need a bit of help

[bananalova669]

I'm by no means new, I just kind of died during the school year. So, im 17 and I weigh something like 175 (though I can't really say I own a scale or have been near a reliable doctor's scale in 3 years) and I'm something like 5'6. Anyways, I can only DDR on light and about half of standard songs. I could probably go on for a couple of hours though (providing my mat holds out cause I'm poor like that).

So, my thoughts on a "plan" are something like this. So, a 1000 diet. And seeing as you burn about 2000 a day normally, I figure add a long walk or bike ride, some kind of extra activity and a crapload of DDR to bring the calories burned (past the food) to 3500 and there goes a pound. Therefore losing a pound a day being me down to 115 well before school starts again. Though, I don't think a skin and bones me would weigh much less than 120.

Good? Bad? Unhealty? I don't know, but I figure if I actually get up off my butt sometime during the day it could work.

[abrannan]

Warning, Warning! Very dangerous, Will Robinson!

You cannot safely lose a pound a day. Your average weight loss will end up around 2lbs/week at a maximum healthy pace. You didn't put the weight on overnight, you ain't losing it overnight either. You have to be willing to commit to a solid change in your life, not a quick fix. Quick fixes lead to yo-yo dieting, because as you go back to your old habits, you go back to your old weight.

115lbs is way too light for you, IMO. I was a stick in high school at 5'6" 135lbs. A more reasonable (and healthy) goal for yourself is around 130-140.

Your BMR (Base Metabolic rate, the number of caloires you burn each day just existing as the wonderful person you are) is around 1700 calories/day, and you shouldn't consistently go under 2/3 of that, so let's call it 1100 calories a day MINIMUM. Cut out soda completely, if at all possible, that's good for about 20lbs of weight loss right there. Eat more fruits and vegetables, and less sugar.

Getting lots of exercise is good, pushing yourself to the point where you're likely to injure yourself is bad. Be active, ride your bike and enjoy the outdoors. Play DDR at a level that gets your heart beating and works up a sweat for an hour or so 6 days a week, but do give yourself the occasional day off ( 1-2 days a week) for your muscles to recuperate. As you do exercises and activity that your body isn't used to, you will build muscle. That is a good thing. Muscle is more dense than fat, so you can lose inches without losing pounds. That's okay, don't panic. Each pound of muscle will add 50 calories to your BMR, which leads to more weight loss.

I also advise you to at least check in with a doctor, and have a general physical. They can help adivse you in healthy weight loss, and run tests for anything that might present an issue with your weight loss.

[bananalova669]

I guess I am supposed to get one of those physical deals sometime.

So, I guess I should stay away from my beloved Mt. Dew and throw away those hidden sugar cubes.

By the way, you so rock.

One last question. What about energy drinks? The low sugar, low carb kind. My favorite being BAWLS. Grabbing the nearest bottle, it seems to have nothing in it besides sodium. Which is salt? Or something? It has no sugar but says it is a soda, but all it really is, is carbonated water and caffine. I don't know though, I just have a super soft spot for energy drinks. And carbonated flavored water.

Thank you very much though. Seriously.

[Grant.]

Wow, I went to a BMR site, and it says I burn 2000 calories a day. I really need to get on a 1200 calorie diet, and with DDR, that's some nice steady weight loss

Thanks abrannan, I didn't know about BMR!

[abrannan]

Just for the record, my preferred BMR calculator is at www.caloriesperhour.com

[abrannan]

bananalova669 said:

I guess I am supposed to get one of those physical deals sometime.

So, I guess I should stay away from my beloved Mt. Dew and throw away those hidden sugar cubes.

By the way, you so rock.

One last question. What about energy drinks? The low sugar, low carb kind. My favorite being BAWLS. Grabbing the nearest bottle, it seems to have nothing in it besides sodium. Which is salt? Or something? It has no sugar but says it is a soda, but all it really is, is carbonated water and caffine. I don't know though, I just have a super soft spot for energy drinks. And carbonated flavored water.

Thank you very much though. Seriously.

Sugar free energy drinks (and even diet soda) are okay, but still not that best thing in the world. Caffeine is a bit of a double edged sword. It can give your metabolism a boost, but it's also a dieuretic (which dehydrates you) and can irritate the linings of your stomach and bladder. Just try to make sure you're drinking at bare minimum at least as much water as other drinks each day.

[bananalova669]

awesome thanks!

[legend of croft]

i used to drink a lot of iced tea, diet soda, and even regular hot tea....now i just stick to water. i find that i am less hungry (except when i'm supposed to be) and i am overal more alert and i'm always hydrated. i can play ddr for 2 hours without really needing to guzzle down water because i keep myself hydrated enough. if you can cut the sweet drinks out, you'll be doing yourself a great favor.

just don't overdo yourself with the ddr. if you wanna be ddr buddies, drop me an im at endmydespair on aim.

[xstatic]

that's a morbid aim. lol.

There is nothing wrong with drinking tea or iced tea... unless you are adding sugar and honey and crap to it. Unsweetened Ice tea is actually a beverage of choice for me. I find it more refreshing than water.

And tea is not only good for you to drink, it is also healthy. There are hundreds of studies right now on tea and their health benefits.

But don't get me wrong.... I always have a bottle of water on my desk or in my car etc. I think I just prefer that bitter taste of tea more. Might come from being a coffee drinker.

On the note of diet pop however, it's just downright nasty and I say chuck it all out! ;D ;D

[legend of croft]

i drink unsweetened tea with food usually but for the most part i've always got a bottle of water with me.

[agent709]

abrannan said:

Just for the record, my preferred BMR calculator is at www.caloriesperhour.com

Too confusing

So I guess my BMR is like 2,000.

[legend of croft]

my bmr is scary on days that i work (i waitress for around 11-13 hours a night a few times a week) on top of playing ddr earlier in the day before work.......ouch. at my restaurant there is no time to sit down until the end of the shift, so we're nonstop on our feet.

[Grant.]

Hmmmm. That thingie said it'll take me two months to lose 25lbs as long as I stick to my diet and do ITG/DDR an hour a day. I am going to try that, see if I can do it.

[abrannan]

grant said:

Hmmmm. That thingie said it'll take me two months to lose 25lbs as long as I stick to my diet and do ITG/DDR an hour a day. I am going to try that, see if I can do it.

Remember that as you lose weight, your BMR will go down, and as you gain muscle your BMR will go up. That can affect your timelines.

[Grant.]

I'll keep that in mind, but I don't plan on doing just ITG/DDR all summer. Fun, but monotonous.