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Annonymouse Asks...
Hello
Im so Upset.
I want to lose weight But am so so so so so scared of getting excess skin if i do . I am only 16 so my skin shud have a good elasicity but i have lots of stretch marks everywhere on my breasts my tummy arms and legs . That must mean that my skiin has stretched and wont stretch back . I hate being fat and i have never had a boyfriend before and im 16 omg!!. i want to turn my life around and become a better looking person for me not for boys but it would be nice if i could get one with my weight loss. Clothes just dont look nice on me and i cant get fashionable clothes in my sizes sumtimes
I get upset and wont go swimming becuse im too fat to wear a swimming costume and i never wear shorts or skirts becuz my legs are too fat!
Help !!!!!! Will i get loose skin ? If so im never leaving the house again id rather be Fat than have loose skin and never have a boyfriend for being fat!! omg help!!!!!!
I cann never afford surgery if i get loose skin . I need sum help
it would be much appreciated
Annonymouse x x x x
What we suggest...
Hi Annonymouse, thanks for contacting q2a.
It's good that you've made the decision to lose weight; you've taken the first step towards succeeding. It's ok to have getting a boyfriend and being able to buy fashionable clothes as goals, as well as doing it for yourself: they're extra incentives! You're right in thinking that you'll have less chance of ending up with loose skin because you're still young. The key is not to try to lose too much weight too quickly, and to exercise regularly to keep your skin and muscles toned and supple. The faster you lose weight, the quicker it can go back on! Try not to be seduced by quick-fix diets because they aren't a long-term solution.
Losing weight steadily will also reduce the risks of getting more stretch marks. They're caused by changes deep in your skin's structure so, although your skin will probably adjust as you lose weight, the marks may still be visible. If they're now a reddish/purple colour they should eventually fade to white and be less noticeable. Self-tanning creams can help to disguise them as well.
Before you start a diet and exercise regime it's best to see your GP for a check up. He/she will weigh and measure you, and tell you what your healthy weight range is. He/she will also be able to give you advice on dieting and exercising safely:
- generally, healthy weight loss is between 1-2lbs a week which means eating between 500-1000 less calories a day. This doesn't mean eating less food but substituting high calorie foods with lower fat foods and plenty of fruit and vegetables. You can still eat carbs like bread, potatoes, rice and cereals because these will give you energy for your exercise
- depending on your current level of fitness, if you're not far off your healthy weight range they may recommend that you do 30 minutes of mild or moderate exercise 5 times a week. If you're in or near the obese range they may recommend that you do up to 1hour
What sort of exercise you do will probably be up to you, whatever appeals to you the most (we won't mention swimming!). Here are some examples:
- following exercise videos/dvds/wii
- walking
- jogging
- cycling
- squash, badminton, yoga etc. at your local sports centre
- joining a gym
When you've got down into your weight range you'll still need to eat healthily and exercise regularly so that you don't start to put it back on again.
We don't know whether you're allowed to contribute to your household's shopping list, but we hope that if you tell them about your plans to lose weight they'll be supportive about the sort of food you need to eat. You never know, other members of your family might want to get fit and healthy as well and were just waiting for someone else to make the first move. If they are, it will be good support for you.
If you'd like more information about this, here's where you can go:
- your local library will have lots of books on dieting and exercising
- you can buy books, videos, dvd's etc. from good bookshops
If you have access to the Internet have a look at the following websites:
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/switch/surgery/advice/body_mind/everyone/eating_right
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/switch/surgery/advice/body_mind/everyone/fitness/
- http://www.thesite.org/healthandwellbeing/fitnessanddiet
We hope you find what we've said in our reply helpful. Please email us again if you need to, about this or anything else.
Good luck and best wishes from q2a.
Expert advice and every precaution has been taken to ensure that the information on this page is trustworthy and reliable, but the publishers do not hold themselves responsible for any inaccuracy as information can go out of date very quickly. This page gives general guidance only and should not be treated as a complete and authoritative statement of the law. With regard to suggested weblinks given in this reply please note that Lancashire County Council is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
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