Young Calorie Counters

Okay, I'm a 16 year old 5'0 female who used to weigh 110 lbs a month back, i've been CCing and my ideal goal weight was 100. Today I am at 105 lbs. I exercise everday, running on the treadmill for 60 mins and 20 mins of rope skipping. CC suggested I cut my calories to 1266 as my limit in order to lose weight. But should I really be eating more since I'm still "growing" and should I reduce my exercise amount because my mom says it's way too much for me to handle. I work for 3 hours every morning and after my exercise I also do some light housework. If I do need to eat more calories and exercise less how much of it should I be doing to still maintain my weight loss steadily? I also would like to know if my activeness is classified as light, moderate, or heavy.

Thanks in advance. (:

You're about to get 15 people tell you that you're young to be losing weight, that 100 pounds is too little, etc, etc. But don't worry about it. It's great that you're setting yourself into a healthy lifestyle and you seem like you're being realistic and smart about it so great stuff. I'm only 20 yet CC applies fully to me and I get no crap from anything, but whatever.

CC is not properly adapted to calculate a limit for someone your age - other sites can, although they're escaping me right now. Someone else will definetly know. 1266 is definetly not enough, though.

I'm 90% sure I'd plug you in as "moderate". What do you do at work?

As for exercising less, an hour and twenty minutes is DEFINETLY not too much. Not saying it's not enough, but you're in no danger. The older you get the more you realise your parents are right about everything  but in terms of weight loss and exercise their worrysome complex kicks in but you seem to want to do this the healthy way. Keep exercising - definetly under three hours and take it from me, I used to sprain and pull everything at random, so STRETCH after.

What I reccomend is to set your activity to sedentary and log everything specifically, then attempt to get some form of deficit - around 500 cals, no more.

I'm not overly good with the youth calorie deal so anyone feel free to correct me.

Thanks for the support I appreciate it.

For work, I just package food. It's not very labourish work, more like light work to me.

But what do you mean by 500 calorie deficit? I never really understood what that calorie deficit means. lol x]

Calorie deficit means if you burn 2000 calories in a day and you eat 1500 that leaves a 500 calorie deficit(-500).

You seem to be pretty smart about your weightloss but your parents are right and you are still growing so I agree with mattywright and I think you may need to up your calories a little. Good luck!

Hey!

I think you're doing a great job.  I totally see where your moms coming from, because you're young, and you have so much a head of you - that worrying about five pounds should be on the back of your list.  Regardless of those lbs, working out is a great stress reliever, and it can clear your head - so if you can do it, keep it up.

Maybe with all that working out you've gained muscle mass, so that's where the lbs are coming from.  Maybe you'd lose that muscle weight if you stopped working out..I'm not suggesting that, but I'm trying to explain that sometimes you can't watch the scale, due to the muscle weight gain.

Also, a woman's body is very different than a man's.  Our weight fluctuates like crazy during the months..before my period i literally gain 5-7 lbs and it will stay on about a week and half after.

Honestly, I'm very impressed with your efforts, and I wouldn't suggest doing anything like increasing your workout or eating less - you don't want those five pounds to control you and your lifestyle..you've got to enjoy your everyday.  Do you feel good about yourself? Do you look good?  Then enjoy it!  Enjoy your youth!!  If you still aren't satisfied, just keep at it, but don't run yourself into the ground over it.

Good luck!! Think positive!

Thanks, I think I will keep doing what I am doing and maybe up my calories just a little.

Hey hon. You are doing great!!! More than worrying about your calories though, try to remember that you need the right food to fuel your activities. The habits you create now will stick with you through adulthood. When I was your age, I was 5'5 and 115 lbs - wouldn't I love to be that again!!! I worked out all the time but I usually skipped breakfast, had fries and a shake for lunch, a candy bar after school and cheerios or something for dinner (i rarely liked all the healthy stuff my mother cooked so I actually hid cheerios in my curtains and ate huge blizzards and hot dogs at the Dairy Queen where I had a job).

Anyway, the point is, even though I was working out I could get away with eating whatever I wanted because the portions weren't huge and I lived a pretty active lifestyle.  You say you prepare food at your job - sounds like you work standing up, moving around which is great, but someday you may have a desk job so your metabolism might seem to change with that. What my problem is now, is that I still crave all the foods I could get away with eating in my youth, hot dogs, ice cream, pizza, burgers etc. And eating all that terrible stuff all the time is not good for the body! Sugar ages you, some fats clog your arteries and eventually stick to you. Prevent your future battle! Eat a healthy breakfast every day, and then use CC to balance your nutrition to make sure you are getting enough veggies, fruits and protein. Protein is important, especially if you are working out in the morning. And try to get your food fresh, not from processed frozen or canned stuff. (tip, salmon is really good for your skin and with fresh spinach as a salad it is so tasty!) I never ate that in my youth because my mom hated fish and I thought I hated spinach (cuz I only tried it cooked, which was gross to me).  But raw spinish is good - and if you are used to crunchy lettuce just mix a little in!

Lastly, don't forget to enjoy your summer and your size - wear cute clothes, go swimming and have fun!!! You have the rest of your life to work and make money and worry about stuff. I had three jobs every summer when I was your age, and looking back I wonder why I did that. What did I need the money for? I wasn't paying rent - just gas, clothes and fun were all I was responsible for. And the $5-$14 an hour I was making (15 years ago) is nothing compared to what I make today so now I realize that my time is worth more and I understand what the saying means "youth is wasted on the young" - this may be what your mom is alluding to. That you are perfect the way you are and while making healthy choices and establishing a habit of exercising is great for your mind, body and future, you don't need to obsess about it because you are only young for a little while.

Last bit of advice - wear (oil-free) sunscreen ALL THE TIME - even on your arms, chest and shoulders. Avoid skin cancer. Trust me on this one. :)

Heyhey. :] You sound like you're doing things correctly and may just be a touch misguided on your calorie intake. The CC calculators are made for adults, and as you're 16 that doesn't apply to you as such! There's a more accurate calculator here: http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/bodycomp/bmiz2.html

According to that, the minimum you require without a deficit is 1570 calories. For other activity levels: 1870 Low Activity, 2160 Moderate Activity, and 2630 High Activity. I agree with Matty in that you likely fall under moderate right now, so that would mean you'd want to be eating about 1700ish calories to get down to 100. Remember to give yourself rest days, though! And I second stretching after working out, too.

It is also important for me to echo what has been said already: focus on your youth, on having fun, and seeing food as a fuel and source of pleasure, and not on the numbers behind itso much! :] Fresh food is better than processed but you're still a teenager, remember to have some treats once in a while. Don't consider things banned from your diet, but rather how moderation is key. Once you hit your goal of 100 work your calorie intake up to that 2160ish again or whatever applies to your exercise levels, and perhaps start doing some strength workouts along with your cardio. That way, you'll be able to maintain at a healthy weight while building some muscle tone and strength up too~ x] I hope this helps you a little.

replenish, I'm a teenager too, but I'm 5"3 and 118 lbs. I just started using CC yesterday.

After reading most of the comments here I got great advice!

lalabanana, the page you posted was very useful.

I still don't undestand everything, so some help would be great.

My BMI is 20.8 , and in that webpage, it said my Daily Energy Requirements if I'm currently (because in summer I don't have much activity like all year long, but currently I am working on a Stationary Bicycle, and I stretch, and do some housework) Low Activity is 2130 calories. That means what? That I naturally burn 2130 calories per day (without counting the ones I burn exercising) ? Or does it mean something else? Oh, and I am averaging my eating calories to 1400 per day. Is that alright?

Thanks everyone for the tips (:

I understand that I am still too young to be worrying about these kinds of things but I just want to be a healthier person in general like matty said and I know that shedding a few pounds wouldn't hurt if i'm doing it correctly. I also do give in to the teenage treats like chocolate and ice cream once in a while but i'm not consuming enough to make it unhealthy. I think I understand more about calories and how much I should be consuming and I agree that I should be upping my calories more because everyday all I could think about is food that it's driving me crazy >_< (not that i'm starving myself or anything).

I have a question though, since I've been on this limit of 1266 calories for so long is it safe to just up my calories to 1500 or do I have to take small gradual steps towards that amount? Cause I heard somewhere that eating less calories for a period of time effects your metabolism in some way. Would I still be able to lose weight? (I feel really subconscious about 1700 calories, I think its way too much for me, opinions?)