TakeOverControl

Well, I don't suppose I neccessarily count as a woman. I guess you could still call me a girl. I am 18 though, so I guess legally I am an adult. Anyways, today is my first day here. About 30 minutes ago I had an epitome. I need to focus on myself, rather than guys. (Yes, my silly teenager mind is on guys. A lot.) And I've decided that I'm going to lose the rest of the weight I need to lose.

When I started my long, strange, and rather confusing weight loss journey, I was at about 220 lbs. I was 15 I think, and I went to the endocrinologist. I found out I have hypothyroidism, which means that my thyroid isn't producing enough hormones. I began taking pills. Well, somehow I magically lost 20 lbs (It must have been the pills, because I didn't change any of my terrible habits), bringing me down to 200 lbs. Inspiration struck and I was determined to lose weight. The summer of my junior year, (I think. The details are fuzzy.)

I lost 30 lbs in 2 months. Literally. I was hardcore. I had my high protein 100 calorie brownie from medifast, then had whole wheat pasta for lunch and grilled chicken for dinner. I was rocking it. Then school came around and ruined that streak. I have been in the 170-180 range for a while now, the least I weighed was 163, which was just weird. So yeah, I've decided that I'm sick and tired of being like this. I just want to be healthy and happy, and more confident. I want to be ready to go to college and get out of here!

Hope I'm not the only young'un here. If anyone has any inspiration stories or advice for me, I'd love it.

I do have a few questions though.

1. What should my calorie intake be? I intend to lose weight fast and healthily!
2. How much exercise would you recommend for my age? I was thinking of doing weight training every other day and cardio the other days.
3. Anyone have any motivation? I am an incredibly lazy person...it's hard for me to get up off my butt and go exercise!
4. Also, when I do exercise, how many calories should I try to burn?

Thanks so much! Glad to be here and ready to start my journey tomorrow!

mhibdon

No worries, you are not the only young one here. I started using FitDay off and on when I was around the age of 18.

1. Healthy, sustainable, weightloss is a maximum of 2lbs per week. I know that it is tempting to go for more, but if you stick to the 2lb limit, then you won't have to worry about loose skin quite so much. Your caloric intake will vary depending on how active you are. You're goal is to aim for a 500 - 750 caloric deficit per day. Moderation is the key to sustainability.

2. Everyone's exercise capacity is different. You should slowly work your way up. An example of this would be the Couch to 5K running plan. Google it. When I am in good health, I like to weight train 6 days a week & do cardio 7 days a week. Try reading Muscle & Fitness Hers. Google that too.

3. Try joining tumblr and looking for fitblrs. Or join in on the Weekly Goal thread here. No one can conquer your lazy but you.

4. It all goes back to the mathematics of calories in versus calories out. Though instead of calories, you should focus on # of reps done comfortably, or # of miles jogged without getting winded. It is all too easy to become obsessive in a bad way and to lose yourself in the numbers side of weight loss instead of the health side of the lifestyle change.

*** You should consult your physician before, during, and after any significant lifestyle changes in order to ensure that you are doing what is best for your body. This is the internet, we can only tell you what we have found to work for us.