15 year old looking for advice

[gflag753]

Hi everyone in 15 male years old and from Australia. I weigh roughly 90kg. I'm currently in a situation where I have recognised my weight and acknowledged that ist a problem. Many people in my family have passed away from health related issues as a result of unhealthy life styles. 12+ people in my close family have died from cancer and my mum has had breast cancer twice. The genetic likelihood is very high. I have recently gotten a girlfriend and I want to begin a weight loss and health journey for her and my personal well being. Currently I cannot access a gym until 16 years of age. I go to boarding school so I cannot control my meals. I am aware I am eating unhealthy snacks excessively. I also have a bad habit of eating whilst bored and watching tv which I have heard is bad as it forms a correlation. Until a gym I will primarily loose weight by running. At school I do minimal exercise unless forced to for pdphe. Which can include swimming half the year and footy, soccer ECT. On the weekends I work 9-6 (sometimes 9-2) and then 9-2 on Saturday and Sunday. What are some tips people have for me? What are some healthy and easy options for meals I can make in a dorm in rural Australia. Given my current situation what should the distance of my running be and how hard should I be. Basically I'm asking for help. What would a plan look like and how can I be generally healthier. Please feel free to ask any questions you deem relevant that could have info I needed to help me. Thanks everyone!

 

[dch]

@gflag753

I go to boarding school so I cannot control my meals.

You can control portion size.

I am aware I am eating unhealthy snacks excessively. I also have a bad habit of eating whilst bored and watching tv which I have heard is bad as it forms a correlation.

Don't snack.

 

[gflag753]

@dch Thanks. Anything I can do for like the fitness side?

 

[dch]

@gflag753 Play sports, swim, lift

 

[dmajor2012]

@gflag753 Get a training partner and make urselves accountable for each other. Train your mind and meditate ...understand the difference between feelings, emotion and thought. Learn to bypass negative thought and think positive about the changes you wish to make. Visualise your end goal daily.

 

[ryankeith]

@gflag753 First of all, good for you acknowledging that you are currently on an unhealthy path, that is the first step.
About the cancer in your family, it has been proven that having and maintaining a good muscular mass improves survival rates and also correlates with less likelihood of getting such diseases in the first place. Same thing with keeping your body fat levels under control.

For me, one part of the solution was looking very closely at the labels and especially at the contents and nutrition facts of what I was used to eat before, I did a little bit of research on the additives also, that made me realise how unhealthy most of processed foods are.
After that I was much more mindful of what I wanted to put in my body, and in what quantity.

About the physical exercise, it is paramount that you identify what sports or activities you find enjoyable. The more you like your routine, the more you will stick to it. For me it was biking in the woods before I was able to get access to a gym.

Finally about the snacking part, you can easily replace what you eat with fruit such as apples and also nuts and seeds. Anything whole will always be better than something coming from a factory.
Most importantly lose the habit of eating high sugar foods, they are the ones that makes us overeat, and increase likelihood of getting diseases.

Hope these few tips will help you.

 

[chesed73]

@gflag753 For running, immediately focusing on distance might not be the best idea depending on how much you can run now. If you don't already run I'd recommend trying out a couch to 5k program. I used an app (the NHS England one) that lets you play music/podcasts normally and just dips the volume and comes on over the top to tell you when to run or walk. By the end of the program you'll be taken from wherever you are now (I failed even the first day quite miserably) to being able to run for half an hour (which is generally about a 5k).

Besides the exercise you get, and improving your endurance and fitness a ton, I found it really boosted my confidence in exercise too. There were times I'd look at the day's run and think there was no way I would be able to do it and run for so much longer at all, but I'd give it a go and push through just fine. I was incredibly unfit when I started and seeing the massive (and fast) progress I made run to run was a real boost. Plus, it's free and doesn't take all that much time. Speaking as a former teen who only exercised when forced to in school, doing couch to 5k was probably the first time I felt like exercise could make me feel motivated or like I accomplished something, and if not fun then at least not horrible. I actually wanted to do it.

 

[gflag753]

@chesed73 Thanks very helpful. Glad to find someone with experience in my current situation. I have done research and came across it. Definitely going to try it. Thanks!