16 year old diet.. :(

Question
QUESTION: Hi. I am Karelle and Im about 5'1' and I weigh 54kg..I know I'm chubby and so I started doing some cardio to lose weight. I tried hopping onto a treadmill..bout 2hours a day..3-4 times a week. But..unfortunately, I think I didn't lose weight. I tried not eating rice for 20 or more days, but that didn't work too. The worst thing of all these is that I think I am gaining weight. Sometimes, I think it's a mental problem for me? Because I tend to think that I will gain weight without even trying..I don't know how to be positive throughout this experience. Right now, I'm trying the PCD Workout routines. But I would like to lose 20 pounds or more before the school starts. Please help? How can I lose weight?

Thank yoouu :)

ANSWER: Dear Karelle,
You are within 6 kg of a healthy weight. Try eating 5 small meals each containing about 300 calories each meal. Rice tends to make you retain fluid as does other carb foods, so limit bagels, white bread, potatoes, cookies, crackers, pasta, and fruit juice. Try eating a protein food like chicken, fish, lean steak, egg, or pork at each meal along with fruit or vegetables, add low fat dairy, occasional slice of whole grain bread, and some healthy fats like those in salad oils. If you starve yourself, you will slow your metabolism, making it difficult to lose weight. Continue at least one hour of active exercise, watch what you eat, and be aware that it's not going to happen overnight. You should lose no more 1 kg per week. Hope that helps, Laura Kraemer,Slimkids.com  

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for that advice. I appreciate it very much. :) Uhm just a follow-up Q, is it okay for me to eat mangoes? Are they fattening? And is it true that spicy foods can increase metabolism rate? May I know what other foods/exercise can increase my metabolism rate? =)

Answer
Any fruit and vegetable is a good addition to your diet, just look up the calories and count them in your total for the meal. Fruit has more calories than vegetables because they contain a lot of natural sugar. Spicy foods have been shown to raise the metabolism, but again count the calories. Any exercise will increase your metabolism rate. Weight lifting is the best because it stimulates muscle growth. The more muscle you carry, the higher your resting metabolic rate will be. Laura Kraemer,Slimkids.com

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