A
female
age
26-29,
anonymous
writes: so um...how do you know if you're overweight? every time i go to school i feel like i'm so much bigger that everyone...i am fairly tall to so i always feel like a gigantic freak...none of my friends understand...is there a diet program someone can recommend...i know its silly to want to loose weight but i know that if i'm 20lbs lighter i will definitely feel better about myself...
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female
reader, So_Very_Confused  +, writes (12 June 2012):
 So the goal here OP is to be healthy. Right now I’m a size 8 and I’m not fat but I’m also NOT healthy. I am not getting much exercise and I’m eating like crap….
You need to eat well and get 30-60 minutes of exercise per day…
BMI does not work well for most people… my brother is 5’9” and at one point he weighed 250 pounds. He was obese according to the BMI charts. BUT he had TWO PERCENT body fat. And a 64 inch chest and a set of six pack abs… he was a competitive body builder…
Work hard on getting exercise… walking, yoga, biking.. find what you love and do it.. .and eat well. At your age however your goal is to be healthy.. if you eat properly and exercise a bit (even if all you do is 3 10 minute walks each day for right now) you will naturally find the weight you are supposed to be.
A
female
reader, Honeypie +, writes (12 June 2012):
 Like I said, BMI it's just a guide line, not the pure truth :) I still suggest you go see your doctor. Because you are still growing any kind of food plan and work out plan should be according to YOU. Learning to stay fit the healthy way is a good thing.
Also, don't try and start out too hard, like run 5 miles. It will only "turn" you off. Go for a 30-45 min walk. Get used to that for a bit, then slowly work in other things.
Dr. Oz have some great 5 minute work out videos that are good for people JUST starting out. And you can do them at home.
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/fit-five-cardio-workout
Also if you have a friend who wants to get into shape it can be less boring. Personally, I prefer to work out alone, I hate chatter when I work out :) Thankfully my neighbor has a big lab that they never walk, I get to borrow him on my daily walks. I think HE (the dog) is the biggest reason I don't skimp on the walks in the mornings. I'd hate to disappoint him too :)
You can get your body fat measured at a gym, but I would just start out focusing on getting into a routine and try to concentrate less on your weight, body fat, BMI and so forth and more on just getting active. Some say that getting a GOOD steady workout routine can take 6-8 weeks to establish. It takes for YOU to make the effort.
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A
reader, anonymous, writes (12 June 2012): This is verified as being by the original poster of the questioni understand that maybe bmi isn't correct but i'm weak i have no muscle and thats a fact...so its not because i have more muscle than fat
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A
reader, anonymous, writes (11 June 2012): BMI is horseshit OP I'm overweight according to my BMI and I have a 6 pack.
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A
female
reader, maverick494 +, writes (11 June 2012):
BMI is one of the most flawed systems out there. It holds nothing in account, like muscle mass, gender, build, fluid retention, etc. etc. I know many people who would be defined as overweight by that specific measuring stick, but aren't. Body fat percentages are much more reliable. You can get these checked at your gym and probably doctor's office.
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A
female
reader, Honeypie +, writes (11 June 2012):
BMI is only a guideline. We are NOT all build the same way. And don't forget muscles DO weight more then fat.
Also, don't forget that there are different calculations for people and it goes by age. So don't totally freak. Make the reason you want to change things be for your overall health, not because "society" deems that you have to weight XXX lbs.
And watching what you eat can both be dangerous if you think starvation is the way to go and healthy if you tend to eat past the "full" stage. You CAN starve yourself skinny, but it will come at the costs of your internal organs. So it rather defeats the purpose. The whole :"all I ate today was an apple and 1/2 an M&M" Doesn't work long term. Having 3 meals a day and 1-3 snacks (if hungry) in between is much better. You need food to get your metabolism going. It's knowing WHAT to eat and WHEN to eat it that matters.
Portion control is a good place to start. Same with dropping junk, soda and sugar from your diet. But at your age even more effective would be to start being active on a daily basis. It doesn't mean you have to go to the gym every day, but like I said going for a walk/run/bike ride can be good way to start.
Talk to your mom/dad about nutrition.
Being thin doesn't always = being healthy or happy.
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reader, anonymous, writes (11 June 2012): This is verified as being by the original poster of the questionthanks for the advice...i calculated my bmi like honeypie said and turns out i'm overweight...so i'm definitely going to start watching what i eat and exercising more often...its still really depressing though to find out that according to statistics you actually are overweight...thanks again
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A
female
reader, Honeypie +, writes (11 June 2012):
My oldest daughter is tall. She stand at 5 foot 7 at 12 year old. Thankfully she is mostly comfortable with her body. Her two younger sisters are both "shorties" so at times I'm sure she feels the odd one out, but often they feel just "short". Being a teen/pre-teen means you are still adjusting, still growing.
There is NO perfect MOLD we all need to fit. People with straight hair wants curls, the ones with curls want it straight. Tall girls want to be short and shorter girls wish they could get "just" that inch..
As for your weight, you can go by your BMI (Body Mass Index) however the numbers are JUST a guide line.
http://www.halls.md/body-mass-index/bmi.htm
Dropping 20 lbs is not going to happen overnight and I would suggest you go see your doctor about how much weight you can "stand" to lose and how to go about it the best way. IF you even need to to lose any.
This is YOUR body for the rest of your life. TREAT it well.
Exercise daily. Even if it just a walk. 30-45 min a day at a good pace is a good idea. Or if you have a bike, do a 45- 1 hour ride. Don't "cheat". Do it 5-6 days a week.
Drink water. Good hydration is good for the body, the brain and your overall heath. ( you can always add those MIO flavors if water is too "boring" for you)
Eat right. Again talk to your doctor about nutrition. He/She can help you with the amount of calories you should aim for. STOP eating junk, STOP drinking soda, STOP eating because you are bored and the food/snack is there. LEARN to eat when you are hungry. LEARN to eat the "right" serving sizes.
Eat fibers. Take your vitamins.
Learn to love YOU and YOUR body. It's the only one you have. And most of all try not to compare yourself to other girls. When looking for clothes, look at girls with a similar body type to YOURS for inspiration.
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reader, anonymous, writes (10 June 2012): "none of my friends understand"
Probably because you're not fat OP. Seriously someone would have told you by now if they thought you needed to lose weight.
Go to your doctor OP. That's how you can tell if you're fat or not.
"i'm 20lbs lighter i will definitely feel better about myself..."
How do you know that? What's say that will solve anything? You're still going to be tall and you may well have a large frame genetically which always makes you look bigger. You may not have the body type to ever be "thin" and there's nothing at all wrong with that. Here have a look at all the shapes and sizes women your height and weight come in.
http://www.mybodygallery.com/
It's simple OP, if you don't know whether you're overweight or not that generally means you're not. I've been overweight, it's very obvious.
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female
reader, maverick494 +, writes (10 June 2012):
First establish if you're overweight by going to a doctor and asking him. If he establishes that you are, let him forward you to a dietician. You should not experiment with diets yourself. I did that at your age and ruined my metabolism and I ended up struggling with my weight for years.
As for exercise, join a gym and get with those group classes (typically, a good gym will have group flexibility classes, cardio classes, weight lifting classes or a mix of these). They take up to an hour and it's nice because you won't be your only motivator, you have other people telling you what to do and pushing you without having to pay for a personal trainer. If you can't find a gym nearby, at home programmes like p90x are good (you can download them from torrent sites) but hard because you have to get up and do it.
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female
reader, Anastasia  +, writes (10 June 2012):
 Hi, Sorry to burst your bubble, but you are still a teenager and from a medical standpoint, you're still growing, still transitioning through puberty and still emerging into a wonderful young woman.I wouldn't worry too much if I were you at this stage with regards to your weight unless you ARE overweight. I am not talking about a little pudgy tummy or your bum looks big in these jeans ...I am talking seriously overweight.Get on a scale and then get your height. You can check if your height and weight are in proportion. If you are overweight according to that gauge....then start exercising and eating healthy. But for heaven's sake don't obsess over it and get yourself some sort of eating disorder. You are still a very young person...your pre teen fat is still melting off of you.Enjoy your teens safely and just take care of yourself. Don't get caught up in the whole I need to be a size zero. You are tall...you can't change that....but you will grow into your tallness. Look at Charlize Theron....she was an awkward tall girl in high school...she's stunning now....and NOT a size zero as you can see.Enjoy life.
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A
female
reader, aunt honesty  +, writes (10 June 2012):
 If you feel you are overweight and you want to lose some extra weight then head to your doctor and ask him to forward you to a dietician. Or you could always look around your area for a slimming group.
The best way to lose weight is obviously to exercise. Maybe join a gym or go out running in the evenings. Also it is good to have a healthy diet. It is good to have three stable meals a day. Have a healthy breakfast and then maybe some soup for lunch and then maybe chicken fillet or salmon with veg or salad for dinner, no junk food, if you are hungry in between then have some fruit. Also remember to drink plenty of water, at least two liters a day.
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