‘Thick’ girl needs some help
Dear Donovan,
I have always been a ‘thick’ girl as it runs in my family. I was very active in school and that kept me in a good position — a little overweight for my height, but comfortable. Since leaving high school my weight has jumped drastically to 230 pounds. Recently I have started going to the gym, eating a little better (still eating the bad foods at times) and I am now at 213 pounds. I want to know what I can do to lose some more weight. Can I get some suggestions like pills that work and exercises I can do at home to get rid of these huge legs? They are my biggest challenge.
I also have stretch marks on my belly and I want to get rid of them. Are there any remedies?
— Shan
Good day Shan,
Congratulations on your weight loss. It is a start, and a great journey in life begins with a single step. That aside, you would like to lose some more weight and your stretch marks.
Look back at what you did initially to achieve weight loss. You cut back on your food and introduced some exercise. However, now you have hit a weight plateau. This means that your calorie intake is somewhat equal to your calorie output. At this point weight gain or weight loss is somewhat minimal.
In order to tip the scale in your favour and cause more weight loss, you could reduce your food intake further and increase your activity or exercise. A simple way to reduce your food intake is to reduce your normal meal portions by a half. Even lunch could be portioned into two parts– one eaten for lunch and one portion eaten for dinner. However, it is also important that you try and incorporate as many healthy foods as possible — for example, fruits, vegetables and vegetable juices.
Taking my suggestions should jumpstart your weight loss programme. If you lose weight overall, the legs will also get smaller, but based on your family history you will always be bigger in the lower body.
Once you have lost further weight, you could tone and sculpt your legs with the help of an exercise instructor.
You also mentioned that you have a problem with the stretch marks on your stomach. Stretch marks are scars which appear on various parts of the skin, primarily around the stomach, thighs, hips, breasts, upper arms, lower back and even around the calves. Stretch marks happen when the body grows fatter than your skin can keep up. This causes the elastic fibre just under the surface of the skin to break, resulting in a stretch mark. In many people stretch marks can be embarrassing and unsightly. It should be noted that one of the common causes of stretch marks is rapid weight gain. Anywhere on a person’s body where a reasonable amount of fat can be stored can be affected.
The size and the amount of stretch marks depends on the person’s weight gain. The more weight that is gained, the more severe the stretch marks can appear. Pregnancy is usually the most common cause of stretch marks in women. Sadly, stretch marks have a tendency to remain even after pregnancy or losing weight.
A primary issue with stretch marks is that they are scars. In addition, most treatment methods that are effective and the ones that typically work a little better cost more. To be honest, the best way to deal with stretch marks is to prevent them as much as possible.
A dermatologist can also prescribe retinoid, which can speed cell growth and can stimulate new collagen leading to healthy skin. Also, gel made with onion extract has been shown in some studies to help with the fading of the marks.
Speak with your dermatologist about other available options for treating your stretch marks. Good luck!
