Unable to lose weight

Question
Hi, I am a 14 year old girl at 5-5 and weighing 170. I can never seem to lose weight, even though i eat healthy and swim regularly for two hours a day. I am wondering if the unableness to lose weight is a heredity thing, because most of my family has the same body shape except for a couple who are skin and bones. Is it possible, and what could it be? In not, any tips? Thanks in advance ;)

Answer
Hi Anna. Thank you for contacting allexperts.com. I hope that I can assist you with your question.

There is absolutely no doubt that genetics has a tremendous influence on our body shape and how we gain weight. When a person is genetically predisposed to be heavy, it is very, very difficult for them to be thin.  I think this is a source of much unhappiness and frustration.  However, eating a good, healthy diet and engaging in regular exercise will help a person reduce excess weight within the limitations of their heredity.

You mention in your communication that you are eating a healthy diet.  Forgive me for being a little skeptical. Many people do not fully understand what a healthy diet should consist of.  Because of this people suffer with obesity as well as many physical problems thinking that they are doing it right when, in fact, they are not.

The worst possible thing you can eat is highly processed foods.  This would be better defined as anything that comes out of a box.  Pre-packaged foods are very high in sodium, chemicals, preservatives and a host of other things.  Processed foods usually contain very little fiber so the body does not feel full for a very long time.  Also, processed foods usually contain hidden sugar which causes the blood sugar to rise and fall dramatically often resulting in over eating and a strong feeling of hunger as well as cravings.  Processed foods are also very low in nutrients because most of the vitamins are destroyed during processing. Even in the case where vitamins are "put back" (as in enriched spaghetti), the vitamins are artificial and inferior to natural nutrients.

In order to be eating a truly "healthy diet" your daily intake of food should consist of whole, unprocessed, natural fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds as well as vegetable oils.  Preferably raw and preferably organic.  In fact, the ideal diet would be 75 percent raw and only 25 percent cooked.  You should also reduce your meat consumption to 3 ounces, two times a week, or better yet, eliminate it entirely.  Plant protein is vastly superior to animal protein and most commercial meat products are full of chemicals, antibiotics and hormones which are very harmful to the body, especially a body that is still growing, as yours is.

I would also strongly recommend that you remove dairy products from your diet.  Again, these products contain chemical additives, hormones and antibiotics.  If you feel that you simply must have some dairy, I would limit myself to NATURAL, ORGANIC yogurt.  Grocery store milk is definitely not healthy and can be very harmful since it is responsible for most of the food allergies as well as being linked to many auto-immune disorders such as Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis as well as cancer. Not to mention that milk causes mucus formation in the body which reduces the body's ability to access and assimilate nutrients.

Additionally, I would recommend a good vitamin supplement that is available at your local health-food store.  Please do not take grocery store vitamins. Most of them contain cheap fillers and even potentially harmful ingredients like shellac.  These ingredients make it very difficult for your body to assimilate the vitamins and often they pass through the digestive system untouched.

I do think that the swimming is an excellent choice!  Keeping your exercise routine as low-impact as possible will reduce the wear and tear on your joints and possibly save you from a lot of pain in your alter years.  Once you begin losing weight, you might want to consider using a rebounder for an exercise program, which is also low impact.

Best of luck to you in your efforts to lose weight.  Remember that even though your genetics are against you, that with a good, solid diet and exercise program you can maintain a healthy and attractive weight for your body type.  That should be your ultimate objective.

Thank you for contacing me. For more interesting topics on health and wellness, please visit my blog at http://everydayhealthandwellness.blogspot.com  Feel free to contact me any time.

Tasha  

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