what i've noticed here is that everyone's old. well compared to me, i'm only 16. i'm about 5'4" and used to weigh about 202 lbs =X

i've always been overweight and always tried to lose weight; but mostly through "dieting." i say "dieting" because i was a ditzy girl that thought skipping meals was the way to go, haha.

but this summer (august) i joined the gym that my dad goes to (also overweight). paying the expensive $70 monthly fee really forces me to go and exercise! so i usually go 3 times a week for approximately an hour. and so far i've lost 6lbs!

that's a loss even less than 1 lb/week but i'm still pretty excited because it's my first. successful. weight. loss. EVER. like in my whole life.

so all that ^ was background info. what i really wanted to ask is this:

should i be doing anything differently because i'm younger?

just to let you know what i've been doing:
- monday: strength training, then ~40 minutes cardio
- wednesday: strength training, then ~40 minutes cardio
- thursday: cardio ~60 minutes

for my strength training, i'm doing this xpressline thing found in NYSC (new york sports club) gyms. here's a link: http://www.mysportsclubs.com/programservices/xpres sline/_station1.htm

and for my cardio, i'm doing the elliptical. i'm not ready to try running yet, and i'm not bored by the elliptical, because i can watch TV at the same time

for every hour of cardio i burn 500-700 calories, depending on how hard i work out. i burn approximately 10 calories for every minute.

as for my diet, it's not great. but compared to what it used to be... it's like a vegan diet! i used to have FRENCH FRIES EVERY SINGLE WEEKDAY. this is because it was included in my SHCOOL LUNCH. how could i possibly resist? but now, my schedule is full and i don't have a lunch period, so i have to pack my own lunch. therefore, no more french fries.

so like i said, should i be doing anything differently because i'm 16? how can i optimize diet/workout to be losing fat more rapidly? (i'd like to be able to lose at least 1 pound per week, LOL)

thanks for all your help in advance, and also for reading this ginormously long post! :P

ps: i don't have any motivators! i need some motivators!

pps: oh, and one more thing! every other schoolday i have gym class. and right now we're working with ab balls! (stability balls) just thought i'd let you know..

Welcome Sue. I'm happy to see that you've taken the first step in becoming healthy. It's not easy, but the end result will be well worth it. I'm 24 years old, so hopefully I'm not one of the one's you are calling old

It sounds to me like you are on the right track with your exercise. You didn't talk much about your diet, all you said that it was much better than before. Along with eating foods that are low in fat and calories, you still need to concentrate on eating a well-balanced diet. You should be eating lots of fruits and vegetables, but be sure to get some protein in there as well. Like you said, losing 1 pound per week is optimal, so you don't want to go crazy and starve yourself.

You are off to a great start. Keep up the hard work and the results you want will follow.

hi brandon! no i don't consider 24 to be old

to talk more about my diet, i created another thread:
http://www.traineo.com/8_394_0.html

and thank you for the encouragement!

It's good to hear that I'm still young and hip

Sue, i was in your arena. All my life since about 3rd great ive been on the heavy side. Im 28 now. 4 years ago i decided i need a lifestyle change. I never used the word diet. I'm never on a diet. Diets fail. Lifestyle changes are permanent. They are things that take time. Time to break all the bad habits that you have accumulated over (in your case) 16 years. It took you 16 years to get there and will take time to get where you want to be.

In 4 years I've lost 40 lbs, and it has stayed off, only fluctuating 5lbs or so over the years depending on the time of year. I didnt do anything strenuous. I didnt join a gym. There was no magical diet plan...and i didnt do it alone.

My plan was:

1. every time i ate something, ask myself is this good for me? You have to listen to yourself and tell yourself the truth. Telling yourself i know its not isnt enough. You have to realize what lying does.

2. Learn what the correct food portion size is. I learned this in a nutrition class in college. You will be surprise at how little food we require. If you ever to a high class restaurant you will notice how small food portions are. Those are pretty close to what you want.

3. Never deprive yourself. You will make yourself sad and depressed because you arent eating the things you love to eat. GO EAT THEM. Just have a taste. You're just starting out. Listen to your body and and over time it will tell you what it does and does not like. (See item number 1)

4. When eating out share with someone. If you are alone, pack half togo right away...no matter what it is...Save the other half for lunch(and save money) the next day or give it to a homeless person.

5. My only excercise was walking. Grab a pedometer. Goal 10,000 steps a day.

6. Tell everyone what you are doing. I started at home. Told my parents and now they dont eat as much. My dad and I go eat at Denny's sometimes and buy one grand slam split it and still have food togo. I used to be able to eat the whole thing. No watching someone eat that makes me sick.

7. Get rid of your big clothes. If you dont keep your big clothes you have nothing to go back to.

4 years later ive maintained the weight loss and now have a goal of getting under 200 lbs. Im 5'11" and have a big frame and I havent been under 200 since jr high. I've finally joined a gym with your same motivation, pay the high premium and you had better go otherwise you are wasting money.

Good luck on your journey and welcome to traineo community