i have no idea what im doing.

kamrey

Okay, so I'm 17 and trying to start being a better me. My family has awful eating habits so I'm taking charge of my own health and fitness but I have no clue how to start or what to do. I have prom on march 28th and I graduate June 4th. I'd love to feel and look a bit healthier by then. I'm 17 I weight 185 pounds and I'm 5"1. Any suggestions? Thank you!

mymodernbabylon

As an under 18 year old, you should really be on Spark Teen versus MFP. But...as you are here go to the stickies above and read about TDEE & deficits. There's a lot of info to learn. If you have questions after that, come on down and ask them!

KickboxDiva

@Kamrey I'm happy for you that you found this particular forum. I wish I had known at 17 that you don't have to use fad diets and starvation to be a healthy weight. There is no secret, no pill, no new plan that is better than just nutritious food and movement. I would have found it by now! My idea then of losing weight was to just eat one piece of pizza, stay hungry as long as possible and drink diet soda. I was just talking today to my own daughter who loves to live on sugar, fruit, and simple carbohydrates. I'll tell you what I told her. Don't worry so much about what you think of as "bad" food. Instead of thinking in terms of subtraction think about adding. What can you add to your life that will make you feel energetic, strong, healthy?

First ADD water. Drink water all the time and try to hit your water goals. I don't go anywhere without a water bottle. Think about the basic nutrition guidelines about fiber, fruit, vegetables, lean meats, healthy fats, and nutritious complex carbohydrates. ADD those to your daily food intake. Choose them first. (High sugar foods, fast food, and sodas may sometimes be ok calorie wise but think about if they are contributing to your Calcium, Vitamins, Fiber, ect that your body needs to be healthy)

ADD movement you enjoy several times a week. Walk your dog or with a friend, go to zumba, dance, learn to lift, martial arts, sports. Try them all out and find what you enjoy doing because there will be something you love and it's much better to love it than to feel punished!

ADD sleep- I never feel like working out if I am tired and I also eat worse when I'm tired too.

When I do this approach I have the best results. There were times at your age I felt like it was NO FAIR that I couldn't eat the same as those skinny girls! So I would try try try and be too strict then give up. It's harder when you are still young and in high school and college I think. I know I always felt like something was being taken away when I tried to lose weight. Try giving yourself health by ADDING in good things to your life. Best of luck to you!