Help with lossing weight and maintaining

Question
Hello Reverend, I am here to ask about how to loss 10 pounds without starving... and being extremly cranky lol. I am 5.4 in height 16 years old and 145 pounds and have meduim/large bone stamina(only "dumpy" child out of five lol). I have the extra weight around my lower belly and thighs and would like to take away my "pilsbury dough boy" roll and have my thighs thinner. I recinitly got an exercise bike from sears its a free spirit... works great but I seem to get sore legs when I use it(I put it on 2 or 3 and pedel relitivly slow)... is there a way to make my legs not get sore from doing this? I walk my two dogs daily... one by one(i've got two) and walk to the shops near by at the very lest every two days(sometimes twice a day), I don't like just sitting around. I hav dieted on and off for almost a year now... its getting anoying... when I come off the diets I eat too much and then in two weeks am over weight again and start over only to have history repete itself over and over. When I diet normaly I crach diet... 600/800 calroies a day, Slim & Trim diet pills(no enfedimen... only herbl green tea extract and gensing root... too boost matablizem), I also normaly do hundreds of sit ups a day during these crash diets and tons of light weight lifting arm curls/extream dance sesions and run with my dogs instead of walking them... it was its flaws.. I get very Sore, Crabby, irritable... snappy with other people and some times am very tired and rest when not doing my exercises... don't get me wrong these diets work but I hat ehtey way I act when I'm on there(hateful towards other...extremly). I want to lose the ten pounds because I'd like to fit better into my old pants and not feel so bad when I look at how wide my legs are at the thigh and not have to see that belly roll, I am hoping you can help me... I really don't want to go on a crash diet again and hgope to lose this weight very soon, I look forward to hearing from you,

ps; I could also use advice on maintaining weigh once dieting is over with,

Tara.

Answer
Tara,

Let's start with your 揹ieting?  Your 揷rash diet?is very unhealthy.  When you reduce calories to lose weight, you should not go below 1200-1500 calories a day.  Reducing you total daily calories to 600-800 is a very bad idea.  Your body will go into 搒tarvation mode??your metabolism will slow WAY down and you body will hold onto every calorie it can.  When you stop your 揷rash diet?you will almost certainly gain weight.  You are setting yourself up for failure with this type of diet.  DON'T DO IT AGAIN!  Taking diet pills to keep your metabolism up is not a good idea.  Diet pills are just stimulants and probably add to your cranky, hateful mood.  Also, if you read the fine print on the bottle or advertisement, it will say that weight loss should occur when taken with a healthy diet and regular exercise program.  In my opinion, diet pills are not safe or effective enough to be used.

A healthy weight-loss diet will consist of a variety of healthy foods ?fruits, vegetables and whole grains.  It will also avoid unhealthy foods ?high-fat meats, whole fat dairy products and foods with refined grains or added sugar (simple carbohydrates).  You need to reduce your total calorie amount enough to begin to lose weight (but not below 1200-1500 calories a day).  If you imagine your typical healthy meal (not a meal while you are 揹ieting?or binging) and cut the amount of food by 30%, that should be an appropriate sized meal.  Call it the 70% meal ?you eat 70% of what you normally would.  You won't be starving yourself, but you will be cutting some calories.

Your exercise routine should probably be more moderate also.  You should not be exercising so hard or so long that you always have sore muscles.  I like your pedaling speed of 搑elatively slow? and if done for 10, 15 or 20 minutes in the beginning, you shouldn't get sore legs.  After a couple of weeks of 10-20 minutes most days, then you can increase the time by 5 minutes a day.  Doing 揾undred of sit-ups a day?and 搕ons of weight lifting?is too extreme.  Again, you are setting yourself up for failure by.  Too much exercise at one time will certainly lead to sore muscles and this means you won't want to exercise or simply cannot continue exercising due to the pain.

Tara, you have a lot to learn about nutrition and exercise.  I suggest you think about getting a couple of books to help you out.  The American Heart Association's 揘o-Fad Diet?book is a great nutrition and weight loss book.  The American College of Sports Medicine's 揂CSM Fitness Book?can help you learn about safe and effective exercise.  Here are links to learn more about these books:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400051592/102-6044196-5931300?v=glance&n=28315...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/073604406X/ref=pd_sl_aw_alx-jeb-9-1_book_466035...

Lastly, at the young age of 16 years old, you need to be very careful about dieting.  You are still growing and maturing and proper nutrition now is necessary to be healthy later in life.  For example, your bone density as a mature adult is largely determined by your lifestyle today.  Poor nutrition now can lead to poor bone healthy later in life.  Also, your 揷rash diet?and obsession with weight loss means that you are at higher risk of developing an eating disorder.  Eating disorders can damage your body for the rest of your life and leads to the deaths of many young adults.  Please be very careful!

Moderation and persistence are the keys to success.  Also, healthy diets, exercise routines and body weight are life-long habits.  You cannot eat right occasionally or exercise occasionally and expect to maintain a healthy weight.  Maintaining a healthy wieght means continuing with your healthy diet and regular exercise, except you can ease up just a little on your exercise and lower calorie diet.

Best of luck.

Todd

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