5'8'' female venting

I am now down to 141 pounds (from 179) and an still looking to lose 15 pounds. Ihave recently switched to a vegetarian life style mostly due to health reasons and not really losing weight (but i still want to...that is what calorie counting is for) I am a 19 yr old college student and dont get to exercise much.  I am goingto stay in a dorm in the fall and i dont know how its going to be......................................I carry all my weight in hips, thighs, lower stomach.......not fair>>>

How many calories a day are you eating?

usually 1000-1200

With a BMI of 21 you are a healthy weight and technically don't need to lose so much as an ounce.  If you're not happy with your body-shape ... hips, thighs, etc.... then tackle the problem with tonining exercises and healthier eating habits rather than trying to starve yourself.

2000 cals a day would mean you maintained your current healthy weight and you'd have the energy to do a reasonable amount of exercise.  Healthier foods... with particular attention to removing sodium and sugar from your diet.... would mean you had less water retention.

i am very good about watching my sugar (i am still a little confused about fruit)and sodium intake. I want to exercise but it is soooooo hard to find the time......When i first started losing weight i tried to exercise and i would gain like 3-4 pounds

I also think that you don't need to lose more weight.  I am 5-8 and trying to get to 145 from 166 now.  You are probably over analyzing the way you see yourself!  Just try to eat healthy and maintain an active lifestyle.  1200 calories is not that much, it is probably hard to have the energy to be active.  Don't eat large meals, eat small amounts throughout the day starting FIRST thing in the morning to boost your metabolism.  During the day try to be more active - walking or taking the stairs as much as possible, etc.  If you need to study a lot maybe you could walk to different locations to study so you are not stuck in one area all the time.  If you pack yourself some healthy snacks you won't get tempted to stop for other foods.  And drink lots of water!!

If you are only eating 1000-1200 calories and not losing weight, you probably don't have much muscle mass.

I suggest starting a weight training routine. Your campus most likely has a gym. If not, you can purchase a set of weights yourself. High weights, low reps will help build muscle, thus raising your metabolism and burning fat.

In order to build muscle, you need to eat more calories than you burn - which means you need to eat more, hun! Eat plenty of veggies and fruits, and concentrate on lean proteins such as low fat meat, fish, lentils, beans, eggs, etc.

my campus does have a gym but thats another problem....My face gets extremely red when i do any type of exercise...If the temp. changes i get red......I t all makes me feel unattractive and not normal.

Not to sound rude, but you don't go to the gym to be attractive. You go to build up endurance and strength. I understand the feeling, believe me, but it may be time to weigh the advantages of exercise against the embarrassment of being lobster-red in the face.

You don't need to go to the gym to exercise, by the way. What can you do in your room?

I am still lacking confidence from yrs of being overweight and i have kept myself in isolation to the point where (embarassing) i have not had any true friends that i could open up to...Thats just other stuff i need to sort out....any way i guess i can do crunches and squats...i also have some 3 pound weights..anywhere i go i walk.

Don't worry about getting red in the face when you exercise, you'll probably find that you aren't the only one. Also once you get fitter you will find that you don't get quite so red. I also used to be self-conscious of how red I went, but I knew I needed to exercise. When I first started practicing a very dynamic style of yoga a few years ago I went bright red and sweaty during class as usual, but I enjoyed it so much that I didn't care what people thought- and you know, people don't think about you as much as you think they do!

Now I am a teacher of that style of yoga, and even when I am teaching I still go a bit pink because I have to talk at the same time as doing forward bends and jumping around, but I have plenty of students and they don't seem to care if their teacher gets pink. I also carried weight in my lower body (I am 5'9" so probably a very similar build to you) but by doing yoga and Pilates I was able to really tone those muscles, especially my stomach, which got really flat (not ripped abs, just toned and flat).

See if your college gym or somewhere nearby has a Pilates class, as you are unlikely to get very red with that style of exercise, but it can have impressive results if you keep up with it (i.e. at least 3 months of practicing 2 or 3 times a week).

5'8" and 141?  you must look awesome & not even know it!  :D

i'm 5'8" and 143 & my fat is all in my upper stomach.  i'm trying to get rid of that.  i was 218 & i always knew that would be the last to go, but it's not gone yet!

it'd be awesome to switch bodies!!!  LOL

If you don't get to exercise much, sign yourself up for a kineseology or fitness class at your school - you're forced to go to it for your grade, which is a great motivator :)  Plus, it's a good way to make friends :)

I was a similar height/weight - I started doing Bar Method DVDs which really helped slim my hips because they're mostly hip/butt focused resistance exercises.  I liked that because it's not super-challenging and only 45 minutes, plus you see results after you do it about 10 times.  I was really frustrated, but I told myself that I would try it 10 times and see if it worked, and if it didn't I would stop trying - and lo and behold, it worked for me.

If you sign up for a Netflix or Blockbuster trial you can rent a bunch of fitness dvds to see which you like, if you're more comfortable exercising at home rather than at a gym. 

i am about 5'8' too. I am 152-154 lbs. I would LOVE to weigh 140!! That's my goal weight in fact.

Try not to be so critical, maybe just start the work outs like everyone has said, and it'll boost your confidence and give you those good endorphins and everything else. I love how I feel after I've worked out.

PS I also turn red, but I am a lot older than you, and your self conciousness subsides a bit as you age.

Good luck

 

Carolina: I too wish I was as low as you. I'm 5'9". I got up to 325 lbs but am now 180lbs. My goal is 135lbs. What does the CC recommend for your caloric intake? If you go too low, your metabolism will slow down. It recommended 1225 to me.

I'd be eating a lot more than that if I were you!

We have pretty similar states - I'm 5 foot 8, atm 151 and aiming to get down to 133. Also carry my weight on my thighs and hips which I hate.

Anyway, I eat 2000 calories a day and lose1 and a bit pounds on that a week, though I'm cutting to 1800 to lose a bit more before the prom. Mind you I am very active, but I'd up to at least 1500 if I were you, when I ate 1200 cals a day I lost 5 pounds a week, when I stopped I gained it all back...

thanks for the input everyone...i might try to get invoved in a yoga class or something since they give such great results. It is not the redness that bothers me as much as it is people asking if i am ok because my face gets so red its embarassing and after the third time its annoying. Its somehing i will have to deal with because i want to be toned and slim everywhere.

Original Post by ahrena:

I'd be eating a lot more than that if I were you!

We have pretty similar states - I'm 5 foot 8, atm 151 and aiming to get down to 133. Also carry my weight on my thighs and hips which I hate.

Anyway, I eat 2000 calories a day and lose1 and a bit pounds on that a week, though I'm cutting to 1800 to lose a bit more before the prom. Mind you I am very active, but I'd up to at least 1500 if I were you, when I ate 1200 cals a day I lost 5 pounds a week, when I stopped I gained it all back...

Well the thing is, I'm pretty much forced to be sedentary at the moment, which is why I have it so low. Reason I'm forced sedentary is because I got into a car accident; I broke my pelvis and am confined to a wheelchair for a few months. I'm not losing 5 pounds a week so don't worry. I've actually been losing a pretty healthy about-2 a week.  I also use a nutrition tracker to make sure I won't drop dead from malnourishment.

Original Post by carolinamoon7:

thanks for the input everyone...i might try to get invoved in a yoga class or something since they give such great results. It is not the redness that bothers me as much as it is people asking if i am ok because my face gets so red its embarassing and after the third time its annoying. Its somehing i will have to deal with because i want to be toned and slim everywhere.

I have the same problem. However, I'm really overweight so it can happen just walking up stairs. Doh! I turn so red that I begin turn purple! Peopel get concerned, but I just wave them off. Eventually people get the picture. Be proud of the red face, it just means you are working your body! Woo!

Way back in high school, girls would hate to work up a sweat, but that is when you know you are really working hard, I think it is very attractive seeing someone or myself soaked in sweat and red in the face, and I think guys feel the same way. Everyone there is there to work out and hard. Just know that what you are doing is for a good reason, to get healthy. My suggestion is join some classes, mostly all women, of shapes and sizes, go to classes, such as yoga, hips butts and thighs, and ab classes. 

as everyone said before me i think you should eat a bit more

i am 153 lbs and my goal is anywhere between 130-140 i just want to gain some muscle and lose most of the fat on my body

and i eat about 1500-1600 per day