Getting in shape is killing me........

[Medical Kid]

I really really really wanna get buff, but if I get too much muscle my growth points will be stunned! and I havent hit puberty yet, but I dont wanna become fat, what should I do?

[Jesse]

Work out?

[Zephyr]

Keep a balanced diet and a regular excercise routine that isn't too strenuous.

[Sugaree]

Hun, I've been overweight most of my life,
I know where you're coming from.
The thing is,
Don't give a shit about what others have to say and just be yoruself,
They can't ask for more than that.
If they do, they're not worth your time or your grief.
It's mainly a mindset.
Most people could care less about your weight, think about it.
When you see a bigger person, do you think, 'fatass', and not give it a second thought?
I know I don't, I treat them all the same, as do most people.
Forget about what others think.
Once you do that, you'll see that you're equal to everybody else,
And almost everybody else think so too.
Forget about that small minority of assholes,
Think about your happiness instead.
Once I learned to not care about what others thought,
I noticed that almost nobody judged me on my wieght,
They actually like me for me, not my body image.

Yes, it'll be healthy to lose wieght,
But it's something that has to happen at the right time when you have the right attitude,
So until then, forget about what others think and try to stay strong = )

Steph (essasteph) posted this in one of my threads and that helped me. So just take this little bit like I did. It helped.

[notsure101]

Hey, keep a balanced diet play a sport and get exercise everyday.

[Antares]

Boys Puberty :arrow: VTGH

[Oblivion]

Well from what i read, you pretty much don't want to work out because it might stunt your growth, correct? Correct.

You most likely won't get 'Buff' from a healthy diet and regular exercise, but you will be very healthy. Being buff, in my opinion, isn't natural. It's something that you get when you work out for specific muscles and tone them perfectly to look good
Healthy>Buff

[Nihilus]

I would eat a healthy diet and exercise regular. When trying to get buff take it slowly.

[LifeIsMyJoke]

Hey Matt, this is my area of expertise, I got 99% in High School for PDHPE, so yeah, thats always been my best subject.

Ok, first thing I want to say is that for someone your age, I wouldn't really consider bulking up.

At the moment the best you can do is to stay fit and healthy, maintain cardiovascular fitness (going on runs, or any endurance events) and basically just eat well.

You say that it will stun your growth points - that isn't entirely true. I'll quickly explain what bulking up involves. It is an exercise technique called progressive overload which allows the body's muscle tone to dramatically increase in size. Progressive overload involves lifting a certain weight, close to that of the maximum you can lift, and gradually increasing the repetitions and sets (how many times you do it, and on how many different sets of that repetition). Once you feel comfortable at that weight then you increase the weight.

This can also borderline on maximum lifting. The problem with this in a youngster (generally under 16) is not that it can technically stunt your growth (your growth isn't related to your muscle tone, its all hormonal) - but more so that you can do serious injuries to your lesser developed bone platelets.

As children don't have a completed body system, regarding muscle tone, etc. Then gaining muscle to make yourself look bigger is nowhere near as efficient, and nor is it as safe as it is when older.

You can cause stress fractures in your bones (like what I did to my back) by trying to push yourself too hard at a young age.

There is nothing wrong with lifting light weights, and staying cardiovascularly fit, and maybe even delving into power (explosive medium weights - still sort of dangerous); however, I wouldn't recommend trying to bulk up, as progressive overload and maximum lifting can cause injuries such as stress fractures, and it also isn't as effective while your body isn't technically completely ready - that is, when you complete puberty, or at least grow to a size near to what you will be as an adult.

I hope this helps mate, good luck with staying fit!! And avoid those heavy weights for a few more years!! Nobody will mind, 13 year olds aren't meant to be incredibly muscly.

[Medical Kid]

thanks everyone! I feels loads better now, and sorry for posting it in the wrong place, anyway I'm gonna go for a jog, later guys :D

[mr.sexy_bomb]

find a nutritionis and a couch 2 help u b in shape

[Kaleidoscope Eyes]

Ok everyone, prepare for one of Jessi's overly in-depth posts....

Well, you're not trying to build tons of muscle right now anyways, right? Before you can focus on building muscle, you need to get in shape. "In shape" does not necessarily mean "buff". What you want to do is cardio exercise, 3 times a week. If you play a sport, that's good, but if all you're doing right now is P.E. in school, you may want to exercise on your own. Start out with power-walking, or jogging, (either around the neighborhood or on a treadmill) for 15 or 20 minutes. You should start out walking at a leisurely pace for a few minutes, stretch a little bit, and then kick it into a slightly higher gear. The goal is to have your heart beating faster and to be breathing faster. You should be able to talk, but not be able to sing. Adjust the time to fit you, you don't want to be fatigued (its ok to be a little sore the next day) but you do want to be getting something out of this. As it gets easier and easier, gradually step up the time, say to 25 minutes three times a week, and then to 30 minutes (if you're already in ok shape, you may start out at 30 minutes and go up from there). Try to do this every other day, not three days in a row, so that your muscles have time to rest but aren't resting so much that no progress is made.

Once you're feeling good about your cardio workouts, you can add in some light strength training to tone muscle (sit-ups, push-ups, squats, that kind of thing), on the days you're not doing cardio (it's important to have a day or two in-between your work-outs, so your muscles can recover, or you're likely to hurt yourself). A gym membership could be helpful, as long as you can talk to someone there about what you should be doing. A lot of gyms have trainers who will work with you to devise a routine to meet your needs. I think they stick around for the first time or two to make sure you know what you're supposed to do and how to use the machines and whatnot, but then you get to be on your own. That would be best, so that you're working more to tone muscle than to build tons of it. You're only 13, most 13 year-olds aren't buff anyways, so I think your main concern right now should be toning what you already have.

In addition to the cardio, try to eat healthier. I'd suggest keeping a food diary for three days. Just get a sheet of paper or two, and for three days write down everything you eat, and the approximate calories that go with them (if you think you may be eating out of boredom sometimes, also write down the times you eat). Most fast food places have nutrition info online, so don't skip writing those things down. After three days, tally up each days' intake and see how it looks. Do you notice any patterns? Are you eating a lot of junk? Do you eat a meal for an afternoon snack? How many calories do you consume, typically? The average person should be consuming 1800-2000 calories per day, depending on size and level of activity. If you're eating 2700 per day, for example, it's a sign that you need to make some changes. And if you're eating at odd times when you're not really hungry, that needs to be changed as well. Look at what you eat, and think about what you can change. Do you use 3 servings of mayo on your sandwiches? Try using less or switching to mustard, which is healthier for you. Do you drink several sodas per day? Try drinking diet, or replacing some of those sodas with water. People who drink one regular soda per day can loose 15 pounds in a year just by switching to diet, which shows the impact that a nutritionally useless drink can have on you. Have your parents help you get rid of some of the junk food in your house, the cookies and chips and candy and sodas. You don't have to go cold turkey, but if you're surrounded by bad choices, it can be harder to make good ones. Studies show that 5 smaller meals per day (breakfast, lunch, dinner, mid-morning and afternoon snacks) helps to boost your metabolism and keep you feeling more awake as well as healthier. Try to keep each meal at about 400-500 calories and each snack at about 200 or so. You won't have to count calories for long, once you get a feel for how much you should be eating, it'll become natural to reach for the right portion. Good snacks include smoothies (healthy ones! (http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=60649#blendrecipes) Be sure to check how many servings the recipe yields. You'll only be drinking one, so if it serves more be sure to change the recipe accordingly instead of guzzling 2 or 3), fresh fruit, a handful of trail mix (skip the brands including chocolate chips and sugary dried fruit, a good mix will have several different nuts, some granola clusters, raisins...), a cup of popcorn (air-popped, not microwave, and try to go light on the butter and salt), anything that's fairly low in fat and satisfying enough to keep you full until your next meal. Fiber especially tends to fill you up faster and keep you feeling full. You want to not be hungry, but never feel stuffed. You'll learn what works for you, and you may even find that you like some of the healthier foods better than the junk food!

You may be thinking, "Well, wait, I'm not trying to lose weight I just want to get in better shape!", but a lot of the same things apply. You'll be healthier, and building muscle rather than fat, if you eat better and keep things in check. Drinking lots of water is good because it keeps you hydrated so you don't fatigue as quickly. Sports drinks can be good while you work out, because they help to replace electrolytes and keep you hydrated, but be careful. Many of them contain a few hundred calories per bottle, and a lot of sugar. Yes, it may replace some electrolytes. But it'll rot your teeth and may work against you by replacing all of those calories you just burned. If water is just too boring to be drinking all the time, try drinking half water, half 100% fruit juice, or adding something like those Crystal Lite packets (check how much sugar is in them before buying, some brands have more than others).

All-in-all though, if you try to be smart about what you put into your body, and you keep up with exercise and some strength-training, you shouldn't have problems toning up and getting into shape.

[LifeIsMyJoke]

^ Thats a great post actually :o :o Rep given!

Theres a few different ways of looking at weight here mate. 1) You say "I dont wanna get fat" meaning you arent overweight already, you just dont want to go there.

So the program you should be doing shouldn't be one to lose weight, especially not at that early stage in your life. It should just be to maintain, and getting buff is all a major cliche.

Theres no need to be ridiculously strict on diet and workout, because thats part of the fun of youth - theres plenty of time for that when you get older!! Just try and maintain a decent general level of fitness, and once puberty is a thing of the past, you can start the "bulking up."

Good luck mate!

[Mr. Smithers]

Just take it slow. With the right diet and exercise routines, you should be able to obtain the body that you want.

[lardlad2002]

lol, i dont like to excercise

[Medical Kid]

well you should, you know that burn in you gut you get when you do sit ups for awhile? I love that feeling, it makes me feel all fuzzy inside :wub: I'm not certain everyone else feels that way, but yeah, try feeling that awesome knot in your gut with sit ups :D

[Mannequin]

i really dont like when people want to get buff. buff young guys 99% of the time = fat old guys. try running or biking to burn off all your fat and then pump iron! if you lift 3 times a week, your growth wont be stunted.

[kerry]

you should wait till you are older. you should for a couple of years to make yourself "buff":)