Hi Katie,

So I’m what people call “over-weight” or “fat” and most of the time I just ignore them, but lately it’s been getting harder, and I’m starting to feel like it’s impossible to get this weight off and that I’ll never be at a normal weight.

I was wondering in what are some simple ways to get SOME of the weight off?

Thank you!

Ashley, 13

Dear Ashley,

To lose some weight, here are some things you can start doing:

Start Excersising Every Day! Now you don’t have to run 10 miles a day, just pace yourself and do a little at a time. It is really easy to find excuses why you don’t have enough time to do it, so MAKE yourself! Even if it is just walking for half an hour…every little bit counts. So start off slow and work your way up. Who knows, maybe you will end up running 10 miles!

Start a Food Diary! Get a journal and start recording all the food you eat every day. And BE HONEST! There is something about putting it into writing that makes you see how much you really are eating. You might not even be realizing how much you are snaking until you write it down. So start monitoring your eating patterns and take a good honest look at it and what your should and shouldn’t be eating.

Eat More Fruits and Vegetables! If you start to eat more natural foods such as fruits and veggies you will still be full but you will have consumed less calories. And less calories equals less weight.

Stop Eating Out Of Boredom! Many girls eat for emotional reasons NOT because they are actually hungry. So next time you reach for the potato chips or ice cream ask yourself if you are really hungry or if you are just feeling bored or lonely. You will find 9 times out of 10 that you didn’t really need to eat them.

In addition, your confidence will also increase as you start to lose weight. And as your get more confident, you will start to treat yourself and your body better by eating right and exercising daily. So they really go hand in hand and if you get the right combination of confidence building and a healthy diet and exercise you will start to feel better and look better in no time!

Hey Katie,
I have been a vegetarian for a month and a week now. My family thinks its fine, their totally supporting me. But I’m the only one in my family who is a vegetarian. I’ve tried to persuade them, but they keep saying it’s not for me and all that stuff. So I’m ok with that now, since it’s their choice.

My actual question is that I’ve been dieting and not eating any junk food for a month now. And I plan on still doing it. And I’ve been doing vigorous exercises. All this is to lose weight. I’m 107 right now. I plan on going to 95.

My parents have found out I was on this diet, and they keep telling me I can get hurt, I know I can but I know my extremes. I don’t know if I should listen to them or do my own thing? Any help?

Andrea, 13

Dear Andrea,

Being a vegetarian is a perfectly fine decision to make if that’s what you want to do. Like you said, it’s a personal choice and you can’t convince your friends to want to become vegetarians too. But it sounds like you are becoming a vegetarian to lose weight too.

It’s really easy to start dieting and just want to lose a few pounds and then lose control and obsess over it. A simple diet can become a strict diet where you count every calorie and gram of fat in your food until suddenly that’s all you think about. So just be cautious and aware of what can happen, and that it is very hard to stop once you start thinking about food in this way.

My suggestion to you is if you want to be vegetarian, do it for health reasons, such as you want to be healthy and eat nutritious food. Don’t do it to lose pounds on the scale. The scale does not measure how healthy you are and it is easy to get attached to those numbers and not see that you are risking your health to be a few pounds lighter. If you are focusing on giving your body what it needs, no more and no less, then your body will find its healthy weight on its own.

Many friends of mine have had issues with food and dieting and have had obscured views of what they should and shouldn’t eat, and all of them who have gotten past it have all said they are much happier with their bodies when they aren’t trying count every calorie.

The truth is, if you starve your body, your metabolism will slow way down and you will gain weight more easily because your body wants to hold onto every calorie it can get! This is bad and in the long run you can end up becoming over weight because your body is storing food that it would normally burn because it is afraid of starving itself.

Realize that curves on a woman are beautiful and give her a womanly shape. Guys like this! Guys don’t like girls that are twigs and look like skeletons. So try not to look at your scale to determine what weight you should be…look in the mirror to see how your body proportions look.

And keep in mind that at your age of 14 you are at a vital time for developing into a woman and if you restrict yourself too much on this diet you may end up stunting your growth and not develop properly (i.e. your height and breasts). So give your body a chance to develop properly. Vegetables and exercise are great and healthy choices, just remember to nourish your body, and don’t deprive it.

Hi Katie,

“I need to lose some weight before summer. I’m really active and play sports a lot but

It’s hard for me to get the weight off. I love junk food. Any tips?”

~Mary

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Dear Mary,

You can exercise as much as you want, but if you are still eating junk food you are going to have trouble loosing weight…you will most likely just maintain you current weight. The best thing to do would be to try and find healthier options rather than what you are currently eating.

Now this doesn’t mean that you have to live off of celery sticks and water. You can still have foods that taste good but that are better for you. Good tasting healthy foods that I love are fruit, frozen yogurt, spinach, string cheese, steamed veggies, herbal tea.

And let yourself have some naughty foods once in a while, that is just fine! As long as you don’t overindulge. The quantity you eat is the most important factor to monitor. Cause no matter what food you eat, if you eat a TON of it you will gain weight. So try not to obsess about calories and what the scale says. Try to just focus on nourishing your body and putting good foods in that will make you feel good about eating it.

Also let your mom know that you would like to get healthier and to stop buying junk food for the house so that you are not tempted.

Good luck sweetie!

xoxo

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