i want to lose weight

Question
Hi my name is Brandi, I am 16 years old and I am 5'4" and I weigh 163 pounds. I know that is really overweight and I want to do something about it. I HATE the way I look can you tell me what I need to do, it would really mean a lot to me thank you.

Answer
It's good that you have recognized that need to make some life style
changes.  Taking control now, whilst you are young, will not only help
your confidence, but will have long term benefits to your health.
However, the simple truth is that anyone carrying too much weight has most
likely consumed more calories than they should have for some period of
time.  Part of the issue is that our food choices have changed
considerably over the last few decades, and we now consume large amounts
of  'energy-dense' foods.  Basically this is food  that is high in
calories, fat, salt and sugar, and low in any real nutritional value, and
this is having a devastating impact on our long term health.   Losing
weight can be hard, but through a combination of healthy eating, and
increased exercise, it is possible not only to lose weight, but also to
maintain a healthy weight long term.  Keeping a food diary, and looking at
what you are eating, will give you an idea of changes you may need to
make, not only in food types, but also in the amount that you eat.  
Cooking from scratch will also give you an idea of exactly what you are
eating.  We rely too much these days on processed food, ready meals,
eating out, and it becomes easy to loose track of what, and how much we
have had.  However at 16 you may be eating food that is prepared for you
by your parents?  However, be aware that there are increasing numbers of
'fast-fix' diets that I personally feel should be avoided,  Fad diets
simply target vulnerable individuals who want a quick fix when in fact the
best way to loose weight is to change the foods you eat rather than limit
foods or food groups.  For example, using the glycemic index  of foods is
a useful way of eating  less calories without feeling hungry as the body
will digest these foods slowly, leaving you feeling full for longer
(http://www.the-gi-diet.org is a good site).   Whilst there are a lot of
formulated diet supplements that are misleading in their promises
(appetite suppressants for example) there are some natural supplements
than can help tweak the metabolic pathways involved in energy usage.
Taking a good vitamin and mineral supplement, and a quality EPA fish oil
such as Vegepa, can help to burn fat rather than store it.  Conjugated
linoleic acid (CLA) can also be useful for weight loss and helps  preserve
muscle mass.  Also be aware that as we lose fat, we often release fat
soluble toxins into the system, and therefore  taking  a  good
anti-oxidant such as lipoic acid, can also be of benefit.  Finally, if you
increase the amount of energy you burn simply by increasing your activity,
you will loose weight faster.  This doesn抰 necessarily mean you need to
join a gym, but little things like taking a 20 minute walk at lunch time,
or taking the stairs instead of the lift will all add up to make a
difference.  

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