Hi, so I’m a 16 year old girl. I ideally need to loose just over 3 stone to be my ideal weight. Has anyone got any tips for motivation? I’ve started today - I can always seem to loose the weight but can never seem to keep it off. My weight has been roller coaster over the years. This time, I’m determined to reach the goal I want to. I just find it so difficult to carry on! I’d appreciate any personal experiences or any advice.
Stay Safe everyone!
Amber x
Hi Amber!
I would first use the NHS BMI calculator to check your ideal weight is both realistic and achievable. It should also give you a calorie range to help you lose weight. I do believe this only works on the adult bmi (so you may just need to put 18 for reference). As you are a little bit younger, I would recommend you stick to the upper end of the calorie limit where you will lose weight sustainability and safely!
In terms of keeping it off, when i reach my ideal weight (or very close) I tend to experiment a little by increasing my calories by 200 and trying to achieve that goal for 2-4 weeks. Then, I will check to see whether I’ve lost, gained or maintained my weight. I can then adjust my calorie target and try again to find the rough estimate which allows me to maintain my weight.
Hopefully by making lifestyle choices with exercise and plenty of fruit and veg, you’ll have a good understanding of how to live healthily and happily - it’s all about balance!
Motivation can be challenging - have you tried making a Instagram account? There’s a great weight loss community there if that’s your thing. Personally, I need to loose 15lbs more which I hope to do in 15 weeks! I’ve marked the date on my calendar and cross off the days every evening knowing I’m one day closer to achieving a healthy weight!!
Hope this helps and feel free to ask me any questions. There is lots of different advice out there so this is just what works for me,
Meg
Hi Meg,
Thankyou so much for your response!
Reading through your advice has been immensely useful! My ideal weight is realistic, I’m currently eating 1350 calories daily and am doing a 3 mile walk daily too. My aim is to loose 3 stone, 7 pounds by the end of this year ( ideally November ) and then just need to keep it off! On keeping it off, Thankyou for your advice. I’ll be sure to try that out. I always in the first few weeks loose around 5 pounds each week when I’ve heard that it’s only safe to loose 1/2 pounds a week, is this normal? I think maybe because I have so much to loose, it comes off quicker if that makes any sense?
Thanks again, Amber.
Hi Amber, looks like you have a great plan. 1350 calories sounds sensible but don’t be afraid to tweak this number if you find it unsustainable.
It’s perfectly normal to lose more in the first few weeks - this will mainly be water weight rather than body fat. You will then see smaller loses but they all add up. Anywhere up to 2lb a week is a brilliant and safe goal but you’ll see that the exact amount you lose each week varies a lot for no real reason!
Hope this helps,
Meg
Hi Amber,
I think a few people have missed the fact that you are doing a lot of walking as well as wanting to stick to your calorie allowance. The two together are a good combination 👍 Make sure you keep your fluid intake up as well so that you don't become dehydrated. I myself wouldn't worry if you are losing a bit more weight at the beginning and then this tails off. I don't have scales at the moment in lockdown so Intake waist measurements instead. If you can, take a measurement once a week, same time of day and see how this changes too. Sometimes when the scales say something disappointing, the tape measure doesn't 🙂
Also, you are still growing at 16 so maybe this will affect outcomes too? As will stress so, try to have a plan for if you feel you've had a bad day. If you eat more than you think you should have, it is not the end of your journey, just a wobble and we've all had them ! Just get back on track the next day.
Good luck, you can do this!
Hello Amber and welcome to the forum,
Firstly you say you can lose the weight but not keep it off. I expect that you look upon this as a diet rather than a healthy eating plan for life. The word 'diet' gives us the impression there is a start and end, the truth is, to maintain weight loss, it never ends. You cannot lose weight and then eat the way you used to without gaining the weight again.
My advice would be to break down your weight loss into small chunks, maybe 5lbs at a time, losing 1 to 2lb a week and no more. The slower it comes off the more likely it is to stay off.
Cut back on sweet and fizzy drinks and cut sugar out of your tea and coffee if you drink it.
Avoid all fad diets and low fat diet foods (these contain a lot of sugar to give them flavour).
Fill your body with nourishing food including good fats, your body is still developing. So make sure that you eat plenty of vegetables, eat meat, cheese, cream, butter not margarine, nuts in moderation, avocado, use olive oil to cook with, full fat greek yoghurt. These are all foods that will fill you up and keep you going to the next meal. You shouldn't need to snack between meals and if you do feel hungry between meals, you are probably eating too little of the above.
Cut back on processed foods and things like pasta, pizza, chips, sweets, chocolate, these should be a very occasional treat.
Lastly add in some exercise, this doesn't mean hitting the gym 7 days a week. A good brisk walk every day, or doing some fun exercise routines found on youtube or dancing with your mates (when we are allowed again) , would be great. What ever exercise you choose, make sure you enjoy it.
We have some groups here on the forum that you might like to join in with to help to keep your motivation going, they are all here in Pinned Posts, here is the link
healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...
Have a good read through. Joining a weekly weigh in and sharing your menu on the Daily Diary are two great places to give and gain support.
Wishing you all the best 
Hi!
Thanks so much for your response. Like you say, I do look upon this as a diet. My goal is to keep the weight off once I’ve lost it! This needs to be a life change and not just a diet like you say.
I completely understand the breaking down weight loss into chunks. You say loosing “1/2 pounds a week and no more” however I often find that in my first few weeks I end up loosing a lot more than that, because I have the weight to loose I think. I often loose 5 pounds a week the first week or two. Is this normal? Does it mean that I’ll be more more likely to put it all on? Surely it’s possible to loose the weight and keep it off!
Thanks immensely for the link! I’ll certainly have a look at that.
Amber!
It's quite normal to loose a larger amount at the beginning Amber but then you want to have a steady weight loss. Yes, by changing you lifestyle and sticking to it, you can loose weight and keep it off. Get it right whilst you are young and you won't have years ahead of you, yo yo dieting like a lot of us have done.
Let us know how you get on
I already feel like I’m starting too late but this is the time to truly sort it out before years of yo yo dieting like you say! Will do <3 x
Hi Amber, l am an occupational therapist and believe in goal setting. As highlighted by WeightLoss30, NHS BMI is a brilliant starting point. Know exactly we’re you’re at, set your self small goals and work toward those. For example you could set yourself to lose 3lbs per month and do you weekly weighing and record on NHS BMI app. If you lose more then that will be brilliant.
For me I don’t set myself too big goals as I don’t like setting myself up to fail.
Also incorporate exercise in your weekly routine and also healthy eating.
Remember small goals have bigger impact too
Hello amber
When I was 16 I was overweight like you and found it hard to lose weight cos I worked in an office
I found golf helped cos of the walking
Also cutting down on fatty foods and set stuff helped too!
I lost 3 stone in 6 months !!
Graham
Hi!
Thankyou so much for your response!
Well done on your weight loss journey! You’ve done amazingly!
That’s my aim, I’m looking to loose around 3 stone 7 pounds for the end of this year ( ideally November )
Thanks!
Amber.
Amber
Yes no problem
Wishing you all the best
Remember just take it one day at a time and I’m sure you will hit your target
Regards
Graham
Hey there!
I dropped a bunch of weight when I was your age. And I did it all the wrong way which is how I ended up putting all back on and more.
Focus on making little gradual changes toward a lifestyle change. By changing what you eat and how you eat, as well as incorporating exercise, a healthy lifestyle will naturally produce weight loss as a side effect.
- Check the NHS website for advice on calorie consumption and what constitutes balanced diet.
- Make gradual changes to your lifestyle and set small goals along the way. Make sure you reward and treat yourself as you reach them! Take a photo of yourself for comparisons as they are very motivating.
- Stay hydrated and get plenty of sleep
- Be as consistent and patient as you can. Often the faster the weight comes off, the harder it is to keep off.
- Don't starve yourself, instead focus on getting all the nutrition you need and feeling satisfied.
That's just a few tips from someone who is currently in the process of losing some weight. When they say a balanced diet and exercise can help you get healthy it is very true!
Good luck and keep us posted <3
Hi!
Thankyou so so much for your response! It’s honestly really useful and I’ll read whenever I’m feeling unmotivated!
I’ve previously lost lots of weight but have always ended up putting it all back on. My aim is to loose 3 stone 7 pounds by the end of thus year ( ideally November ) and I’m hoping I’ll be able to keep the weight off then. You say “often the faster the weight comes off, the harder it is to keep off”. I often find that in the first few weeks, I loose quite a lot ( around 5/6 pounds in a week ) and this is just from making healthy lifestyle changes and exercising. Am I doing something wrong? I’m concerned that all of the advice is to loose 1/2 pounds a week, however that’s not the case for me at first.
Thanks again, Amber :)) xx
Hey again.
I'm currently at a loss of 3st 8lb and that's taken me a bit over 9 months. It averages out at around 1.3lb a week loss. Though some weeks I lost nothing, and others I lost 3lb say. While your goal is do-able I think it may be a little quick.
I agree you will definitely lose more in the first few weeks, but a consistent 1-2lb a week loss is the most healthy way. It allows your time body to adjust to it's lowering weight.
The main thing is to make sure you're eating enough as well as not too much. If you're losing weight too quickly, you might want to consider eating a little more to slow it down.
Everyone wants progress and they want it quickly, but try to think long term and go for the method that means you never have to 'diet' again!
Let me know how you get on. Perhaps put a post out there with a summary of the changes you make in what you eat and how you exercise. I'm sure there's plenty of people that can give you tips.
The main thing is to find something that works for you, that you can stick to, and that you can continue long after you've reached your goal weight x
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