14 Male Needs Help From The Experienced

Im 5 foot 4 in and I just started earlier today I was at 163, but after killing my legs on DDR for 25 min I got it to 162.  I know that's horrible.  My goal is to get down to a somewhat healthier weight by Band Camp (late July/early August).  Last year (fresman year) I was so embarrased about everything.  My goal for July is to get to the 130's at least.  By the time school starts again, I'd like to be in the 120's.  The problem I have is eating.  I work with food so temptation is all around me.  I gave up soda for Lent, and now I'm going to try to get rid of it for good.  I do get a reasonable amount of exercise(walking to/from work and school etc.)  But I need some helpful strategies for motivation/workouts/eating.  I heard about this thing called like calorie confusion or something a while ago.  If anyone has any advice, feel free to post away and become my friend :)

First off, it's a bad idea to weigh yourself constantly, especially before/after a workout or a meal. You should weigh yourself once or twice a week to get an accurate track of your progress. Giving up soda is great, and so is walking and playing DDR for exercise. Getting even more types of exercise ( running/jogging, lifting weights, swimming, biking, martial arts, etc.) would be great, but it's not necessary. I've never heard of calorie confusion, but maybe it's like cycling your calories? Calorie cycling is when you eat a different set amount of calories on different days of the week (some higher, some lower) to add up to a desired average. Whatever you decide to do, make sure you're eating enough for a growing 14 yr. old boy (don't use this site to figure out how much to eat because it's meant for adults, look it up on a different site, like sparkteens.) Basically, get lots of exercise, drink lots of water and eat lots of protein, fruits, veggies, and whole grains, and don't freak out or obsess. Good luck!

I'll help just because you said "experienced" instead of "old."

First, don't weigh, then workout, then weigh. It is like weighing, drinking a gallon of water, then weighing. The weight is usually water weight and doesn't really count.

Second, aim for a higher weight with more muscle mass. That is what you really want anyway, not to be scrawny but to be solid. Trying for a low weight at your age can be unhealthy.

If you work with food all the time, have food that you are "allowed" to eat available. It is hard to get fat on carrots and celery, so munch on those when you can't resist munching.

Motivation? Put a cut girl in front of you and chase her around the track. (What? I was 14 once-during the civil war.) Ok, seriously, picture yourself strong, healthy, and with lots of lean muscle mass. Think of your body as a sportscar that you need to use high quality fuel with. You don't want a cookie, that will just clog up your engine and reduce performance. You want high quality food.

Finally, I find being in competition with myself helps me enjoy my workouts. I started out with 5 push ups, a one mile walk, and being able to reach my knees when I tried to stretch. When I did 7 push ups I had a mini-celebration. Then I did 7 more so I could keep improving. Now I do 50 push ups (I'm an old woman, that's good!) walk an hour, and I can touch my nose to my knees. (No, not while I'm sitting down, legs straight.) Again, I have little celebrations and feel joy in my accomplishment. That keeps me going. Well, ok, a vain look in the mirror and a little flexing helps keep me motivated, too.

Heyy I agree with selfmade about the weighing thing. You should probably only weigh yourself once a day preferably after you get up in the morning. If you weigh yourself after you eat or workout the scale is only showing you the weight of the food you just ate or the water weight that you lost and will gain back. butt congrats on giving up the soda! I'm assuming it's full calorie? I only drink diet but I just heard it was bad for you too....but I like my caffeine. :)  If your real problem is eating you could get into the habit of really looking at the food before you put it in your mouth. I always like to know what the calorie amounts for all my foods are and if I don't know it or like an estimate for it I just won't eat it. That way when I look at a non-healthy/extra food I can be like...do I really want this? the answer is usually no and I'll have something healthier like a yogurt or go workout. If you work at a well known food store you could try to find the nutrition facts for their items that way you'd be less inclined to snack on the job. I just applied to Dunkin Donuts..haha and all their stuff is really bad for you which it totally fine with me because I think all their stuff is gross anyways. I haven't heard of calorie confusion so I don't know what that is. i actually have kinda the same goals as you since I'm 167 now, 5' 5" I"m trying to get to the 130's buy the time the next school year starts and 145 by July since I'm going on vacation so that's more of my motivation...that and looking better so I won't feel so self-concious.haha alrightt sorry my post is so long. message me if you have any questions or just want to chat. :)       & nbsp;      Laura.    btw I'm assuming we're in the same grade if you said your last year was Freshman. soo I'm a sophomore as well.

selfmade: ya its calorie cycling, i must have been thinking of something else lol

brenda: no im a freshman now, but im in sophomore classes though ;-)

 

edit: i dont weigh myself constantly, i was just curious :)

I know when I was that age, my biggest weight problem was my parents. (Haha, hear me out first!) I ate what my parents ate, which included fatty dinners and lots of snacks. Who can resist fresh baked cookies from mom? I'm not sure if you have that problem, but if you do, talk to your parents and see if they'll stop buying temptation foods. After all, if there's no cookies to eat, how can you be tempted?

welll. you must be really smart then. haha I'm in like all honors classes and DYING.