Hi, I'm 16, 5 ft 4 n 113kg... I know its wayyyy too much for my size and age but no matter what I do I can't loose any weight. I've tried allsorts, diets, weightwatchers and I've even tried just eating less food and making it more healthy. I generally have about 1200 calories a day and do 45 minutes exercise about 3 days a week. People have told me not to worry but I do worry, I'm scared I'm going to make myself ill and it has given me severe self confidence problems...

Please guys if you have any tips you could give me that have worked for you or someone you knows please share them I really need some help.

Thanks x

Can you post what you eat in a normal day? How are you doing on that 1200 calorie diet?

113kg is on the high side for your height, I would expect to see pretty fast weight loss on 1200 cals.

Hey, I generally eat a bowl of cereal with raisins, a sandwich with a bit of salad, cucumber, carrot pepper etc. and occasionally a bag of crisps a piece of fruit when I get in about 4ish and then my tea which is generally not much like a ham wrap or some chicken with a bit of mash etc I worked it out a couple of weeks ago that my breakfast and lunch is generally 600-700 calories then I don't really measure my tea but I would guess from what I've heard and read it would be between 400-600 calories. I may be completely wrong :/

What kind of cereal are you eating? Even cereals that look healthy at first glance can be deceptive. Make sure you're really looking at that nutrition label. You want to make sure you're actually getting something out of it. And, what kind of sandwich? What kind of bread? What's in it? Are you eating whole grain breads or white bread? Loading it up with mayo and extra cheese or veggies and maybe lean proteins? And do you have dressing on that salad?

Have you talked with your dr about your weight goals? If you really have stuck to the diets you mentioned with no luck, you might want to talk with your dr to make sure its not something else preventing you from losing weight.

I'm eating weetabix or weetaflakes. And I can't stand brown bread so I have the 50/50 stuff and there's usually ham, chicken, cornedbeef or cheese on it. I don't eat mayo or salad dressings or anything like that. And I've spoken to my doctor and he says he doesn't think there's anything he can do to help just to try and eat healthyly

If you are sure about your calories (and most people have no idea how small the recommended portion of cereal is, and usually eat double), and you are not losing weight eating that level of calories, then it might be worth looking further.

Are you apple or pear shaped? Apple shapes tend to carry most of their fat on their belly and waist, and have fairly shapely arms and legs. Pear shapes often have quite small waists, but carry their fat on their hips and thighs and bum.

If you are very apple shaped, it's possible that you are eating too many carbs, and not enough protein and fat. In that case, you'd be better with something like eggs or cottage cheese for breakfast instead of the cereal, and the same filling but a big green salad instead of the bread in your sandwich. And obviously, no crisps, but you can snack on something like raw nuts.

Pear shapes have to do it hard way. They can lose weight on any diet, but it just takes time.

Thanks Eileen. I'd guess I'm more of a pear shape so it looks like I'm just going to have to keep trying. Thanks for your advice.

The good news about that is that pear is a more healthy shape than apples. Pear shapes carry their extra fat in a way that poses far less danger to their health. It just means that getting it off really is the old fashioned thing of eat less and move more.

Mind you, my suggestion about cutting down on refined carbs still holds. Apart from anything else, if you are not eating bread, you're not spreading butter or mayo on it.

No secret to weight loss. Forget about diets.
Simple formula.
Calories in-calories out. That means if you consume more calories than you burn(usually or for the most part through exercise)you WILL gain weight. If you burn (mostly through exercise but sometimes through supplements like CLA and Irvingia that refine metabolism rate or inhibit carbohydrate absorption or consumption-more calories than you consume, then categorically you WILL lose weight!
Now. What are the little tips that make it easier and more effective?
1. Portion size-Most of us eat way more than we need simply because it is there in front of us or because our mother said "Take all you want but be very sure that you eat all you take. There is to be no food wasted in this house!". Try cutting your portion sizes by 1/3 and then by 1/2. You'll be amazed at how quickly you adjust to a whole lot fewer calories and not even be hungry.

2.Stop eating when you feel 1/2 to 2/3 full. Sounds silly but try it in spite of what your mother told you. It takes a little getting used to because of past habits but you can do it!
3. Glycemic Index-In other words-Sweets. Cut down or cut out as much sugar as possible and the first place to look is coffee if you are a coffee hound like most of us are. Try some substitute sweeteners such as Stevia which is many times sweeter than sugar with none of the calories. I won't even get into candy, pastries and other hi carb sweets (Donuts?). Just try to reduce or cut them out altogether.

Finally. The biggest wild card in a weight loss routine? Exercise!!

I don't mean expensive fitness clubs or the YMCA. I just mean, at least at the beginning, just getting out and walking. Walk around the block and then around two blocks and do it every day. Don't tell me that you cannot spare 45 minutes to an hour every day to invest in your own good health and it does not cost you a cent. After you start losing the weight, if you want to accelerate the rate at which you lose you can go onto the internet and get all kinds of ideas as to which exercises are best for you. You can and you know you can. Change will come slowly so don't look for 10 pound weight loss in the first week but you will definitely and permanently lose weight.
The sweetener to this whole deal is two things-How good you feel-mostly because of the endorphins you produce and secondly and probably most important at first are the compliments you receive like how much better you look.

Ultimate goal? You want to get hooked on endorphins which are naturally produced in your body when you exercise. Endorphins kill pain, reduce appetite, improve mood positively and in general give you a heightened sense of wellbeing.

WHO COULD ASK FOR ANYTHING MORE?

I am having the same situation as you are. Almost exactly. Diwlyn, your tip on stopping eating when you are not all of the way full is genius! That hasn't been on any websites I've looked at or anything!

I am sorry I don't really have any tips for you, I was just looking in on your forum to see if there were any good tips.

I wish the best of luck to you, while I try as well.

Oh one good tip, drink A lot of water.