SOO confuced! should I exercise or not???

I wanna lose weight which means that I need to burn more calories than I eat right? soo  to make it faster I've started running, one mile a day but now I'm scared, will this make me heavier on the scale? should I just stop running until I reach my goal weight? I really would like to lose weight faster but I dont know id just running around is the way to go. Can I still build muscle while eating my 1200 calories a day? or just endurance since all I really want to be able to run like mad and not get tired.

Help please!! I also know that muscle weights more than fat but I want to lose the fat not the muscle!!

FYI: I'm 15 years old, 5'3 and weight 135.4 pounds (although yesterday and the day before I had weighted 134.2, which is what made me scared D:)

hello?

At first you may see a slight muscle gain and a slight retention of water weight (which will go back down once you've gotten into the habit of working out). You need to be more worried about your body's shape than the number on the scale. Because working out will help you lose fat, and you may gain slight muscle, which may make the scale stay near to the same for a while. Don't get discouraged! Some things to remember:

1. If you're looking to lose fat, its not just the number on the scale that counts! Look at how your clothes are fitting to determine if you've lost fat or not.

2. You can't gain a significant amount of muscle unless you're eating a calorie surplus.

3. When you weigh yourself every day, you may see changes up to 2lbs up or down, just because of the possibility of water weight fluctuating. Try weighing yourself once a week and just using that number.

4. You ARE within a healthy weight range. So I'd be far less concerned about the number itself, and more concerned about how your clothes fit and how you feel.

As you are only 15 you should be eating a minimum of 1500 calories -- more if you are exercising strenuously on a regular basis. 

As novileigh said -- you can't really gain muscle in a calorie deficit, maybe a little at the very beginning (but only if you are eating enough to begin with), however the gains diminish quickly.

Original Post by fantasy93:

FYI: I'm 5'3 and wirhgt 135.4 pounds (although yesterday and the day before I had weighted 134.2, which is what made me scared D:)

The difference between 134 and 135 pounds is irrelevant, and does not necessarily mean you're gaining weight.  Our weight fluctuates on a day to day basis and can go up or down by as much as 5 pounds just because we ate a lot or are retaining water or are dehydrated.

Running is fine.  It won't build up muscle, but it'll burn some calories, and it certainly won't hurt your weightloss.  If you're going to run, however, at your age you should be eating at least 1800 calories/day - probably 2000-2200 would be a better number.  You're still growing.  If not taller, then your brain is still developing, so you need to consume more calories than the average adult.

Also, please take the time to use the spellchecker provided by this website (the little "ABC" icon up by the smileys).  It'll make it easier for more people to read your posts and help you out.  Nobody's grammar/spelling is perfect, but there are a lot of people who use this site that don't have English as their first language - so it's best if we keep our language clear so they can participate too.

Forget the scale. Use the mirror. Be honest with your self critique. Do 20-40 mins. of cardio3-5 days a week first thing in the morning before eating to burn your fat stores for energy. Take in less calories, no sugars, eat complex carbs-whole wheats,brown rice,oatmeal and lean meats- turkey, fish, chicken and watch your bodyfat and weight drop. Good Luck!

thanks for the replies!! I  guess I should be eating more but when I eat my self esteem drops significantly leaving me restless for the rest of the day.

You gots to eat! You stimulate your metabolism when you eat small portions throughout the day which will help you burn fat/weight in the long run instead of starving yourself. Whatever you do-EAT! A healthy breakfast after your morning cardio will help control your blood sugar throughout the day.

Original Post by fantasy93:

thanks for the replies!! I  guess I should be eating more but when I eat my self esteem drops significantly leaving me restless for the rest of the day.

Low self esteem won't be improved by loosing weight. I would recommend working on it first.

UD

The phrase "muscle weighs more than fat" is completely false. 1 lb of muscle WEIGHS the same as 1 lb of fat. Think about it, 1 lb of A is always going to equal 1 lb of B [1lb=1lb]. Don't let that phrase fool you.

Having muscle BURNS more calories, thus shrinking fat cells (which never go away, by the way). Having muscle is a GOOD thing. Unless if you're doing some serious weight lifting, you are not going to bulk up.

Original Post by mcchampe:

The phrase "muscle weighs more than fat" is completely false. 1 lb of muscle WEIGHS the same as 1 lb of fat. Think about it, 1 lb of A is always going to equal 1 lb of B [1lb=1lb]. Don't let that phrase fool you.

Yeah, but 1 pint of muscle weighs more than 1 pint of fat.  It's slightly lazy terminology (saying "muscle is denser than fat" would be more accurate), but it's no worse than all of the folks who go around spouting off about eating food that doesn't have chemicals in it (*everything* is a chemical - even water) or the organic movement (*all* food is organic; it's made up of carbon).  The terms aren't really technically correct, but everyone knows what you mean so people use them anyway.

"Yeah, but 1 pint of muscle weighs more than 1 pint of fat."

pint is a measure of volume. lb is a measurement of mass. a pound of anything is equal to a pound of another thing. but you're right, a pint of rocks is going to weigh more than a pint feathers. in my explanation i was using mass, not volume.

good day.

Original Post by mcchampe:

"Yeah, but 1 pint of muscle weighs more than 1 pint of fat."

pint is a measure of volume. lb is a measurement of mass. a pound of anything is equal to a pound of another thing. but you're right, a pint of rocks is going to weigh more than a pint feathers. in my explanation i was using mass, not volume.

That's true, but not particularly helpful.  The real point when people say "muscle weighs more than fat" is that a pound of muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat.  We may say we want to lose weight, but we mean we want to be thinner.  I'd rather have more muscle and be a size 6 at 125 lbs. than have less muscle and be a size 8 at 118 lbs. 

Original Post by fantasy93:

thanks for the replies!! I  guess I should be eating more but when I eat my self esteem drops significantly leaving me restless for the rest of the day.

 This comment really worries me.  This is how eating disorders start.  Eating doesn't make you fat, skipping breakfast, having a fastfood lunch, and eating a bag of oreos for dinner makes you fat.  (I'm not accusing you of doing this, it's just to illustrate unhealthy diet habits)  It's not that you eat but what you eat that makes the difference.  Please start by eating a good, balanced breakfast.  It improves brain function.  It fuels your body for a good bit of the day.  It doesn't have to be elaborate, a couple of pieces of whole wheat toast with maybe a little peanut butter (or a hard-boiled egg and the toast), and a piece of fruit.  Your body needs carbs, protein, fat, yes, I said fat, and vitamins.  If you eat something light and healthy for breakfast you'll feel great, energized, and hopefully good about yourself.

About the running.  An active lifestyle is a really good habit to start at your age.  Rival1's cardio plan will get you on the right track.

Best,

Karen

Original Post by kcburk:

Original Post by fantasy93:

thanks for the replies!! I  guess I should be eating more but when I eat my self esteem drops significantly leaving me restless for the rest of the day.

 This comment really worries me.  This is how eating disorders start.  Eating doesn't make you fat, skipping breakfast, having a fastfood lunch, and eating a bag of oreos for dinner makes you fat.  (I'm not accusing you of doing this, it's just to illustrate unhealthy diet habits)  It's not that you eat but what you eat that makes the difference.  Please start by eating a good, balanced breakfast.  It improves brain function.  It fuels your body for a good bit of the day.  It doesn't have to be elaborate, a couple of pieces of whole wheat toast with maybe a little peanut butter (or a hard-boiled egg and the toast), and a piece of fruit.  Your body needs carbs, protein, fat, yes, I said fat, and vitamins.  If you eat something light and healthy for breakfast you'll feel great, energized, and hopefully good about yourself.

About the running.  An active lifestyle is a really good habit to start at your age.  Rival1's cardio plan will get you on the right track.

Best,

Karen

 

Is there a way to do cardio without all the equipment and such? and is 5:40 to 6:40 a good time period for cardio.

Original Post by fantasy93:

 this self hate grows in me and makes me restless, knowing that food was the cause of it just makes me not want to eat so much anymore (along with hurting myself but I wont do that since that leaves bruises and marks, not helping my image at all...)

You really need to talk to someone close to you about these feelings.  Your mother, for example.  Everyone goes through the phase of being a self-conscious teenager.... bodies are developing fast and in ways we're not comfortable with.  There's peer pressure to be part of the crowd.   'Sex' becomes part of the landscape and that can be really daunting.  We want to get boyfriends but we don't feel attractive enough.   You should talk to someone and get their support rather than taking matters into your own hands and possibly doing yourself some damage in the process.

Hurting yourself and hating yourself are not constructive things to do and blaming 'food' (the stuff that keeps us all alive) for your feelings is misplaced.

Forget about losing weight, punishing exercise and extreme calorie-counting for a second.  Instead, work on a healthier diet (this site has some great tips, for example) and being active in ways that are fun.  This will make you feel more positive and less desperate.