I went to the doctor's yesterday and he tells me that since I'm 5'2 and I'm 169.5 pounds that I am considered obese. I don't think I'm that big and others tell me I am not. My doctor suggested losing 10-15 pounds. I would like to see it happen but it's hard for me to lose the weight and exercise hasn't really helped. Is there anything I can do? People laugh when I say I'm overweight and obese and they find it hard to believe. MY BMI is a 30.

Are you male or female?

There is no easy way to lose weight - diet and exercise work. Little things like celery and carrots for snacks, water at mealtime, no soda help.

What size clothing do you wear?

With a 30 BMI, you are right at what would be considered the boarder of being obese depending on what figures you use. Obese does not need to be 300 pounds.

Regardless, you need to lose weight and lose it in a healthy manner. Think health, not just weight.

Did your doctor give you any suggestions while you were there?

The first step, and it can be quite a challenge, is to change your eating and exercise habits. Try to do some sort of exercise, walking is a good start, every single day. If you can't get outside, try using an exercise dvd or just do some moves on your own. You can exercise during commercials when you watch television for example. Buy some 3 or 5 pound weights and use those as well. Get up a half hour earlier to get some exercise in at that time. Often it can help to take care of it early as it is easy to find excuses not to do it later in the day! Join a class or gym... some people find it helps to work out with others. Maybe get a friend to join you. But do something, anything, every day. It will take a few weeks or so, but then it will be easier as it will start to become more of a habit and part of your routine. Before long you will likely find that you sleep better, feel more rested, feel stronger, and look forward to getting moving.

Look at what foods you have in the house. If you live on your own you can make your own selections. If you live with your family, you can still be part of making the choices of what is purchased and brought into the house. Get your family onboard to help you. Odds are they may be benefit from losing a few pounds as well! Eat more fruits and veggies... get some prepared and set in containers so that they are easy to grab when you want a snack. Make it a point to drink more water throughout the day... cut out sodas, even diet sodas which are actually worse for you than regular. Choose lean meats and have some protein at every meal. At breakfast it could be from yogurt or a bit of peanut butter on toast for example.

If you eat fast food, cut back on how often you go and choose only a kid's meal when you do. You don't necessarily have to give up the goodies, just watch how often and how much you have. Better to have 3 cookies instead of 8. Even better, don't have any at all... easier said than done, I know... :) Read labels on foods. A good guide to look for: no more than 3 grams of fat per 100 calories. Avoid transfats... limit tremendously saturated fats, avoid as well when possible. Look also for sugar and sodium amounts. Be careful of serving sizes! Most people eat 2-3 servings without realizing it. When you see the numbers on a label, watch that you don't end up double or tripling what you are having because you eat the entire package! Very common mistake!

When you eat out, plan to take half of it home for another meal. Restaurant meals are most often more than a single serving.

These are just a few ideas, but you need to keep at it. It will be difficult at first. You will have days where you find reasons not to get moving or you will eat too much of something. Don't beat yourself up over it, just get back on track. As you see some progress, it will get easier. Think slow and steady and consistent. You didn't put the weight on overnight, don't expect it to come off that fast either.

I don't drink soda. Mainly iced tea and water. Im an 18 year old female. I wear a size 13 pants. Sometimes 13 are too big and 12s are sometimes too small. I hate how certain pants make me look like I have a muffin top. I wear a size large top but can fit into mediums

Keep on exercising! Exercise works over time; you can't just expect to lose weight overnight.

Also, make sure you're eating a healthy diet. Like, maybe eat an apple instead of a doughnut for a snack?

Hope this helps!