Hola, I'm ben and I need some help because I am confused. Let me tell you some stuff about me
I just turned 15 a week ago, weigh 104-107, am 5' 2" (Maybe a little more but we will see at the doctors.) About 4 months ago I used to be 14, 132, 5' 0"... So yeah, I have lost some weight. But I need your help.
I want to pretty much maintain and let my body grow. I used to be eating 1,400-1,500 calories a day. (I now realize this was wrong...) But now I want to up it. But I can't figure out how many calories I should have per day. I exercise for 1 hour in the morning jump roping. Later in the day I sometimes add another 30 minutes of exercise. The rest of the day I do pretty much nothing. Computer, video games, hanging out with friends, TV... You know, that sort of nothing.
If I were to not exercise for a day and do nothing, how many calories should I have to maintain?
If I were to exercise for 1 hour a day and then do nothing, how many calories should I have to maintain?
If I were to exercise for 1 hour a day, and do 2 hours of light activity like riding the bike, playing outside, shooting hoops, etc. how many calories should I have to maintain?
If I were to exercise for 90 minutes a day, and do nothing the rest of the day, how many calories should I have to maintain?
Do you see where I'm going with this? lol
So please tell me what you think, because I know nothing... THANK YOU
Ben
Start with this link.....http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/bodycomp/bmiz2.html and then work with some reasonable averages.
Since you're 15 you almost certainly don't have a desk job and a car i.e. you're probably on the go, moving around, pretty active even when you're not 'exercising'... so you have to factor that in to the activity. If you're exercising (from your description) on average for an hour a day and just moving around normally the rest of the time then you'd hit the 'very active' level quite easily. So that means (from the chart) that you need 2750 cals a day to meet your energy needs and to allow your body to grow strongly and healthily. That even includes the days when you do nothing, incidentally.
As you can see, it's going to be quite difficult for you to eat too much. Calorie-counting might not be serving you well if it means you've been undereating so badly. What's important now is that you....
- Eat regularly i.e. three 'square' meals a day and a few snacks. If you feel hungry, that's pretty normal.... eat something.
- Choose good quality wholefoods as much as possible.... lean meat, grilled fish, plenty of fresh vegetables, dairy products, fresh fruit, wholegrain foods, oils.... and enjoy things like fried foods, ice-cream, crisps or biscuits as an occasional treat
- Drink plenty of plain fluids rather than fizzy drinks (even diet ones)
A lot of boys find they gain a little weight right before a growth spurt. Things are changing all the time.... you keep on growing until you're about 21. So don't get too hung up on how much you weigh day to day. Eat well, stay active and you'll be in very good shape.
The last couple of days I've eaten around 2,400 calories and I don't feel very good about it. I feel kind of insecure. I know I shouldn't and that It is right for me to eat like this but I just feel like blah and feel like I have to exercise. It makes me feel better if I eat 1,800-2,000 calories a day then to eat over 2,000. If I eat 1,800-2,000 a day I'm not really hungry. If I'm hungry, I eat. Then if I still feel hungry after a little snack, I think about if I'm really hungry, or if I'm just bored. Or, I can also tell if it's a specific food that I want to have.
I know all of you are going to say that I need to eat more and get over the feeling but I just can't. I can't help it.
Hey..
If you want to add some weight back on and do it in a healthy way, there are three things I would recommend to you.
1) Scale back the jump-roping a bit to 30 minutes a day @ 3-4 times a week. The main point of doing cardio is to maintain cardiovascular fitness. To maintain cardiovascular fitness, you only need to do 90-120 minutes a week. If you continue to jump rope for 90 minutes a day all week long, you will continue to lose weight. That is why you lost so much weight already.
2) Get on a good strength training program where you lift weights at least 3-4 times a week for 45-60 minutes a session. Lifting weights will help you to put weight back on in a healthy manner and themore muscle you build, the more calories your body will burn per day while at rest.
3) Continue eating 2400-2700 cals per day. However, make sure that you are eating the right foods and doing it spread out over 5-6 small meals through out the day (1 meal every 2-4 hours). That is protein, complex carbs from whole grains (whole wheat spaghetti, oatmeal, whole wheat bread, brown rice, etc), fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats (peanut butter, almonds, etc). Take one day per week where you have a "cheat day" having a few meals of stuff you actually like to eat. If you stay strict about your nutrition and only have one cheat day per week, the extra calories won't make you fat. Especially since you will be building muscle from the lifting.
I actually do know what you are going though. I used to only eat 2000 cals a day and I was lifting weights 4 times per week and doing 5-6 hours of cardio per week. I wasn't getting any results. A big reason for this was that I wasn't eating enough. My doctor actually prescribed me to eat 3000 plus calories a day to match up with all the exercise I was doing. When I first started eating 3000 plus cals a day, I felt the same way. Bad about it, and worried I would get fat from it, etc.. But you know what, it got me fantastic results. I stuck to my diet plan, hit the weights hard and did HIIT cardio 3 times per week. My bodyfat dropped from 19% to under 10% and I have gained 15 pounds since - all muscle.
Trust me man. As long as you eat the right foods, scale back the cardio a bit and hit the weights, eating more cals will actually do you good.
maybe I should just go see a doctor. Because your doctor told you what you should be eating and doing so maybe I should just ask my parents if they can take me to a doctor...
I also don't know what to do for weight lifting. I don't know much exercises to do with weights...
Original Post by bennyboy5:
maybe I should just go see a doctor.
Talk to your parents in the first instance and see what they suggest. It's very unusual for someone your age and who is very active to be worried about calories to the extent that you are. You may just need a little reassurance and supervision from your parents in order to get over that insecurity you talk about. Many young people who are dissatisfied with some aspect of their life will fix on 'body-shape' as the reason why they're unhappy... when often it's not that at all.
In the meantime, leave the calorie-counting alone and instead work on eating regularly... eating good quality food with plenty of variety ... drinking plenty of water.... being active. I'm certain that if you stopped calorie-counting, stopped weighing yourself and found other things to occupy your time you'd feel a lot less anxious.
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