i am a 20 year old girl, and i currently weigh 116 lbs. i'm 5'5 in height.
last year, around october, the parties lined up almost everyday, and as a result, i gained around 6-8 lbs. even before that, i guess i hadn't really kept track of what i was eating, as i was used to having a slim body and felt i could eat as much without gaining as much. however, i think the food binge was what did me in.
i used to have a totally flat stomach, and a 27inch waistline. now it's got a little bulge, and my waistline is now up to 28.5inches. my hips measure around 36.5inches.

i recently started working out on the crosstrainer, but i'm bad at endurance. i only manage 15minutes a day and try to do around 15crunches afterwards, and i'm slowly working that number up until i can manage around 90-100 a day. (since i read some advice that it's better to start at 10 and increase 1 per day to get to the bigger crunch numbers.)

so how should i set my goals? i want to get down to around 106lbs, but i don't know if this would actually really decrease my waistline. furthermore, i've tried eating less, as recommended, but not to the point that i would starve myself.

do you have any advice on what i could do about this and if i should make any more changes?
i used to never exercise but i feel its importance, specially since i have a slightly higher resting heart rate than normal, usually around the 120s. (this is also why i feel i cannot do more than 15minutes, because by then, my heart feels like it's about to explode.)

any advice/comments/suggestions would be appreciated. thank you so much.

I think getting down to 106lbs would be very unhealthy, that would put your BMI at 17.6. A BMI of 17.5 is used to diagnose Anorexia. I just think its an unrealistic goal.

What I think you should do is get your Body Fat Percentage tested, most sports gyms can do this. Its just at 116lbs you'd expect your waist to be smaller than that, and you could have a high body fat percentage. If you do, maybe you could concentrate on lowering that instead of losing pounds. That way you know your losing fat, not wasting away muscle.

Have you ever considered doing weight training? I'd say start doing that 3-4 days per week (look up resistance training on google), and just eat healthy foods with complex carbs and proteins.

You definatly dont need to lose any weight.

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Starting Weight: 62kg - Current Weight: 57.4kg - Goal Weight: 52kg

*silently wonders if some people sign up screen names and make up ficticious problems to make fun of those of us who are not naturally underweight*

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sorry it would seem that way, but i'm not.. not making up fictitious problems and i certainly don't mean to make fun of anyone..
SORRY! i just thought i could use some advice, that's all..

thanks for the advice!
i had it tested, i have around 22% body fat. i don't think that's very good, is it? may i also know what the usual waistline is for someone weighing 116lbs?

i have considered weight training, but do not really know the basics, but thanks for the hint on what to search for in google. i have 6lbs weights--my only problem was that i didn't really know how to incorporate it in working out.
but doing cardio is still okay, is it?

thanks very much for your advice and understanding!

There are LOTS of things you can do with 6lbs weights. Google: Flys, Bicep Curls, Tricep Curls, Chest Press, Shoulder Press or read the stickied threads on lifting.

Cardio is essential for burning fat, I just think resistance training is equally if not more important.

At 22% you could still stand to lose some body fat, even though you are currently in the healthy range. I don't know what the usual waistline is for 116lbs, 116lbs just seems so tiny! I am around your height and 125lbs and my waist is 26", I suppose people carry their weight in different places.

If I were you, I would concentrate on lowering your body fat percentage and you measurements as opposed to reading the scale.

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Starting Weight: 62kg - Current Weight: 57.4kg - Goal Weight: 52kg

I'm 5'6" 140lbs and my waist is also 26". So you got that right.

everyone is buillt differently. i don't think its really our place to tell someone their waist is too big. especially someone who has expressed they are already fairly thin and trying to lose an unhealthy amount of weight.

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Inches Lost: 16.5
My Blog ~ http://beautifulinthelord.blogspot.com/

Im not, i said that people carry weight in different places.

Just because she seems thin it doesn't mean she is healthy, she could have a high proportion of fat, which can be very UNhealthy.

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Starting Weight: 62kg - Current Weight: 57.4kg - Goal Weight: 52kg

It certainly sounds like your waist is bigger than I would expect for someone of your weight. It would be unhealthy for you to aspire towards a BMI of 17.6.

It may be worth speaking to your doctor about the bulge and seeing what they say.

I recently found that I had a bulge in my waistline and it transpired that my bowel had moved after a weakness had arisen in the abdominal wall (they did an ultrasound scan to investigate). I needed a hernia operation. Not every bulge in the waistline is due to fat.

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The first thing you should do if you feel like your waist is too big is to check out your diet. Anything that is inflammatory will automatically increase the size of your waist. This includes processed foods, sugar, and any food intolerances you might have (many people don't handle gluten and dairy very well, however the gluten alergy can sometimes create lactose intolerance as the bacteria in your intestines can get out of whack. So taking away gluten may allow you to consume more dairy). By getting on a clean diet, meaning only unprocessed foods (if you don't see it moving around, or growing somewhere it is processed), you can see a huge improvement in the size of your waist. I've had some people lose more than 2 inches in a week!

As for the exercise stop doing crunches. You are probably looking at the machines thinking they are a good idea as well...they're not. Unless your going for the hunched back posture and muscles that are capable of moving your body without being able to first stabilize your body, take my advice seriously. Find someone who know what they are doing. Don't go based on certifications or looks. Ask them why when they give you advice. Despite popular belief weight training is a science and needs to be respected. This is also why many people fail...they have no clue why they are doing something. The human body is very complex and everyone is somewhat different. Therefore, no two people will react the same to a general program.

That being said, the lifts which have the most pronounced effect for everyone (they should be varied up based on the individual), are the olympic lifts, squats, dead lifts, military presses, pull ups, etc. In addition by using heavy weight your hold body is forced to contract and work synergistically (one reason why you should stay away from machines). This leads to a stronger contraction of the "abs" while keeping proper posture and much faster results. Again, make sure you find someone who really knows how to do these exercises. I've seen too many people teach poor form, get no results, and hurt people.

As for the conditioning if you can do it appropriately sprinting is far more superior than aerobic training. Ever notice the difference between someone sprinting at the track and someone going for a long distance run? The sprinter moves efficiently through a full range of motion while the runner is hobling around thinking they are getting in shape. Now let's look at they physique of the two. The 100meter sprinters are cut, while a marathon runner has toned quads and that's it. Everything else is thin, but has more body fat than the sprinter. In addition many elite marathon runner have a verticle leap of about 4 inches. Is that healthy? I hope your answer is no.

I hope this helps. Sounds like your on the right path. Keep it up.

Jon Feinman, CSCS, CPT

i feel better after reading your post. hehe..

thanks very much for your advice!

thanks very much for your response..
and to everyone who put in what they thought.. i learned a lot.. thanks!

starting this week i've started a diary to maintain an intake of 1300 calories a day, and incorporate 30-60mins cardio + 10-20mins weight training (whatever i can manage).

all of your input has helped a lot and i really appreciate it.

although yes, my pretty big waistline is rightly so a matter of concern.
to reduce it would be a proper diet + proper exercise routine, right?

THANKS to all of you!