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!
15 year old looking for advice
- Thread starter gflag753
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dmajor2012
New member
@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.
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.
@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.
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
- I agree with the first comment on diet. Yo cannot control your food options, but you can control what you eat and your portions. Choose the heather options presented. First is the biggest factor for weight loss. So eat at a slight caloric deficit.
- Exercise. You don't have access to a gym. But you can do r/bodyweightfitness. The wiki on this sub also has a link to some body weight exercises. My son did that plus a pull up bar and made some nice gains in 6 months.
geraldinnechan5117
New member
@gflag753 I am no medical professional but to be honest, when I was fat the "advice" they gave me was extremely vague and pretty unhelpful. I am gonna give you some tricks and tips that helped me get skinny:
-when you go shopping, try to resist the urge to buy high-calorie snacks. You gotta resist for like 20 minutes, but when you buy them, you gotta resist 24/7 and that's just no possible
-drink as much water as you can when you are eating. when you are eating salty meals, just drink water after every third bite. This way, your stomach is going to be full of water and you'll feel full.
-if you don't feel like exercising, just don't do it. The truth is that many people just set their goals way too high and when they fail, they start to overeat to cope with it.
-hit the gym as soon as you hit 16, fat people are strong, there is no denying in that. Chances are that you are the strongest guy in your class so why not take advantage of it? As you will lose fat, you will gain muscle
-when you go shopping, try to resist the urge to buy high-calorie snacks. You gotta resist for like 20 minutes, but when you buy them, you gotta resist 24/7 and that's just no possible
-drink as much water as you can when you are eating. when you are eating salty meals, just drink water after every third bite. This way, your stomach is going to be full of water and you'll feel full.
-if you don't feel like exercising, just don't do it. The truth is that many people just set their goals way too high and when they fail, they start to overeat to cope with it.
-hit the gym as soon as you hit 16, fat people are strong, there is no denying in that. Chances are that you are the strongest guy in your class so why not take advantage of it? As you will lose fat, you will gain muscle
@gflag753 You might want to use a calorie counting app to be a bit more conscientious about how much you are eating. Also my main suggestion would be to move as much as you can. For instance, try cutting down on TV time, pop your headphones and go for a walk. You can even get friends to join in so that it's more fun!