i wanna be a loser too!

[cypress1313]

I'm 16 and weigh 289. even though I'm 5'7 and i wear it well, it's still really bad! i mean really! (OK so we all know it's bad, lol). i usually play ever Saturday with my best friend at the mall, and we usually play an average of 3 games, some times more depending on how much money we have. before school let out, i went to gnc and they have one of those evil scales. you know, the ones that ask you if you've checked your weight, but you try to avoid it... well for once i didn't, i was curious since my weight usually fluctuates. when the little slip of paper came out saying 300 , i freaked, i weighed more than my mom! my mom weighed 340 before she had gastric bypass, and now weighs 260. she said i could get it if i want, but i saw how much pain she was in and for a woman who didn't even realize she was in labor when she was pregnant with my sister, that sorta pain scares me, especially if it was hard on her. I've seen her throw up, and once when she ate ice cream, she was by the toilet for 30 minutes throwing up. that's just not my sorta thing. in the 6th grade i weighed 260 so I've gained about 30 pounds since then and I'm fixing to be a junior. that day with the scale made me really want to change everything for the better. i got some extra money from my grandfather, so i decided I'd buy a ps2 and ddr mats and game. i played for the first time (at home) yesterday and today totaling about an hour. I've already lost 10 pounds on my own, but now with ddr, I'm hoping to lose more. OK now that you read all that junk, about how much am i supposed to play? I'd rather do most of my playing at home, with just the regular Saturday games. i do light at the arcade and basic at home. i only have kuna mix, so it sorta gets boring with out having my favorite song daikenkai. any way, any tips are welcome! thanks a bunch!
cypress

[abrannan]

Tip #1: You're freakin' 16 years old. Is Gastric Bypass really the right decision for you at that age? I realize that more and more people are doing it, but it was really intended as a "last resort" surgery. Do, however, go see a doctor and get at least a basic physical, and share your thoughts about losing weight and get her or his advice. There are blood tests they can do to make sure everything is working normally chemically and hormonally in your system, and identify anything that might stand in the way of your weight loss.



How much should you play? I'd aim for at least 30 minutes of play time 6 days a week, more if you can handle it. Work up a good sweat, get your heart rate up, but don't kill yourself. Actually, if you can fit two 30 minute sessions each day, that's great too. Each time you workout, you're boosting your metabolism for the next several hours, which means more calories burnt.


Diet-wise, cut out soda, and cut out sugar. Eat more fruits and vegetables, learn to use them as your snack foods. A cup of berries can be so much more satisfying than fatty, sugary ice cream. Keep away from fried foods, and limit your breads, rice, and pasta. Even if you only can manage one of those tips half the time, it'll help. More is better, of course, but any is better than none.

[ImpFreak7]

Hey, welcome to the boards!

I must agree with abrannan, gastric bypass is a last resort, and at 16 years old you can almost definitely lose the weight with diet and exercise. Not to mention that losing weight with exercise will make you healthier in the long run than losing it just by diet or surgery, you'll not only lose weight, but you'll get in shape too.

As far as tips go, abrannan has pretty much covered it all. In fact, all the tips he covered are basically how i'm trying to eat now, keeping track of the calories of everything I ate was too much work for me, so I cut out fried foods, candy, chocolate, pop (soda for those of you not from the pittsburgh area), etc. and started eating more fruits and veggies.

One thing I might add that has really helped me is eating breakfast, when I skip it, I overeat for the rest of the day, when I eat something for breakfast, sticking to my diet is so much easier. Even if you can just manage to grab a glass of skim milk or a piece of toast, eat something in the morning.

As far as exercising goes, just make sure you're having fun, you'll never stick with it if the activity you're doing isnt fun for you. If one day you find you're tired of playing DDR all the time (does that happen!?) go for a hike, play tennis, find something that you have fun doing.

Thats about all I have to add, good luck with your weightloss, and stick with it! You can lose as much weight as you want to, it just takes time and a little perseverance.