It hurts :(

Question
Hey Wendy,

People make fun of me and say,'shez so fat'.It really hurts you know. I am 20 year old female, my weight is 78Kg and height is 167cm. I dont look fat except that I have got huge hips which really is a hinderance to my looks. Will you tell me if I am highly over weight. What is the average weight for me? How should I loose weight? I excersize like 3 to 4 times a week on my beatiful mountain climber machine or 'Stepper' as its writen on it. Its more like going up a stair case rather then climbing a mountain. Still I do not follow a 'neat' diet. I eat alot and anything. Although I have stopped eating junk food in the last couple of month I still eat alot stuff like rice, meat, chickn bla bla bla.You name it. How can I lower me weight?

Answer
Hi, Angel

I'm so sorry to hear that you are hearing such hurtful comments.  I do know how that feels and it's terrible.  It's like they think if they are mean to you that you'll magically lose weight.  Those people are stupid.

Your hips really shouldn't be a hinderance to your looks and overall style unless you aren't dressing for your body type and are carrying too much fat in that area.  For example, are you wearing too many low-rise pants, but not enough straight or wide leg pants? Those are things that help your body look more proportional.

From what I can tell, you're not highly overweight.  According to the BMI tables, you are overweight, but coming down to 150-155 would bring you to the high end of the normal weight category.  So, we're really talking about losing 17-22 pounds.  However, do not go below 114 pounds.

I can't say what is an average weight for you, but it is probably somewhere between 114-155.  Somewhere in there your body will show you what is a comfortable weight and you will know it from how your clothes fit.

To lose weight, I would keep doing the stepper, if you like it, 30-40 minutes per day 3-4 days per week.  I would also add in 2-3 days of weight/strength training for 20-30 minutes.  The strength training will allow you to build lean muscle mass, decrease your body fat, and increase your metabolism.

Also, cutting out the junk food was a great start and what you've listed is fine, I just want you to make sure you eat at regular intervals.  Do not starve yourself and eat only until you're full.  Also, make sure you have carbs, protein, and fiber at every meal and drink plenty of water, especially when you exercise.

Those general guidelines should get you started.  If you find that you are not losing weight, then you may want to start a food journal to track what you're eating and/or increase the intensity of your exercise.  You don't have a lot of weight to lose, so I don't want you to get discouraged.

I hope that helps and, again, I'm sorry to hear about the teasing.  It's cruel, but it is not a reflection on you as a person.  It's a reflection of an insecurity of the other person.

Good luck with everything.

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