Be Healthy and Overweight at the Same Time

=> Just because I`m overweight/obese doesn`t mean that I have high blood pressure and heart beat per minute right? The doctors checked both and mine are both low average/average so it doesn`t mean that it is causing strain to my health right? I actually don`t eat more than I`m supposed usually I eat less because it`s natural for me but I`m obese unlike the girls and guys who eat triple of what I eat and remain underweight/average for their health and height. Today I hung out with several people my age I got tired actually the latest since apparently I was the most fit for the 2 and a half hour walk. I exercise a lot apparently as I swim and do tennis and go around my neighborhood a lot...does it make sense that I`m obese? And does it damage my health? By the way, I`m 159.5/160 cm in height and 66.9 kgs and 12

 Can You Be Overweight and Healthy at the same time? This question sparks tons of controversy among obesity experts. Some experts believe that fitness can reduce the high risk of being overweight or obese. Others do not.

Do You Know the Health Risks of Being Overweight?
Weighing too much may increase your risk for developing many health problems especially later in life. If you are overweight or obese, you may be at risk for:
- Type 2 diabetes
- Coronary heart disease and stroke
- Metabolic syndrome (impaired ability to handle blood sugar, high blood pressure, elevated blood fats, low HDL (“good” cholesterol) and a large waist circumference)
- Certain types of cancer
- Sleep apnea
- Osteoarthritis
- Gallbladder disease
- Fatty liver disease
- Pregnancy complications


Some studies suggest that obese people are at no greater risk of developing or dying from heart disease or cancer, compared with normal weight people, as long as they are metabolically fit despite their excess weight. Read more. Experts suggest that METABOLIC (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood fats, cholesterol) AND PHYSICAL FITNESS are key, not your weight, in determining how healthy you are. How Fit Are You?

Other experts find that if you follow overweight or obese people long enough, you find out there appears to be no such thing as metabolically healthy. Additional studies show that being fit lessens but does not fully reduce the health problems associated with being overweight.

Good News: You can lower your health risks by losing weight, doing regular physical activity, and eating healthfully. Think of exercising as a means to improve your health and well-being, not something you have to do in order to lose weight.

Tips for good health:
- Exercise for well-being – Exercise improves fitness, period.
- Eat for good health and vitality
- Pay attention to ALL the health parameters—not just the number on the scale
- Check out the weight calculator to see if you are overweight. If you are overweight and want to make a change, learn more.


 Snacking on Junk Food When Bored - Help

=> Dear Lucy, I'm turned 14 I want to loose about 5 pounds and improve my diet. I don't really do that much exercise and I eat a lot of junk food. I don't eat much during the day, but in the evening I snack. I'm not addicted to any food, but I eat when I'm bored. The only exercise I have is P.E in school, Badminton and swimming. I also take my dog for walks. I would just like to know how I can improve my diet, get more exercise and lose a little weight.

 Why is it so hard to stop eating certain foods? Why can't I stop? There can be many factors at play including boredom and the habit of overeating.

First, let's learn a little about cravings and how to resist them.

Here are other ideas to help you conquer the snacking problem:
1. Cut out the junk food you eat one at a time.
2. Be MINDFUL of WHAT and WHEN you are eating. Overeating is a habit and often occurs when you are bored, sad, stressed or depressed. YOU CAN BREAK IT!
3. THINK BEFORE YOU EAT! Are you really hungry? If not, DON'T EAT. THINK DISTRACT as in distracting activities.
4. Get junk food out of site and out of the house! Out of site, out of mind!
5. Surround yourself with SUPPORTIVE PEOPLE. Try a weight loss buddy for support and encouragement! Good Luck!


 Exercise - Indoor & Outdoor Fun Ways To Exercise

=> I do a cardio workout 5 days a week and i do it at the evening - when is it the best time to workout, morning or evening?

=> Are there any fun ways to exercise and lose weight

=> im 14 and weight 170! im very muscular and i dont think im really that fat! i do have some problem areas! but i love to play sports but sometimes i have no one to do them with, and im not sure what to join! im in dance but that seems to not be enough! i never exersize if its not a organized sport! so i seem to never lose weight! do you have any advise?

=> how can i lose wait easily right here inside my home

 
There are many things you can do both inside and outside for exercise. The right time to exercise is ANYTIME! fun exerciseThe most important thing is to do some FUN ACTIVITY EVERYDAY! You might even want to start thinking of exercise as "Fun Activity!" Sounds better already doesn't it?


MY FUN ACTIVITY RULES:
1. Exercise / Fun Activities should be FUN! What do you enjoy? Swimming? Basketball? Tennis? Biking? Volleyball?

2. Exercise can be anything that gets you moving! It doesn't need to be some "formal" or "team" sport.

Things you can do right in your home or neighborhood are:
• Dancing to your favorite music in your room
• Jump Roping
• Hula hoops
• Walking or Running up and down Stairs
• Going for a walk


3. Set small goals! That way you will accomplish them. Start with 15-30 minutes a day. Step by step, that is the key!

4. Mix it Up! Write down as many activities that you can think of that you enjoy and put them in a big jar. If you like doing an activity, you will be more likely to do it. That’s what counts. When you feel lazy or are about to eat something even if you aren’t hungry, reach into the jar, grab an activity, and DO IT!!! Right Now!!
Be creative, mix it up, have fun!


5. Start a Weight Loss Challenge With a Friend. If you have friends that also want to lose weight, start a friendly challenge where points are given for doing certain activities, drinking enough water, making healthy snack choices, and doing a fun activity everyday. Check out the message boards on this site to meet others that want to be healthier also.

REMEMBER, Find time each day for exercise! JUST DO IT!!!


 How Lucy Lost Weight - Inspires Others, Maybe Even You!

=> Hello Lucy, I'm 12 years old and overweight. I'm trying my best to lose weight and ur story inspired me to. I just wanna say thank you (:

=> How do you lose wieght? How many times do you exersise a week?

 Thanks for the shout out! We are glad The Story of Lucy and How She Lost Weight inspires you and we hope that it might also help others who read it.

To those of you that haven't read it, the story is about how Lucy conquered her eating problem. Even though she felt awkward and embarrassed around others she continued to eat. Finally, with the help of her friends, she gradually began to change her habits. You can do it too! Check it out!


 Craving And Resisting Food - How to Stop

=> How do you resist the foods? my doctor says i'm going to crave food because i'm going into puberty and its in my genes sometimes I feel bad for myself because all my friends are skinny and it feels like i can't wear anything to school without looking fat but my mom says i look fine and sometimes they hint at about how fat i am and i don't want my parents to think i'm wasting food by cutting it in half I feel embarrassed in front of my friends because their so skinny

=> How do i try to stop eating i eat soo much

 Stressed girl eating chocolate bar
If you crave certain foods and you find that you can't resist them, you might really have a type of food “addiction.” The more you eat the food, the more you want it, and once you start, you can’t stop. What’s going on?

Our brain has an emotional part and a thinking part. Our EMOTIONAL brain can be tricking us, telling us to eat something that tastes really good to soothe our sadness, boredom, loneliness, stress, or depression. That's why you get cravings. But, our THINKING brain is more rationale and knows pretty much what food our body needs for energy and repairs. It knows you don’t need the food you are craving at the moment. The thinking brain and the emotional brain can sometimes be in a tug of war!

Good News! The thinking part of the brain is BIGGER than the emotional part of the brain so WE CAN LEARN TO CONTROL THE EMOTIONAL BRAIN. It just takes practice to become aware of what is going on.

Practice talking to your brain and reasoning with your emotional brain when you have a craving for a certain food. Tell yourself, "No emotional brain! No! I am not going to let you trick me!!" I do not need that food because I am not hungry. GO AWAY!!"

Get in touch with your emotions and learn how to substitute other activities for eating. Make a list of things you like to do and refer to the list when you get a craving. Then, go do the fun activity instead of eating. Usually, if you can resist for a few minutes, the craving will go away. TRY IT, YOU CAN DO IT.

Check out Saying Goodbye to the Food Drug, Curve Your Cravings, and Preventing Food Addiction Relapse for more information and tips.


 Scared To Weigh Myself - How to Lose Weight

=> Hi lucy, I'm not happy with my weight im 14 and im scared of weighing my self because i Dont want to know the results, please could you give me advice on how to lose wight, i wont to fit into a size 6 maybe? Thanks xx

=> lucy im ten years old and im 125 pounds is that heathy and how do i lose it please help me thank you:)

=> I am 107 lb. and 12 years old.. I want to lose weight bc all my friends are skinny... and I don't believe I am skinny at all.. I do have chub... not 2 much but I want to get rid of it. Help

=> I never thought I was oversight until I did the weight calculator.which said I was. I am very sport active girl and I h AV emuacular thigha and a flat stomach but I am very short not even 5.1 so looking at me I guess I look very chubby. Honestly I don't know what to do because I am healthy and fit but I want to lose weight I am very self conscious. So could you please like give me some tips to lose weight or look skinnier. This was hard for me to write because I never even considered that Iwas oversiweight

 When we are ready to do something about our weight, we first need to know how much we weigh. We need the FACTS. Go to the weight calculator on this site to see if you are overweight.ouch

If the calculator determines that you are in the overweight range, you need to decide what you want to do about it. Learning about your relationship to food and overeating, how you deal with stress and learning how to tackle being overweight can be a first step.

We need to think positive. and build up our self-esteem. Then we are really to take on the work ahead.


 Eating Healthy and Still Overweight - How Do I Lose Weight

=> I`m overweight, how can some of my friends eat SO MUCH and JUNKFOOD too and be skinny when I exercise and eat healthily (me)and I'm overweight?

=> I am 12 years old and I weigh 200 lbs. I really want to be thin. I have been overweight since about I was about 8 years old. My mom is overweight, my brothers, even my dad was. What is an effective way to lose weight?

=> I'm 11 years old I'm 4"11 weigh 98 pounds and a boy. I have fat thighs that I get teased about and I have an unneccessary layer fat on my stomach. And I have a big butt it is probably 40 lbs of me. How can I get them to go away?

=> I'm 12, but am I'm overweight. Not obese, but neither am I at a healthy weight. I've been trying to exercise and eat healthier, but I've just got heavier. Help!!!

=> Dear Lucy Im 5 feet and I'm 152 pounds I dont know how I became so heavy and Im not a big junk or sweets person PLEASE HELP

 Being a healthy weight is a lifestyle choice. Eating healthy and exercising are part of that lifestyle. We may think we are following that path, but sometimes we still gain weight. How can that be? It may be helpful to take a REALITY CHECK. Here are some things to review that might help you:

1. Take some time to learn about overeating and healthy weight loss. What is your relationship to food and comfort eating? How do you use food in your life, for comfort, for stress? Why do you want to lose weight?

2. Take Inventory of what and how much you really eat and how much you exercise EVERYDAY. How often do you eat fast food? When and where do you eat? Write down EVERYTHING you eat, at meals as well as snacks. Write it down. Keeping a Diary can help you be more honest about what you actually eat and how much you exercise.

3. Focus on the positive. Diets and calorie counting often lead to frustration. Instead, give yourself credit for making the effort everyday to make healthy choices. If you mess up one day, brush yourself off and start again tomorrow. Every day counts. Give it a try and let us know how it works!!


 Fun Ways To Lose Weight

=> What are fun ideas to lose weight ... People make fun of me being fat and all my friends are twigs and then there I am the fatty I want and need to be thinner

=> I am over weight and i look in the mirror everyday tired of my flabby body. Give me some tips on how to lose weight indoors. Because i am very allergic to outdoors. Thanks!!!

=> I am 13 years old and in seventh grade.... I weigh 125 lbs and I don't know if I'm overweight but I go to a sporty school so everyone's skinny...... I want to lose weight so people don't think I'm fat and I want to be healthy. It's really hard, can you tell me what to do to lose weight? I joined volleyball and it starts in Janurary!

=> are your friends nice to you and dont bring it up that you are fat or anything not that you are now but i am kind of so can you give me hints or ideas to help me loose weight in a FUN way if you can and please dont tell ANYONE about this please i am sensitive and get really sad when people gring it up like Ohhh you are eating another peice of pizza and you are gonna get like a ballon and POP but i just walk away and ignore those people and when i get home i start to cry and tell my mom why cant i be like other kids being fast.The 2 days before thanksgiving there was a turkey trot and what this is a race where you start at a line and end at a line you run 2 laps around the school feild so the whole fifth grade lines up and when the horn blows EVERYONE runs and i was like in the middle but on the second lap i was the fourth last one but when i crossed the finished everyone yelled YEAH that I was not last oh and i am 10 but they were not trying to be mean and all of that they were being nice about it so there is my story! thank you lucy

 Here are some fun ideas to help you lose weight:

1. Get some MOTIVATION. Motivation helps keep us focused and keeps us going when we want to give up. Set small goals so you can accomplish them. Then set another small goal. Step by step, that is what works!

2. Keep weight loss fun. Try writing down as many activities that you can think of that you enjoy and place them in a big jar. Any activity you enjoy doing like riding a bike, going for a walk with a friend, or swimming are all examples of fun exercise. If you like doing an activity, you will be more likely to do it. That’s what counts. When you feel lazy or are about to eat something even if you aren’t hungry, reach into the jar, grab an activity, and DO IT!!! Right Now!! Be creative, mix it up, have fun!

Some examples of exercises that you can do right in your home or neighborhood are:
• Dancing to your favorite music in your room
• Jump Roping
• Hula hoops
• Walking or Running up and down Stairs
• Going for a walk


3. Start a Weight Loss Challenge With a Friend. If you have friends that also want to lose weight, you might start a friendly challenge where points are given for doing certain activities, drinking enough water, making healthy snack choices, and so forth. Check out the message boards on this site to meet others that want to be healthier also.

4. Make exercise a habit! like brushing your teeth or taking a shower. Find the time each day for exercise. JUST MAKE A PLAN AND DO IT!!!


 Do Sports Or Increased Activity Make You Gain Weight?

=> Sometimes when I do less sports I weigh less and look skinnier. I didn`t do swimming for a while and my arms started looking normal again. I went to one practice and then they started becoming larger again. I`m muscular but I still am overweight...

=> I'm 18 I weigh 160 & I'm 4 10. I have been trying to lose weight since I was 13. I lose like 10 then gain like 15...its so fusterating since I have a lot of mucsle mass added because I play soccer. Please help be thin!!

=> Im 14 147 lb its been driving me crazy i love running I run alot but somehow for some reason i gained weight instead of losing it please tell me why. ,&how could i lose it

=> Can you tell me why I still occasionally gain weight and then lose it all in 2-3 weeks easily? Sometimes even 6-7 days.

  It’s a common myth that muscle weighs more than fat. Actually, a pound of fat and a pound of muscle both weigh a pound! The difference is that fat and muscle differ in density. This means that if you looked at 5 pounds of muscle and 5 pounds of fat side by side, the fat would have more volume or space than the muscle.

A pound of muscle will burn more calories at rest than a pound of fat. With exercise you develop more muscle mass, improve your metabolism, and increase bone density.

Improved metabolism burns more calories. Generally, one needs to walk a mile in order to lose about 100 calories. The amount of activity you need to do in order to burn a certain number of calories depends on your current weight and in part how vigorous your stride or effort while doing the activity. All kinds of activity including cardio workouts such as jogging, cycling, and simply walking are important for calorie burning and good health. So, keep active!

If you are gaining weight even though you exercise, you are probably still eating more calories than you are burning off. Changing the intensity of the same exercise routine or increasing or decreasing the amount and kind of food you eat just a little can also make your weight go up or down some in just a few days. Sometimes we think we can eat more because we exercise, but that is not the case. Check your food amounts. You may need to cut back more on the amount of food you are eating. Keep moving!

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