Hi I'm new and I have a question as well

allybally

Well since this is the introduce yourself board, I'll do just that.
Hi I'm Ally and I'm fifteen years old (Shhhhhhhh.) I live in Pennsylvania! I tried losing weight and using this site and failed miserably once, but I'm determined to try again! The reason why I want to lose weight is because all summer I was embarrassed of my body and being in a bikini, I want to change that this year so by next summer I'll feel better. I'm less concerned about what the scale reads, I just want to look good. So if I only lose a bit of weight, but I have a flatter tummy ect, I won't mind much.

But my question is how do you lose weight the right way? I don't believe in fad diets much at all (I've tried.) and I don't want to deprive myself of the foods I love completely. Moderation is key right? But even if I eat 1200 calories a day, and I only burn off say 400, wouldn't I be gaining weight? Should I be exercising more? I understand that you need to burn of more calories then you take in, but how on earth do you do it in a healthy way? I've been looking for an answer everywhere and I can't seem to find it.

Thanks and friend me if you like I've been using this site personally at first, but I'm looking for people to help me out and talk to me and such, I've been getting lonely. :sad:

Goddess111682

As far as eating healthy, stay away from eating lots of junk food, and fast foods, and so long as your burning 400 cal per 1200 input you should start to tone up! friend me if you like, Im losing weight as well as toning!

CindiBryce

But even if I eat 1200 calories a day, and I only burn off say 400, wouldn't I be gaining weight?

No. You will be losing weight. 1200 is the minimum amount of calories professionals recommend eating to lose weight. If you burn off 400, you will have a net caloric intake of 800.

Manapaws

dont try and lose weight fast. I find when i am hungry or have that sweet tooth i will drink water. I will drink about 2 gallons of water in a day. Monitor your intake. Since your 15 dont stress over losing weight, if you monitor your food intake you will lose the weight by next summer. If you can get some strength training and cardio this will assist and speed up the process.

onelilredhen

the 1200 calories that you mentioned, are probably the base calories that you use while doing absolutely nothing.... to keep this body going, it takes calories to beat the heart, use the lungs, etc, etc, (biology) any activity that you do above that will use even more calories.... the average person uses approx 1800 calories in an average day, doing basic activities of daily living, (walking to the kitchen to stare in the frig, going to school, walking in and out of the house, and on and on and on..... so you do need a base of calories such as your 1200 and then activities will raise that number, so you do need to eat such things, think healthy, your basic food groups, pyramid or what ever they are teaching at school these days.... veggies, fruit, meats, and you do need those dairy products, as your bones are still growing.
basic diet 101, eat less exercise more, but use logic aqnd moderation, starvation will get you nowhere, but frustrated, angry and set up for failure...
stay away from processed foods, fast foods, read labels and pay attention to the numbers on this site, as they are excellent tools for where you need to go!
good luck!!!

philOHIO

whoa! Your body burns 1200 calories or more not doing anything! Eating less than 1200 calories isn't nearly enough, unless you want to die. You need to eat lean meats, veggies, fruits, and a small amount of fats (like snacking on a handful of almonds between meals). Best to talk to a doctor, first. If not, then read up. Self Magazine is a good "girls" magazine with sensible weight loss tips. Exercise, even if it means just a walk after school or a short bike ride.

philOHIO

Good luck

DiamondRubyMom

First of all let me say you really don't look like you need to lose weight. 15 is an important time in you life for your body. Your body really does need a little fat around your middle, hips, etc. to perform basic functions like ovulation. If you just need some confidence then try an activity like sports, band, debate team, or math team.
To the question at hand. Your body needs about 1800 calories a day to survive your daily activities. This site calculates for you your BMI or basil metabolic rate. BMI is the number of calories you body would use if you were in a coma all day. 1800 calories is closer to the actual number you burn just by going to class and cleaning your room. This site takes an estimated number of calories you burn based on weight, height, age, activity level, etc. to reach a number of calories burn a day (let's say 1800 ) then it calculates the number of calories you need to burn to lose weight ,3500 per pound, and subtracts that from the 1800 calories you burn a day. It then arrives a the maximum calories you should eat a day to succeed at your goal, 1200 cal. The site will not recommend you to go below 1200 as lots of research has shown that if you eat too little, your body thinks you're starving and lowers you metabolism to keep you from burn too many calories. This is why you should always eat back any calories you burn while exercising to prevent you body from going into starvation mode. It seems un-logical but you need to eat in order to lose weight. search the archives for many discussions about how much to eat.