YES! Fact: our brain has a difficult time telling us that we're thirsty, so instead mimics hunger pangs (as it can get moisture from food). So, a lot of the time when we're hungry, we're actually thirsty (and it's why sometimes you can eat loads but still be hungry! You're actually thirsty!)

My dietitian told me that our bodies work like this... first you need water, second you need fat (natural fat) and third you need vitamins/minerals...
She said that you need the water and the fat to absorb the vits and minerals, water is so important for your diet and so is fat. I take flaxseed now and it's been such a help for me. I don't feel the need to reach for sugary snacks anymore as the flaxseed gives me the fat that I need and I drink so much water!! And I've lost weight through it

Can i ask what is flaxseed? never heard of it

It's a plant seed that is used as a food supplement also called linseed that has all of the Omega's etc that your body needs. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flax you can take it in capsules, oil or just eat the seeds.

I have a dietitian friend who is helping me with a condition that I suffer with called IBS. She recommended that I took either, flaxseed, hemp-seed or cod-liver to get the fats that my body needs (as I was often tired and eating a lot of junk). You can buy them in health food shops and probs in boots. I feel much better from taking them and would recommend them to people who need natural fats just as I did.

Many sports or health stores will have a range of fatty acid (Omega3/6/9 aka DHA/EPA etc) in difference strengths. Flax is one of them and something I used to take, emphasis on "used to".

Depending on your level of excercise you will benefit from a certain amount of these supplements.

The harder you train, the more you need to reap the benefits. Anyone looking to cut down fat needs 200mg of DHA and EPA daily, they also assist with putting on muscle in high quantities.

Standard cod liver or one a day for the generic individual simply will not be good enough for you. The high strength ones will not be good enough for you. Look for the right level for you, or you will be wasting your money.

The reason why I emphasise on why I do not take these supplements any longer is that they are no magic bullet and will no way solve your problem over night. Yes they will assist, but can easily be substituted for working harder and having a healthy balanced diet rich in essential fats, nutrients and lean protien.

I agree that you will reap benefits with a consistent training plan with supplements or for using them to aid with problems you have, however I do not agree with taking supplements as a cure for losing weight.

I would describe my workouts as quite intensive, seeing as I combine power lifting with cardio and bodyweight balance excercises. Currently all I take is:
2 whey isolate protein shakes a day
Creatine Ethyl Ester (not monohydrate)
ZMA (Zinc, Magnesium)

This is tailored more towards men who wish to wish to build lean muscle and keep weight down without causing stress on the nervous system. But you can take out the zinc and replace it with multivitamins to make it universal; combined with most resistance based excercises you'll cut right down and become much more athletic.

I was just Curious ^^ , i know their aint no magically pill xD, i just need to exersise now , from last sept to this june i lost about 46lb ^^ so i must of been doing something right XD

Get a good combination of cardio and lifting in your workout plan and you will be sorted. Women won't get massive from lifting weights without some serious supplementation. Make sure every workout is 45/60mins long and is intense...100% every time.

http://www.schwarzenegger.com/fitness/post/ladies-and-lifting-how-serious-strength-can-build-a-sexy-physique

Explains it in much better detail than I could! If you do lift weights though, don't go by your own weight quite so much for results. Building muscle can often mean you weight can go back up! Muscle weighs more than fat but not a problem though as size/bodyfat should be decreasing

Diet is just as important as exercise when it comes to any fitness goals. But I think everything has been said on diet already! Green Tea can be pretty good in helping burn fat though. And if it doesn't, it still tastes nice and has lots of other good health benefits going on as well.

I'll be trying to do the opposite soon however. It's very nearly time to bulk again! Then trim up in time for summer...hopefully...

What happens when you exercise depends a lot on your base body type and hormones, particularly for women. Part of the reason men are naturally more muscular is because testosterone increases muscle buildup. A woman with higher than average testosterone levels will build muscle much more easily, and conversely, if a man has lower testosterone levels he will find it harder to put muscle on.

Your base body shape is a good indicator as well, I'm not so clear on how it works for men but for women, if your shoulders are broad and your hips narrow, you are more likely to be a muscle builder. If you're a classic pear or hourglass shape, it will be harder to build muscle.

If you're a woman of this description and you want to slim down without adding bulk (though personally I love a bit of muscle on ladies!) you want to focus on cardiovascular exercises and try not to do too much that's weight-bearing.

Speaking from experience here, though I'm actually aiming to put on a little muscle - like I said, buff chicks are hot

I have a little story to go with my reasons to ry and lose weight, so bear with me XD

When I was younger, I was quite skinny, and I used to do ballet. I was much like my sister, who is now so skinny most people thin kshe is anorexic. However, I stopped doing ballet, and then I became friends with this girl.

Now, I'm not knocking her mother's way of bringing her up, but she used to sit us outside on the curb with a packet of sweets. And ~I would eat those sweets, because she had bought them for us, and I would feel ungrateful
if I didn't eat them. Of course, at that time I had no idea about calories and stuff liek that (I was was probably 5/6 at the time) So I did this for a while.

I think the first tiem I noticed I was bigger then the other girls was when I bought my first bra aged 9. I mean, I wasn't HUGE, and I was an early starter, but I could tell I was bigger then the other girls. I did start to diet and exrecise (Unfortunatly, I was to oscared ot askm y mum for help with losing weight, so I looked up stuff on the internet) I decided at one point to be anorexic, but I terrified my self that I was going to die and stopped that about a day after I began. I was probably 10/11 at that time.

When I got to year 6, my skin started to break out REALLY bad. I know it's absolutly gross, but I stopped washing my face for about 3 months, for no reason. I have really sensative skin, plus exema, plus acne. It sucks.

I then got really upset about my skin and weight, and tried dieting again throughout year 6.

Skip forward about 5 months. I was haivng a super hard time being bullied for my skin, so I binged a bit. Even my best friends were calling ym pizza face. Which is hard, y'know? In the end, my mum found out, and after alot of tears, she sent me to councilling.

After that, I took up dancing. I lost LOADS of weight, but then people at school found out about my danincg, and again, I stopped and went back into my shell.

All my hard work dancing (About 30mins a day) was ruined.

I'm now in year 10 (14 years old) And I'm ready to try this weight loss thing again. At the moment, I am walking as much as I can (this evening I walked upto the woods near my house and back, about an hours walk, 30 min uphill (KILLS YOUR THIGHS!) and 30 min back down again. I['m also trying to eat more of a ballanced diet, and eating breakfast. I try to have goals to get to, but I don't want a thinspiration.

I think my weight has soemthing to do with my skin, so if I slim down, maybe my skin will get better. I don't know.

I wish I knew my weight so I could post it, lol XD

Does anyone have any easy exercises I can do at home without buying anything? Ihave hardly any money as it is.

(Wow, that went on for ages, lol)

About the spots, Just start drinking water more.

If you ever think that you feel like having a can of Coke, stop yourself and think of your skin (Okay a can of coke every once in awhile is okay but Water is best for your skin and it will help with losing weight)

When you wash, use just a normal bar of soap, it will dry out the skin and help clear them up.

Also, try exposing your skin to the sun, I dont mean go and get sun burned (Because thats what I did and it got so burned that it was slightly worrying)But the sun will help dry them out as well. I recently did this because I have had back acne for quite some time and it had made me so ashamed that I never wore tank tops or anything like that for a little over 5 years, so I exposed it to the sun little by little during this summer and my spots are basically gone! (Just dont go burning yourself, or you will get scars an everything and it could be dangerous.)

I also did that same as you when I was a kid, I just stopped washing for a few months, but when your a kid your attitude is like "Why should I wash?, whats the worst that could happen?" Haha.

But youve got to remmeber aswell, your in the middle of puberty so spots are to be expected, some kids are more affected by it than others, but as you get older your skin will improve.

As for excercises that you can do at home, Im no expert with this, there are guys on here who will know exactly what to say but like I said Im not sure ^^;

Good luck though!

(Sorry for any spelling mistakes and whatnot, im kind of tired XD)

What Karalulz said; you are in the middle of puberty still.

However, with acne/eczema, my sister had it mega bad as a child. My mum would diligently apply E45 cream to it and it became almost non-existent. Also, she "grew out" of her eczema - most do.

Another good eczema cream is the stuff which I sold at my old workplace; Norfolk Lavender Rich Body Cream. Now, although the docs say it's fantastic stuff, if you're allergic to lavender it will make you worse.

If you're one of those souls that don't grow out of it (wait until you're about 18 until you know), the see your doctor - they can prescribe some stronger stuff to battle it. I developed eczema at the age of 18, but it's a different type to most eczema; instead of being spotty, it puts rashes on my body. It's normally the hot places (back of knees, inner elbows, back of neck) but also general leg area and lip area are usually hit quite badly. But I was 'given' betnovate and dermovate for that (the dermovate only after a whole bit of my skin came off and was really pussy and disgusting - it's super nasty stuff, you see, so they don't like prescribing it).

However, your diet will really help. A good thing to watch is your salt intake; too much salt is rather bad for your skin. Also;

*Eat plenty of foods rich in vitamin C such as blackcurrants, blueberries, broccoli, guava, kiwi fruits, oranges, papaya, strawberries and sweet potatoes; they all help to produce collagen that strengthens the capillaries that feed the skin.
*Make sure you get enough omega-3 and omega-6, both essential fatty acids. You will find omega-3 in oily fish, but plant sources like linseeds and flax oil are excellent, too. For omega-6 try safflower, sunflower and corn oils.
*Eating foods that contain sulphur can help to keep skin smooth - garlic and onions are ideal.
*Go for foods rich in vitamin E, such as almonds, avocado, hazelnuts, pine nuts and sunflower and corn oils.
*Zinc-rich foods, such as wheatgerm, liver, pumpkin seeds, sardines and oysters, help to repair skin damage and keep it soft and supple.
*Foods rich in vitamin A help new skin to grow. Liver, eggs, milk and oily fish are good sources along with fortified cereals and margarines.
*Eat a few dried apricots every day. They're full of iron to help improve your skin tone. So are sesame seeds - add them to cereals and muesli.
*Drink plenty of water to rehydrate your skin - aim for eight glasses a day. Tea, coffee and juices do count, but for really great skin stick to plain water
*All the B vitamins vital make for great skin, vitamin B2 or riboflavin helps your skin glow. Best sources include beef, cheese, eggs, liver and Marmite.

Now, another big thing I implore from you; do not do the diets that get you to cut out something, or only eat carbs one day and proteins another (weight watchers diet). This is NOT a realistic diet for a young teenager (nor a busy adult) to undertake; you just can't be as picky with your food.

Have you seen your doctor about the spots? My doctor gave me cream when I was in school for my own version of 'pizza face'. It may be a trial and error thing where you have to try stuff and if it doesn't work keep trying new things that's what I had to do for a while until I found the right thing. Also some doctors may suggest that you take contraception such as the pill which will balance your hormones more and can help with spots weight etc, however be careful if you try that some people find that the opposite happens and they put on weight/gain spots -it's trial and error thing again there are many different pills to try.

I found putting toothpaste and tea tree oil on my spots helped personally (not at the same time though!!)

Drink water as Nixie said that really might help with the weight and the spots. It's one of the best ways to detox!!

Look at your diet and see if it's high in sugar, fats or oils etc and try to cut them down. Personally I ate waaay too much chocolate in High School which was a major spot factor for me!!

As for exercise, keep dancing!! dancing is fun and a great way to exercise! Make sure that you stretch in and out of the session though to prevent pulling anything (I'm hopeless at this)!! I sometimes watch dance video work outs on youtube (which are free) and copy them.

Also ride a bike (maybe borrow someone else's if you don't have one). When I rode my bike every day a couple of years back I was very trim, equally now I do a lot of working and that seems to keep me trim and is free!!

Hope that helps, good luck and remember as Karakulz said your are at the age of puberty=spots and body changes!!! it will more than likely get better as you get older!!

I agree




Anyways wanted to post in this topic, only just spotted it. I'm lactose intolerant so I can't eat a lot of the bad foods anyway. The weight I put on was due to illness but now i'm actually able to do something about it.

I joined a local singing group and...well..I say 'local' it actually takes me 2 hours to get there. Instead of taking the bus the whole way, I use public transport for the first hour and walk the last hour (it's not actually possible for me to walk the entire way as the train/bus has to go through a tunnel that goes under a river). Part of it is uphill so that gets me out of the house and moving at least once a week. I live by the beach so i've also recently started doing long walks along there. Been drinking a lot more water and doing some weights at home (no money for the gym).

I went down a jeans size before Kitacon and these ones are now starting to get a bit baggy too so it seems to be going well for what I need.

Got quite a way to go yet but at least I found ways to get started

Wow, thanks everyone for your answers! I read through them, and they are all so helpful! Thank you ^.^

Hey, everyone's given you advice about the spots etc and I have no knowledge about this so I'm not going to comment but I just wanted to say about what you said above.

Kids/teenagers can be idiots sometimes. Don't listen to them, they'll soon realise they are idiots when they get older and if they don't, they will end up with no friends. If you do something you enjoy what right does someone else have to stop you from doing that. Be strong, carry on, it might be hard, people might make fun of you or whatever, screw them, so what? If they make fun of you they are not your friends. So why care about them, they're just faces in the crowd. You're your own person, try and make friends at dancing, you share a common interest or even better attend some local anime/game/cosplay conventions or meets etc and meet some like minded cosplayers, we're a great community of people and generally pretty friendly but please, please, please, if you enjoy dancing, don't give it up because of other people.

Also you asked about exercises : have a look at these to give you an idea. If you can't do push ups etc look up how to make them easier until you build up the strength to do them etc on google but sometimes the best exercises are outside and free, go cycling if you have a bike or running or swimming (I know this isn't generally free) which is supposedly one of the best cardio workouts or even just do what you do and go for long walks.

Good night, and good luck.

This so very much.

Sometimes I don't get touchy feely because I know how heavy handed I am, if I'm not concentrating on being gentle I can bump, knock or hurt someone. Thankfully my girlfriend is hard as nails and is a little powerhouse of adorable terror so she can take it.

But I would heartily endorse that most girls take up strength training. My elder sister is 5 foot tall, weighs about 7.5 stone (I'm two years younger and I'm 6 foot tall, 12.5 stone, how the shit are we related) and though she looks underweight she can and will give me a run for my money in an armwrestle. This little, lithe lady that is my sister will pick up a 20 dumbell and proceed to do arm curls. Her heavy workouts go well past her own bodyweight in steel and she can do as many chin ups as you want.

But why? She lives on her own about 2 hours by car away from her family. Having to do everything by herself is difficult and when you're able bodied the world becomes an easier place. After a long day, myself and my sister don't feel tired and at the weekends we want to do more with our time. As a small girl too my sister is prone to being a target for unwanted attention, however she does have a punch that can break teeth or crack a rib and is able to get out of very very strong holds. I feel better that she can take care of herself that way.

Also if anyone wants to know how to build strength, I'm not talking changing the way you look (that's just a secondary bonus if it happens) but actual strengh, give me a shout and I'll be glad to talk in more depth.

A good tracking website is fitocracy. Its a site where you can log your workouts and get points for what exercises you do. You can level up and there are achievements! Nice little geeky twist to things.

I've attempted weights and exercises purely to get achievements or to get more points and they are now part of my regular workouts. The gains I've got have stuck with me and it definitely becomes addictive. I didn't another reason to go to the gym but it gave me one! It also helps you keep track of PB's too which is always handy

I'm on my own 'junkfood' diet at the moment...
I have one primary meal a day, which will be junkfood.. and the smaller meals/snacks are healthy (fruit/veg ect) I also mix this with one day of normal healthy eating, three meals, complex carbs, veg, protein, fruit and so on... I work out at least 4 times a week but I am for every day
I've lost over a stone in 4 months on this.. It's what works for me and I'm healthy (maybe my arteries aren't) haha.. So yeah :S

What do you class as junk food in your main meal? To be honest it sounds a bit like a variation on the intermittent fasting diet really and a fair few people get good results on that.

As long as you don't overindulge and you get all the nutrients you need you should be fine Of course the working out 4 times a week helps too!

If you have a smart phone, 'My Fitness App' is pretty good for recording calorie intake and exercise. If you input what weight you are and your target weight it sets how many calories you should be eating depending on how much you want to lose and when by. It tells you if you're eating too little which is good. Because you don't want to overdo it. Use it as a rough guideline I wouldn't count it as gospel! But it seems to be helping me! It might just be useful to keep track of your diet.

Also I read about your story. If you enjoy dance go for it! They're just didn't like you being strong because they were worried you'd realise they aren't worth shit if you found something you loved that gave you confidence. I know it's difficult to stand up to bullies but the best thing you can do is ignore them. It gets easier.

I've been following this thread for a while and following tips from people. I thought I should start posting every now and then because I'm also trying to trim up a bit.

I was a but worried about when I went on holiday that I'd put it on. I ate more than what I usually would (I hardly eat at all normally which I think was part of the problem)Sometimes I get so panicky about putting any on that I'll often HATE myself for eating. But this is not a healthy process in how to think about food, so I'm working on it before it turns into anything more menacing.

Anyway! while I was away I did eat more, I slept a lot because with perfect timing as always, I got a strange skin condition which causes are actually unknown, but suspected viral... Viruses kick the stuffing out of me and make me tired, so I also spent a large portion of the first week asleep, or yawning like crazy when we did go out! So I thought that when I got back, I would have put on some pounds and didn't dare to weigh myself until yesterday, but I found that I have in fact lost a little bit. So I'm quite happy!

I think a number of things have contributed to this, because even when im trying I find it difficult to shift it. But due to a new group (for cosplay and dancing and the like) I'm taking part in, I have been a lot happier with just about everything. Even when a friend died recently, I didn't just hide away like I would have before my holiday and let it kick me down. Instead I just went back to those girls, planned like hell and ENJOYED doing it. Sometimes getting people to take note of what I say is like herding cats, but I have to say that I feel like I've found somewhere where I do fit in and I am listened to rather than feeling pushed around all of the time. So I've been dancing around and such.

I've dropped fizzy drinks and go for water each time, though I had a treat of pizza with my dad last night. Things are starting to look up even though I'm apprehensive about going back to uni soon. I know Ive got a few things and places where I can distract myself from those feelings.

I've began toning up using a youtube channel, they upload often so you don't get bored of the stuff they've already uploaded!

Glad to hear that you are feeling good even-though you've been through a lot! I hope that you feel happy with your new weight/size/fitness it's all about saying healthy and happy and if you're losing weight to do it for your own reasons.
You are right- not eating makes things so much worse, I used to try that and ended up in a right mess!! And drinking water is one of the most important things to do when you are looking after yourself!! I have also given up fizzy drinks (I may have about 1 a month if I'm lucky compared to about 4 a week which is what I used to have)!

I like your suggestion of dancing, I like dancing but I never do it maybe I should start doing it again!!

I've heard zumba is a great way to tone your stomach!
The way I lose weight is to cut down my portions first, then change my eating habits.
It's an easier transition but you still see results fairly quickly.
Sit ups will tone your upper abdomen, then your lower eventually. (I'm yet to find a good lower abdomen work out)
Squats are great too! They tone your butt and thighs.
Cardio exercises will help you burn calories and improve over all fitness.

Good luck (:

For lower abs do reverse crunches and leg raises. Also there are you obliques too - Russian twists are good for them, weighted if possible.

Squats do so much! Legs, lower back, abs..add in deadlifts as well and you've got two exercises that hit a lot of different areas