Expert: Laura Kraemer RN,BSN,CPN - 6/10/2009

Question
QUESTION: I'm 15 years old. I recently was going to play football for my high school team. And to put on weight fast i ate big meals 3 times a day, now im sitting here. Having put on around 30 pounds. I don't think theres much muscle left since i havent lifted in a few months. I'm around 170+ and im tryin to get back down to the 140 range which i was at before i ate alot. I put on alot of excess fat around my stomach, butt, legs, and chest area. Can you give me a workout regime that i can do and what i should eat to lose the fat as quickly and safely as possible. Thanks.

ANSWER: Dear Thomas, Don't try to lose weight quickly, lose it slowly. Your football coach should help you with your exercise regime. If you try to lose weight quickly, you will lose valuable muscle, so try to lose about one pound per week, or 4- 5 pounds per month. You don't mention how tall you are, but for every inch you grow, your normal weight will increase by 5-6 pounds, so your normal weight might not be 140 pounds anymore. Your diet should include fruits, vegetables, lean meat, chicken, fish, healthy fats like those in nuts and salad oils, and whole grain bread. Limit fast foods, excess bread, pasta, sugar drinks, and other carbohydrate foods that contain sugar. Eighteen hundred calories per day should produce a 1-2 pound weight loss per week, so count all calories and keep track of what you eat. Try to walk every day for at least 30 minutes, or get back to your football work-outs. Hope that helps, Laura Kraemer,Slimkids.com

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Ok. I'm around 5'11" now. And i was like almost 5'10" when i started. But, i'm not playing football now. And our workouts were real intense and consisted of heavy lifting, with minimum rest. Would following the same program i did for football help me lose some fat along with cutting back on the calories i take in? Or would a less intense high cardio workout be the way to go?

Answer
Dear Thomas, Now that I know your weight and I've charted it on the height and weight growth charts, a weight of 140 pounds would be considered underweight for a growing 15 year old 5.11 teenager. The average weight should be about 160-170 pounds. When you lifted weights last year, you bulked up, meaning you increased muscle mass and bone mass. You became stronger and heavier to hold the increased weight. Because of your increased muscle mass, I don't see you getting back down to your earlier weight. Instead strive for 160 pounds and see if your midsection thins out. Ten pounds can really make a difference. If you don't like the muscular look you would get with your football work-out, then try to lose 10 pounds with daily cardio of 45 minutes and just watch your calories for a few weeks. Hope that helps, Laura Kraemer,Slimkids.com