My names Jacob, And I need some help.

JacobWillow

Hello my name is Jacob. I am fifteen years old Im 5'7 and i weigh 229 lbs. I am overweight, and so is most of my family and this is why I'm asking for help. Im not looking for a get slim fast program, I'm looking for a program that will help me over time get smaller.

I don't want to live a lifestyle of being overweight, where after 30 seconds or less of running I'm out of breath. I want to be healthy, want to eat healthy, I want to be fit. I need help. I don't want to be the fat kid anymore. Usually I wake up, got to school, and have no physical activity other than walking form class to class, then i get home sit at my computer and that's it, I know its unhealthy, and I'm trying to change, so please, someone help me.

Other: my ideal workouts are cardio workouts.

What i would like to know is what is a healthy calorie intake for me?

What are some good cardio workouts?

Should I jog, and how long for?

What kind of things should I be eating?

Please help me, I need to change to so that i can live a healthy, better life.

brittneysegel

MFP helps you calculate calorie intake. I personally don't eat back my work out calories and that is something that is argued about all over by nutritionists and everyone on here but I feel, if you have a lot of extra body fat and AT LEAST eat 1200 calories+ a day then you should be fine. I do not suggest jogging at first, work your way up to that. Go for walks and gradually increase your pace, judge how your body feels. Jogging and running is super hard on your joints ESPECIALLY if you're over weight. All the research I did about starting a new diet says don't drop your calorie intake drastically right away because it'll crash your metabolism, slowly decrease your intake week by week. Start your diet by counting your calories EXACTLY for one of your normal days. If you have a normal intake of 3500, drop it to 3000 this week, 2500 next week, 2000 the week after and then go to what ever myfitnesspal says to do. Being healthy and in shape is a huge lifestyle change and I'm sure it'll be hard since you're young and your food is purchased for you but do the best you can do and it'll work out! Good luck!

JacobWillow

Thank you for the support and the purchase, it's kind of weird knowing that i'll have to change my lifestyle, But I think I can push through it.

MeMyCatsandI

Jacob, read this post: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
This is some of the best and most accurate info you will find on this site.
Good luck to you.

Victory1511

I agree with what Brittney posted. Count your calories on a normal day and then lower them part by part .

A good way to become active is to reward yourself. When you get home from school, go for a 30 minute walk and reward yourself with 30mins of computer time.

Charz612

Hey Jacob,
Good on you, this is the first step in a great and satisfying journey!! MFP has been amazing for me, heaps of ideas, support and information. I recommend reseraching TDEE and BMR, you will be able to calculate your calories using these theories and be able to start losing weight in a healthy way!!

I can't answer all your questions and I'm certainly not a professional, but I can tell you that I love to ride my bike and I love to swim or do water exercise. Part of the reason I like these exercises is because they burn heaps of calories and also they are low impact on your body. Some people may think it is a good idea to jog, but for me, it's no good, because of my weight (123kg = 271lbs) jogging puts way too much stress, pressure and impact on my feet, ankles and knees and is causing me more health problems. In saying that I hope some day that I can run and run and run. Once I achieve a couple of my mini weight loss goals I will start to try to jog again, in the meantime it's the bike and pool for me!! However, if you want to jog, the "Couch to 5k" is a great way to start off, I did it for a while untill I had too many problems with my legs and feet. It works!!!

As far as food goes, I have found that health wise it's much better to eat real food, not processed stuff. I have cut down on a lot of carbs like bread, pasta and rice (not completely because I still love them) and now substitute with heaps of vegies and fruit (I have to say, it's so fun coming up with new food preperation techniques, I really enjoy cooking and eating now!!)

I have an open diary and if you would like to you can add me as a friend.

Good Luck!!!

msopher

My only hesitation writing back is that I too have questions about what I'm doing, so I don't want to pretend I'm some kind of expert at this. Far from it.

But... it's hard and Jacob, you're not alone. My best and biggest piece of advice is, make a routine. The kind of cardio you do, or weight lifting you do, or whatever, matters less than consistency... matters less than showing up. The first time I lost weight in a serious way I went swimming 5 days a week. I picked swimming because it's amazingly good for your heart and you don't have to sweat or huff and puff. Yes, you have to push yourself, but it's a different sensation than going full-throttle on a treadmill. If you have access to a pool (maybe at your school?) then it's something to consider... most effective full-body work out I've ever found.

That said, if you like running, than make yourself go for 20-30 minutes a day.... if you're having a tough time at with endurance at the beginning, gauge it by distance instead of time... make yourself go 2 1/2 miles combining walking, running, sprinting, and jogging... push yourself, but prioritize finishing over going fast. Maybe get a heartrate monitor--- that's what people always told me, but I never used a heartrate monitor so I have nothing to add.

I don't like running--- I'll do it, but too infrequently to be effective on its own, and I don't have access to a pool anymore... but, I love yoga. So, that's what I'm doing this time: yoga every day. It's on my calendar like going to work or going to class. If a friend asks me out for drinks, I don't go if it conflicts. Sure, sometimes I'll miss yoga, but I treat it the same way as I would a meeting at work... occasionally I need to miss meetings too, but rarely, and when I do I make them up.

You can do this, Jacob! I hope that helps some... and if I can help, let me know.

wisconsinboogie

Well Jacob, at your age it must be very difficult, its awsome that you reached out and want help. How cooperative is your family with loosing weight. It will be hard if all your food choices are unhealthy at home.Make a list of healthy food for your mom to buy for you. My key to eating healthy and getting exercise, is baby steps, small changes daily or weekly, set small goals every week for yourself, and award yourself when you acomplish them.Food wise it can be easy,dont eat whiite processed food, like anything made with sugar, or white flour, or fat, eat white meat fish chicken, turkey, and fresh fruit and veggies, and drink water, 3-4 water bottles/day.You need to get up and Move!!! Walking is the best start, do stairs where ever you can, does your school have a gym, or workout room, if it does use it when you can, ask gym teacher for advise. If you need support feel free to friend me for advise, good luck!