Questions

Question
Hey
I'm 16 and I'm 179cm's tall and weigh 64.7 kilograms. I live in a family where everyone is obese, and I don't want to grow up to be like them, so I decided I would lose weight and get fit. So I just have a few questions.

So far, when it comes to food, I have been having cereal for breakfast, mostly Maxi Grain, bread rolls/sandwiches for lunch, usually with Vegemite on them, and for dinner I have been having whatever has been cooked. Sometimes I will have some cereal later in the night if I am particularly hungry. So onto the questions

-Do you think my eating habits are good/bad? any suggestions you cam think of to help it along?

-What do you suggest I have for snacks if I get particularly hungry during the day? I've mostly been having apples or chips but I'm not sure what I should be eating.

-Would the cereal i've been having at night adversely affect my attempts to lose weight and become fit? Or is it just unadvisable?

-Last but not least, how much exercise is required on average to become fit. I don't mean loosing weight in this case, but becoming a better athlete, being able to run more, and maybe eventually build up muscles?. Right now all I get is walking to and fro school and I know it's not enough. we have a treadmill in the shed that I can get out if using it will help it along?

Sorry for the long question, but these are all things on my mind and I can't ask my family because they arn't versed at all on the topic. You don't have to answer all of them, one is fine, but I appreciate all the help you can give :)

Thanks heaps,
Josh.

Answer
Hi Josh,

First of all, good for you for being so proactive about your health! That's awesome.

When it comes to food, I think there are some big changes you're going to need to make to make sure you stay healthy and at your ideal weight. First of all, there's a big difference between processed foods and unprocessed foods and it is one of the keys to staying healthy and lean. Processed foods include anything that has been manufactured, high heated, or chemically processed in any way - they generally come in bags, cans, or containers from the store - things like potato chips, cookies, crackers, etc. - and cereal would be one of those.

It's okay to eat some processed foods, but you want to be eating as much unprocessed foods as possible - that should be your main staples. If you're going to eat cereal, make sure it has at least half as much fiber as it does sugar - this will ensure you don't get huge insulin spikes which could make you gain more weight.

Also, I would advise not to rely so heavily on wheat products for your main meals. A lot of people are intolerant of gluten or allergic to it and it tends to produce weight gain in most people. Instead of cereal in the morning, you could try making oatmeal, quinoa, millet or some other kind of grain instead with some fruit or veggies on the side.

It's best not to eat at 2 hours before bed time if you can - when you eat just before you sleep, your body can't digest the food so it gets stuck and ferments and can cause bloating and weight gain. It also disrupts your hormones and messes up your sleep cycles, which is why it causes weight gain. If you must eat late at night, eat fruit as it can be digested much faster.

For snacks during the day, go with fruit either fresh or dried as well as nuts, seeds, and veggies. Fruit and nuts make a great snack and are quite filling.

There's no perfect amount of exercise - it's what you will do and continue to do for life that counts. I suggest finding a sport or activity that you love to do on a regular basis and just do it for fun. If you need to exercise on top of that activity, then I would go for a run.

I hope that helps!

You can get more information for free in my newsletter on weight loss and nutrition at www.AuthenticHealthCoach.com

Wishing you wellness,
Tom

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