Q&A for: 2-Oct-05
628. Q:
I am 14, female,145 pounds, and 5' 6. I am in the range of normal weight but I have a slight gut and bulky thighs. What sort of healthy eating and exersize would help me to attain a slimmer figure (I have a 36 inch waist and I want at least a 29 inch waist), and within what estimated range of time? Also, would you please give me some simple exersizes for building my pectorals? (I've heard they improve bust size). Thanks.
A:
I wouldn't recommend trying to actively lose weight at your age since, as you said, your weight is in normal range and you're most likely not yet done growing and developing. Instead you should make sure you eat healthy and exercise more.
As far as your diet, cut down on bread, pasta, rice, cereals, juices, sodas, junk foods (sweets, ice cream, burgers, fries, hot dogs, pizza, chips, fries, anything out of vending machines), anything fried, commercial salad dressings and other processed foods (look at the ingredient labels -- the more ingredients, the more processed the food is usually). Instead eat a TON of veggies, especially green ones and especially raw, whole fresh fruits, lean meats, chicken, fish, oatmeal, brown rice, sweet potatoes, nuts (not oil-roasted), and olive oil. Drink a lot plain water or unsweetened tea. Try to have several small meals during the day. Don't skip breakfasts -- they should be the biggest meals of the day.
As far as exercise, don't skip any chance to be active, whether it's walking or playing sports or even cleaning up around the house. Weight training carries the most fat-burning benefits and you should incorporate some form of it into your routine as well. Read my Weighttraining article and pick from any of the programs suggested in it. The last couple of programs in the list in the article require no or little equipment and would be a good starting point. If you can't do full pushups, do them with your knees on the floor. If you can't do full pullups, do the best you can or do rows with weights like shown here. By doing resistance training for all of your muscle groups you will maximize your fat burning potential. You can see other exercises you can do here. You'll find basic chest exercises there as well.
I can't give you a timetable on when you might reach the 29 inch waist goal. It won't be fast, though with the consistent healthy diet and exercise it should be achievable in a year or two. I want to again ephasize that it is not a good idea for you try to lose weight quickly at your age because it will jeopardize your normal healthy development and will do more harm than good. By switching to a healthy diet and being active and exercising you may lose a pound a month or so and that should be the upper limit of healthy weight loss for you. If you start losing weight faster than that, you should increase how much you eat to slow the weightloss down. My advice would be to be patient and not expect spectacular results quickly. Instead, make sure you stick with eating healthy and exercising -- it will keep you healthy and looking good for life! Good luck!
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