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In need of advice/personal thoughts on weight...

Okay, so I'm a seventeen year old girl, I'm 5 foot 7, and I weigh 142 pounds. (Though it varies from 139.5-143.5 day to day.) Am I overweight for my height and age? I've never been on the skinny side, I mean not since I was really little. My highest weight was 177, back when I was Sophomore in High School. Back then I was never really concerned about my weight, but I'm pretty sure I was considered fat. The summer going into my Junior year in high school I started exercising (you know situps and such, some running) for at least 30 minutes at least three times a week before going to sleep, by the time school started back up I was at 168. (Okay not a big difference I know, but it was to me.) So back in August of 2008 I weighed 168, I started drinking only water (before that it was soda), and I started running at least 4 nights out of the week, but it was never easy to continue for long distances. I would get dizzy and almost pass out; always thought it was because I wasn't in shape? By February of 2009, I weighed around 144. Now I just can't seem to lose anymore weight. I had to stop running months ago due to new found heart problems (which explains my lack of tolerance for exercise), but I still only drink nothing but water. I have a bad habit of counting calories now. Everyone says that I'm fine and that I don't need to lose weight, but I really don't consider myself to have a nice body at all. I don't know if being seventeen and 5'7, while weighing 142 is really healthy or not? And, what really bothers me is that I have a somewhat chubby face (I always have basically) and I don't know what to do to get rid of it? I would consider my problem areas my face, stomach (it's not big but it's not flat like I want it to be), and thighs. Any advice?

Hey girl,  I'm not much of one to be giving  advice, but have you checked out the BMI tool on the website?  It will let you know if you qualify as overweight, etc, depending on your height, weight and body type.  It's really helpful!

I have also had issues with dizziness after exercise, but it's usually because I was pushing myself too hard or I was dehydrated.  I hope these heart problems aren't too severe!   Even if you can't run much or at all, walking is almost as good.

Good luck!

Sorry to hear about your heart problems. That really sucks!!

A few pieces of advice :

- Make sure your nutrition is in check. Eating properly is by far the most important thing. Make sure you get enough protein, make sure your carbs are complex (whole grains) and low on the GI scale, get plenty of fruits/vegetables, and make sure to get plenty of healthy fats (olive oil, natural peanut butter, almonds, fish oil, etc) along with plenty of water (1 gallon a day). Spread it out over 5-6 small meals eating every 3-4 hours. Have a cheat day one day a week.

- Start weight training. This is the best way to transform your body. You don't have to do a lot either. You can get great results lifting on a full-body routine 3x a week for 35-40 minutes a session.

- Now usually I would recommend doing HIIT for cardio. HIIT involves pushing your heart rate into the 90-100% range for short bursts combined with slower periods of recovery. However, since you have heart problems, I am not sure it would be wise to do it. What I would do is speak to your cardiologist, to see what type of exercise you can do. Then do whatever cardio you can, after your weight training sessions. If your heart improves and you are allowed to be more stressful on it, then start doing HIIT. However, always refer to your cardiologist/doctor to monitor it closely.

- Ignore the scale. The BMI scale is actually outdated. It was designed more for sedentary people who don't exercise. If you exercise, a better way to monitor progress is to get your body-fat % tested. Getting a DEXA scan done is the most accurate method. Do a Google search for centers in your area. Get a new test done every three months. In between tests, keep track of your measurements and watch your diet closely.

The cool thing about exercise is that if you do it correctly, you can get great results with less than three hours a week. It is more about the quality of workouts than the quantity of workouts you do.