[stressed_out_17]

Ok I'm 17 and I need help losing weight. I'm now 5'5'' and weigh 243 pounds. Yes I know that's a lot but I try so hard to lose weight but nothing works. I don't need someone's criticism I need tips. I run 2 miles in the morning and then I walk stairs and walk a lot during the day. If I have time after work, I run more at night. I try not to eat fast food and I gave up pop almost a year ago and haven't had it since. I eat fruits and vegetables and drink a lot of water. I don't get a lot of sleep though. I am very busy and especially during the summer I don't sleep a lot. I have a something called chiari malformation and I had to have brain surgery. It caused my spine to curve and now I have scoliosis. It wasn't supposed to get any worse but it is continuing to get worse. It's now at a 45 degree curve. They said I need to have surgery to fix it now because my spine is now going into my chest and they said it's going to start affecting my breathing because it will start touching my lungs. The only problem is they said that I can't have the surgery right now because of my weight. They said that they could fix it but most likely it will get pulled down or something because of my weight and it won't do any good. I need to lose the weight so I can fix my back. I'm scared. I don't want it to affect my breathing. One of my biggest fears is not being able to breathe so I am now desperate to lose weight one way or another. Safely of course though. Again I say I DO NOT need criticism because I need help right now.

[mudweiser]

You need to see your doctor first BEFORE exercising and starting a new diet.

He will know what's best for you and maybe even give you a send you to a good nutritionist.

Your on the right track- but you need to ask your doctor what types of excericises you should and should not be doing!

Good luck.

Keep us posted.

Sarah

[Just Dahlia]

Wow, it sounds like you are doing everything right. Diet and exercise that's the trick. It just takes time. :(

Has your doctor given you any advice?

Is running that much OK with your back problems and your weight?:confused:

EDIT. You need to worry about your heart too.

[stressed_out_17]

My doctor just says eat right and exercise but that's what I'm doing and I've been doing this since April and nothing's happened

And about running that much... I actually like running. The thing about my weight is I actually have a lot of muscle so I don't look like I weigh 243 I do karate and kick boxing and I'm a 3rd degree black belt so I'm strong. Lol I told my doctor how much I'm running and she said it's fine.

[mudweiser]

Okay fewf as long as you got your doctor's okay. I didn't want to recommend you to do various things have it lead to you being bed ridden or get sick.

Since you are active I'd like you to keep in mind that you may not see the pounds shed since your probably gaining muscle. If anything get a tape measure and record the inches you are losing, these are far more important than pounds.

Hmm well I have a couple of things you can do:

•Increase you cardio time, cardio burns fat!
This includes:
•Jogging
•Swimming
•Jumping Jacks
•Speed Walking
•Jumping Rope
•Skiing ← I understand you may not be able to do this now, but I'm just putting it "out there"
•Biking
•Step Aerobics
•Rowing
•Rock Climbing
And my favorite: Handball

•Drink more water & cut down on other beverages;it is very important that we drink 8 to 10 eight-ounce glasses of water a day. You will need drink even more when you are doing your exercise. In case you didn't know, this can help your metabolism also. Try to cut down on your fruit juices. Instead, it's better to eat the whole fruit because it will give you the fiber and vitamins your body needs and less calories as compared to a glass of fruit juice.

•Try your absolute hardest to sleep more; get 8 hours of good sleep, you will not only feel refreshed and recharged, but you will find yourself losing some weight. Recent scientific research has shown that people with insufficient sleep tend to have difficulty to lose weight and tend to get other health problems too.

I found this article very helpful for my own personal weight loss. Nothing fancy; just facts that are healthy for you!

7 Simple Steps To Lose Extra Weight And Tone Up For Your Summer

Good luck!

Sarah

[LisaB4657]

Sarah gave you some great advice for exercise. Here's some advice concerning food: No sugar, no bread, no potatoes, no rice. Get your carbs from vegetables and fruits instead. Eat plenty of protein (chicken, fish, meat) to keep building new cells.

[Fr_Chuck]

If you are keeping your eating under control, you need to track eating habits, and perhaps you have some other problem causing this, you need to follow up with your doctor

[stressed_out_17]

I appreciate everyone input and support! Thank you!

[littlesexy58423]

Welll number one not going to put you down... Your actually making an effort and to me it seems like your doing everything right.. lots of water exercise healthy of course! Pray pray pray is what I can say and I hope everything works out God Bless ! <3

[stressed_out_17]

Thanks! :)

[stressed_out_17]

ok you gain weight when you don't get sleep beleive me i know from experience

Ok Well I will just have to start sleeping more. Thank you :)