Just starting dance and I need to lose weight...?

Question

I'm 5 foot, 15 years old and I weight 141 pounds. I know I need to lose weight but I can never seem to lose it. I eat around 1300 calories a day and have stayed away from junk food and go running. I've been doing this for about 3 months and I haven't lost a single pound. I've been eating healthy but can't seem to shed one pound. I'm starting dance in September and I really really need to start losing weight. We have a personal trainer and he's told us to stay away from carbs after 6:00, eat veggies, and fruits, stay away from junk foods, and make sure to take multi vitamins. All of which I do...I don't understand why I'm not losing any weight at all. What can I do? I eat about 6 times a day, they're very small meals and I try and place them 2-3 hours apart. None of the meals are over 300 calories. I drink a lot of water and stay away from soda and sugary drinks.

Answer 1

If you are 141 pounds you need about 2000 calories at least to maintain your weight at that activity level.  You need more than 1300 calories to maintain your health, so one mistake you are making is that you are not eating enough.  Your body is going into starvation mode and trying to hang on to every calorie you consume.  You need to eat more.

Keeping a food journal really does help.  It will give you a much better sense of how much you are eating, and when, and why.

Make a few additional small changes - walk everywhere, always use stairs instead of elevators, walk on escalators, get up and move around at least once an hour if your work or your life in general is sedentary, walk every day, use a pedometer. Walking 10,000 steps a day is a really good idea. Build up to a long brisk walk everyday, or most days.  Be more active and watch less TV and spend less time on the computer.   Buy one piece of exercise equipment to have at home and be strict with yourself about using it.   Sometimes you can find mini-steppers or exercise bikes at second hand stores and thrift stores for just a few dollars.

Start a weight lifting routine. It will help increase your metabolism and make you feel and look better in so many ways. Join a gym. Possibly you can find one that has someone who specializes in weight lifting programs for beginners. Weight lifting will increase your metabolism as well as improve posture and appearance overall.  Even if you can't get to the gym you can work out at home using things around the house.  A couple of the links I've included explain how.

In terms of diet, cut out or reduce things like junk food, pop, fat, fast food. Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meat, fish.   Particularly if you choose a vegetarian lifestyle include natural peanut butter, hummus, dried fruit and nuts.  Pay close attention to getting the nutrients your body needs to be healthy.  

Make your portion sizes smaller.   Use a smaller plate - in our society we have become accustomed to thinking that we need a large plate of food at every meal, and we don't.  About quarter of your plate of food should be protein and at least half of it should be veggies.  

Learn to count calories.  At your current weight and activity level, you may need about 2000 calories or more to maintain your current weight. So you will lose weight at a reasonable and healthy rate if you cut back to about 1600 or 1700 calories a day.  

Eat small amounts frequently, rather than three large meals.  Never skip breakfast.  Include some protein in your breakfast.  It will help get you through the day.

Drink plenty of water, at least 8 big glasses of water a day, and more if it is very hot, if you sweat a lot, or if you are exercising intensely, and eliminate fruit juices.  Fruit juices have too many calories, so get your vitamins from fresh fruit, not the juice.  You will begin to see changes in your body.

Check out websites about nutrition, exercise, weight training, etc.  Here are a few helpful links.

http://www.nutrawatch.com/

http://www.caloriesperhour.com/

http://www.helpguide.org/life/healthy_ea...

http://www.wikihow.com/Lose-Weight-the-H...

http://weightloss.about.com/cs/fitness/a...

http://www.thepumpingstation.com/trainin...

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/fe...

Answer 2

Today there is too much information available on losing weight that has become more confusing and sometimes difficult to follow. It's actually very easy to lose weight if you follow my weight loss tips.

* Be in right frame of mind

* Eat whole food

* Eat fresh fruit

* Drink enough water

* Always chew your food

* Take small meals

* Include protein at meal

* Shut off TV while eating

* Increase your physical activity

How do i lose fast weight? - Healthy life every day!

search :http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&n...

Answer 3

the answer to your problem is simple, you are a teen so therefore you need more calories to lose weight then adults do, you little, teenagers need at least 1,800 calories. i know your going to think why would i eat so much if i'm trying to lose weight, i thought the same thing, i thought i would gain weight but it actually came off faster then when i was eating less, seriously workout 3- 4 times a week and eat 6 small meals a day that equal 1,800 calories and you will lose weight. good luck