Hello everyone,
I'm new here, and first of all, I'd like to say congratulations on such a well established website. I'm 15 years old, and am about 20-25lbs overweight, but I wouldn't know exactly. This is because I've gotten nothing out of weighing myself consistently, despite doing regular excercise. Setting goals hasn't worked for me, to my despair. I regularly play soccer, and it really takes its toll on me when I play for long periods, however I've been told soccer doesn't really do much to loose weight. Now, here's the thing -- I would like to loose this weight within one month, before school starts, or else its never going to happen. School hours are very long with me, along with studying etc. etc, so I need to do it now. I'm willing to do anything. Honestly, I figure whatever I do in this few weeks, no matter how tired I get, will soon be over. I understand under normal circumstances, it takes patience, and dedication, but I don't have the time, and if I did, I honestly wouldn't ramble like this. Please help me. I really don't want to end up struggling to get off of a couch in the future. I'm physically capable. I just need the right stuff to do it. Please, your advice is more than welcome

Me again,
I'll be honest with you - Even if I did have the time to bring my weight down slowly, I wouldn't be able to, because I like motivation and consistency. Its tough looking at myself in the mirror. I can wear slimming clothes, but thats not enough..Please. I'm giving my self a window to do it, and its all I have.

It sounds like you're being a little hard on yourself. What you need is a weight-loss buddy, someone who will keep you motivated, keep you accountable, and make exercising more fun.
I love going for walks with my friend. I want to go and she doesn't, so I drag her out of the house, and vice versa.

Don't keep your window so narrow!

I completely understand where you're coming from. For the longest time I would constantly set unrealistic goals for myself...ie: "lose X amount of weight in one month" but the amount would be 20lbs which isn't healthy.

Because I set these goals, I was also setting myself up for failure. I know it's hard, and frusterating but what's worse? Losing weght slowly but surely, or not losing at all?

Please try to be more optomistic! A good attitude really goes a long way toward weight loss! You can do this, you just need to keep at it and set your mind to it. Please don't rush the weight loss because you might end up hurting yourself.

I have faith in you that you can do this!! and even if you fall over and over again (like I've often done) keep going, and keep trying!!

Goodluck!! my e-mail is stephbennett13@yahoo.ca please e-mail me for any sort of support you need!

Well, I can't thank you enough for your kind words everyone. Your right, I guess they were unrealistic goals, however I've been pushed for time, and trying to do something worth-while with the time I have. I guess I should take it slow, and hopefully, I'll see results in time.

As far as a weightloss buddy, well, nobody I know is willing to cooperate much, so I'm on my own, but I've been used to that for a while. Hopefully, things will turn around, and I'll get my act together.

Again, thank you for your replies. It means a lot to know that some people have faith in change.

I'll be your buddy! Not quite the same, I know. But I'm getting an MP3 player (a very cheap one!) for when I need to walk alone. Maybe we could challenge each other? Or you could join one of the challenges here; one of the small ones, to keep you motivated?

hehe, I'd love to be anyone's buddy. You see, I'm kind of new to the idea of asking people for advice. Ever since I remember, I've been improvising on my own. The thing is, I know I'm very capable of losing weight, because I play a lot of soccer, I love swimming, and I live in a very, very hot country, which stimulates sweating. Its just that I never see results. I have a problem with asthma that has resulted in me winding up in ER for the oxygen mask every now and then, but thats only because I don't carry around the inhaler. Otherwise, I'm very physically capable of losing the weight...I just don't have that consistency. For what its worth, I'd be more than happy to be your buddy, and thank you very much for the offer -- Where do I start to thank you all?

Anytime! For activity, I mostly walk (I have asthma too, no inhaler though. So I avoid jogging, and jumping around!), and do low impact aerobics. I'm doing weight watchers and they give points for various activities. For example, a 20 min walk with my kids is 1 point, a fast walk for 40 minutes is 2 points I think, etc. I try to get at least 4 a day.

Maybe some sort of challenge? What's your goal for activity? I go for at least one walk a day (two if I can drag the kids out!), and 5 times a week I do some sort of exercise video in my house. Why don't you come up with a plan (one that's reasonable!). Make sure you give a day or two through the week for your muscles to recover. And we can challenge to make sure we meet our goals each week! What do you think?

Hey Crosscheck,

What makes you think that you are 20-25lbs overweight? Did a doctor say so? If not, you may just THINK that you are overweight, because you don't look like the superskinny girls in magazines. Plus, if you play soccer, you are likely to be fit anyway. Adding low impact activities, like pilates or yoga, may be a good way for you to tone up a little more.

Also, consider an activity like swimming or jogging to stay in shape during the off-season!

Don't get too down on yourself, though. Staying active and eating nutritious foods are the keys to staying fit, not necessarily skinny.

Check out The Spotter for more tips. www.thespotter.net