I need help!

I'm 14, and I weigh 205 pounds. I've always been overweight and I'm officially tired of it.  I'm tired of being teased, I'm tired of hearing how much bigger and bigger I'm getting. I've been wanting to lose weight for years but I can't seem to stick to exercising everyday, and eating healthy, mainly because I'm the pickiest eater in the world. I hate vegetebales, fruits, salads. The foods that are healthiest for you seem to be the nastiest ones to me. Luckily, I don't look as big as I really am because I'm kinda tall. But I still wanna lose weight. Any help ? Especially with my picky eating. My goal weight is 130 pounds. I want to lose it ASAP. Preferably before August 09 or as soon as POSSIBLE.

Another thing : What exercises are best for thighs? I'm starting Diamond Darlings in a month and a half and my flabby thighs will look horrible in those shorts this year!

--musicxfreak. AKA Alexis.

it's difficult at your age since i'm guessing you're parents do most of your cooking. I know veggies are difficult to eat if you dont like them...i was never a huge veggie fan myself. but im 20...so i live on my own, cook myself. I started making veggies in things like stir frys...or put a light cheese sauce over them (not anymore, cheese is fattening!) now i'm eating veggies and i love them!!! I basically had to force myself for a while. they won't kill you.

Fruits are delicious!!! some people prefere canned (why? probably because they are sweeter??) i prefer fresh, but that me!!

there are some really good microwavable dinners from like Smart ones and lean cusine that are good! some of them are soooo delicous! my favorite is lean cuisine thai-chicken with rice and red peppers! yuuum. Is there some after school activity you can get involved in?? (like workout clubs?...we had them when i was in HS, met SO many great ppl and everyone in the club kinda motivated each other)

Aww!  Yes I agree that it is hardest to eat well when your parents are cooking for you!  But it can be done!  We have on here a recipe analyzer, actually - if you wanted to know how many cals are in your home-cooked food, you could ask your mom or dad what's in it and then portion it.  That helps me lots when I go home!!!  (Especially with my homemade cookies, yum!)  As for eating healthy, I think you're thinking you don't like veggies and other healthy foods 'cause maybe you don't like the way you've always eaten them.  I really like vegetables with nice seasonings and grilled or sauteed (that one's not as good for you, but you can usually get away with 1/2 Tbsp of butter).  I hate hate hate steamed vegetables.  I always thought I hated them in general because the only way my mother ever made them was steamed.  No flavor at all.  But I enjoy other ways.

It's hard, definitely, but I think to lose weight and keep it off you can't just look at it as losing weight.  You have to think about getting healthy.  Everyone wants to be healthy and feel good about themselves... I find when I eat well I feel so much better than when I eat garbage, even if it's in my calories.  (Of course this doesn't stop me from ordering Chinese in if I've got the cals for it, haha!)  At any rate, even if you lost tons of weight eating in a way you hate, as soon as you got it off you'd probably be like, whoo thank goodness, that's over!  Most people just go right back to their old habits if they haven't made a real change in the way they eat.  Jay2daq had a really good idea about Lean Cuisine - that stuff keeps me sane around here some days.  Of course, I also do my own cooking and have a variety of options available to me 24/7 that are healthy... we have a killer salad bar.  But seriously, by keeping tracks of your calories and eating just a little better, I bet you'll see a big difference in the way you feel, and also I bet you'll drop some weight.  Working out helps, too (you get to eat more!).  I personally hate working out but I just put up a workout pre-New Year challenge, so if you wanted some buddies to do it with, come join!  We can gripe together about how much it sucks, haha.  Good luck!  I'm friending you.

Well congrats to you for wanting to live a healthier life.   Your young so its important to be careful with this.  You don't want to get too strict because it may just lead you to failure.  So don't try too much too fast or label foods as bad and such.  Eating in moderation is an important thing to learn.  You can eat the healthiest things in the world and still gain weight because you aren't controlling your portions. 

This site has a lot of good advice/forums to eating healthy.  They can help a lot more than I can.  I don't think I liked vegetables at 14 either but it is an important necessity to our body since it helps give us good nutrients which helps us feel full and give us strength.  Eating healthy really does give you a sort of energy/kick because you know your treating yourself well and it helps you keep moving.  Sprinkling veggies with a couple teaspoons of parmesean cheese can help too.

For working your thighs I suggest you start walking and doing lunges.  Do you have a park nearby or somewhere where theres space to move around.  I would start off slow if you aren't used to exercise and slowly build up.  Walking and lunges is a great start.  Eventually you can start doing sprints and running.  Make sure you stretch before and after so you prevent any injuries.

Goodluck!

Welcome to CC+. C:

I'm brutally honest, if you're not ready for that, only read the "Things To Remember" part of my post.

Last year I was pretty much in your situation, 14, 200lbs, and sick of it.  My parents never did any cooking or meal planning, so I really just ate whatever was lying around the house, and it was usually the cheapest junk in the store. 

What helped the most for me is to step up and take on the task of the shopping and cooking.  I decided that every week I would write the menu with singular dinners (that I would then cook and serve) for the whole family, and multiple options for breakfast/lunch/snacks/desert (that everyone could make themselves, since we have different schedules) that were easy and most of all, healthy. 

If you hate fruits and vegetables, you're just going to have to grow up and get over it. You could try eating as "clean" as you can possibly get for at least three weeks.  This means lots of fruits and vegetables, and little to no processed foods.  By processed, I mean packaged, premade, etc.  If the ingredients list is longer than 5 items, don't put it in your mouth.

After eliminating chemical laiden junk food for a while, you'll probably find yourself growing a liking for particular fruits and vegetables.

Experiment with flavours, exciting tastes and textures, instead of salty or sweet.  Most fast food and prepackaged foodproducts have no real flavour, and after improving my eating, I don't like a lot of the junk I used to.  I tried a Chips Ahoy Chocolate Chunk cookie the other day, and all I could taste was chemicals.  I didn't finish it.

There's a whole world of food out there that's healthy, and delicious, you just have to make the effort to find it.

Things to remember:

• Healthy weightloss is no more than 2lbs per week (usually only 1lbs is a good goal), don't push it. 
• It takes 3500 calories to make up a pound.
• CC's calculators are not accurate for you because of your age.  Use one like this, designed specifically for children and teens.
• You need 5-9 servings of fruits and veggies every day, don't neglect them.
• DO NOT OBSESS ABOUT CALORIES.  You're a prime target for Predator ED.  Watch yourself, if you get too weight-loss-oriented, take a break, ok?
• Read this, this, this, this, and this before you do anything.  They're important.

Good luck! :D

^^^^ You're pretty smart for a 15 year old.

Impressive.

Hi! I started losing weight at a pretty high weight for my height. One day I stepped on the scale and noticed 9 lbs had just disappeared. That's when I started losing weight conciously. My first step was just to exercise - and not like2 hours a day, at first it was just being outside more, walking a little, not getting in front of the TV but go out when I felt bored. I worked and got in better shape.

It was only a bit later when I started even THINKING about what I ate. I left out some foods I didnt really need; cakes, chocolate milk, sugar-bomb yoghurts, buns, pastries, cookies... That went on for a while. THEN I started to eat veggies and learned to love them. Nowadays my friends always ask me why do I eat so much salad at the school cafeteria. I love it, it's healthy and really helps with weight loss!

You shouldn't try to do it all at once. Slowly, step by step, and in time it will start feeling like you're not dieting at all.

the following thread was created by two caring, well informed CC moms

Weight Management for Teens and Kids

I hope you'll find lots of information you can use.  Share it with your parents!