Teen athlete worried about weight
DEAR DONOVAN,
I am a 16-year-old girl. I’m 5ft 5in and I weigh 260 lbs. I’m in desperate need of help. I play sports and I eat fairly well, but I can’t seem to lose any weight. I’m tired of always feeling like I’m being looked at, or of being the biggest kid in the class. If you have any advice I would really appreciate it. Thank you so much!
You have expressed yourself very well and I totally get it that you are tired of being the “big girl” in the class. At 5 feet 5 inches tall, a weight of 260 pounds is definitely too much. At this time you believe you are not eating too badly, but I must tell you that there might be other factors that might be contributing to your weight.
For example, your bone structure might be more of the large type. Also, since you are into sports, your body composition might also have a large amount of muscle. If you have a large amount of muscle, this could contribute more to your weight than if you have a large amount of fat.
From what you are telling me, you have been heavy for most, if not all, of your life. This could also be something genetic as well. What about your other family members, are they on the big side as well?
You have not specifically mentioned what you have been eating, but you feel that you are eating fairly well and trying to lose weight and you are not getting any results. Maybe you could ask your parents to help you to get a thyroid activity test. If your thyroid is not functioning properly, this could affect your weight. In addition, I would also suggest that you ask your parents to take you to a nutritionist so that your current food intake and exercise routine can be assessed. You might think that you are eating fairly well, but the calories might still be too high based on where you want your weight to be.
If you can’t get to a nutritionist immediately, I would suggest that you start to make some changes in your food intake as well as your exercise programme. The usual requirement to get weight loss is that you will have to reduce your foods/calories so that the body is forced to use up some of its reserve fat. For now, I would suggest that you do a kind of portion control diet. This is just basically where you reduce your food portions at each meal. So breakfast, lunch and dinner will now be half of what you were consuming before. You could also cut the amount of your juices and snacks in half as well.
The overall aim is to cut your calories and force your body to use up some of the fat reserves. If possible, you could also try and eat a bit healthier — meaning more fruits, vegetables and vegetable juices. However, I am quite aware that you are a student, so it is therefore very important to get your parents on board with your weight loss programme.
I am not sure if you are doing any muscle building-type exercises for your sports. However, if you build a lot of muscles this could also affect your weight. It might be better while you’re doing your diet programme to do more cardio-type exercises. This will help you to burn more calories and enhance your weight loss programme.
Overall, no matter what, love yourself and do your best at your weight loss programme.
We will answer your weight-related questions
Are you struggling to lose weight or just need some advice on living a healthier life? Tell us about your health issues and we’ll have nutritionist and wellness coach Donovan Grant answer them for you. Grant has over 12 years’ experience in the fitness industry and is the owner of DG’s Nutrition and Wellness Centre, 39 Lady Musgrave Road. Call him at 876-286-1363. E-mail questions to clarkep@jamaicaobserver.com.
