trying to lose the extra weight

Question
Hi, I am a 15 year-old girl, 5'5'' tall and currently weighing around 139-142 pounds. (My weight keeps "drastically" fluctuating) I am fairly active, involved in Tae Kwon Do 3-4 days a week, jog and power walk (same time, I switch off) for an hour 6-7 days in a week, and work out (fitness ball + stretches, sit-ups, push-ups, lunges etc...) for 35 minutes 6-7 days in a week. My only problem is my bad eating habits. This is mainly because I've become sort of a junkie from staying at home so much since I am basically buried in homework during the school year. Also, when I get emotional (because of my weight!) I get depressed and reach for some "comfort" food...nothing good usually. Although I have moderately improved on my mood swings, I can not stick to a healthy diet. I can create a diet, but I usually end up crashing midway through the day. This poor diet is the cause of the embarassing flab on my stomach. There is more fat on other parts of my body than I would like, but my target fat zone is my stomach. I know that no matter how much I work out, a healthy diet is essential in become lean and toned. Do you have any tips for staying committed to a healthy diet? And how long would it take for the diet to start changing my body. ( a general idea...) Thank you so much for reading my letter!

Answer
Hi Sofia,
I have to tell you, you are at a healthy weight and you get good exercise.  The main thing that causes over eating or poor eating is poor planning.  If a person is getting regular meals throughout the day then the cravings (after a week or two of diligence) will go away.  I would recommend for you to eat 6x a day.  It sounds like a lot at first but can become habit very quickly.  A healthy breakfast, fruit and almonds or yogurt mid-morning, a healthy lunch with vegetables, a snack in the afternoon (maybe fruit again with some melba toast for example), dinner and then a small snack again around 7-7:30 at the latest.  Eating regularly like this will get your body on a routine which it will like.  This is just a suggestion, please make sure to talk to your family doc before starting a new routine.  It takes approx. 2-3 months to see a change in your body so be patient.
Good Luck,
Lea

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