help

[jrdivagrl]

i am a teenager with a disease that makes me overweight. with my disease it is very hard to loose weight and stay fit and keep the weight loss. i love scuba diving but i fear that my weight does not let me perform at my highest peak performance. i want to be about 20-30 lbs lighter and i want to keep the weight off!! please help! i need some good suggestions and would really appreciate some support!

thank you

 

[downunderjenn]

I would ask your doctor before undertaking any special diet, and ensure it does not conflict with current medications or your disease.

I've seen a number of overweight divers. There are two types, those that are out of shape and those that can't keep the weight off but are in shape and physically capable.

I would recommend exercise approved by your doctor and a balanced diet with fresh foods, not frozen, preprepared, or take out food. A fitness ball may be a good low stress way to get some anaerobic fitness. Swimming is an excellent exercise for aerobic fitness, if you can manage it. I would swim laps and not worry about the weight. The weight should take care of itself, and if it doesn't come off, as long as you are fit it should be fine. Diving is good for your heart and circulation.

I was a runner, but it is so high impact that I do not recommend it. I do recommend stretching! Stretching daily is an excellent way to keep up circulation and to prevent cramping. When stretching, breathe slowly like diving and do the stretches slowly. Bouncing when stretching, reaching down or pulling and letting go quickly, can injure muscles. Try for a minute of stretching at first. You should feel better and don't worry about the weight.

-it is a weight upon my shoulders to manage every pound of my body, and it is an extra piece of lead that drags me to the bottom

 

[midwest_matt]

Consult a Dietician.

 

[ArcticDiver]

i am a teenager with a disease that makes me overweight. with my disease it is very hard to loose weight and stay fit and keep the weight loss. i love scuba diving but i fear that my weight does not let me perform at my highest peak performance. i want to be about 20-30 lbs lighter and i want to keep the weight off!! please help! i need some good suggestions and would really appreciate some support!

thank you

You don't say how old you are or what the disease affecting you is. Even so maybe these things will help:
-First make sure your disease and treatment don't interfere with diving. Check with your doctor. Check the scubadoc web site.
-Second make sure your attitude about "highest peak performance" is realistic. In my experience it is very common, especially with teenage girls, for weight and performance goals to be very much out of touch with reality.
-No matter what you will need to have the courage to eat properly even when all around you don't. You might have to be a bit creative. Like eating parts of the topping off the pizza instead of the whole thing.
-Join an exercise group that stresses both weight lifting and some kind of aerobic exercise. Maybe it will need to be two groups. This will get you the exercise you need and friends who will support you over the long haul.
-Focus on health and performance, not weight. The scale is like a thermometer. It tells you something MAY be wrong. But it doesn't tell you what might be wrong. Nor, does it say what to do about it.

Just a few points to encourage you as you develop a lifestyle based on good health and performance, not what body style is in fashion this year.

 

[jrdivagrl]

thank you all very much. fortunatly my disease is unaffective towards my diving. i am a vegetarian and i eat pretty well although when i am at other peoples houses and so on (where i am a lot) i think that its where i start putting on weight. i am also going to start excersizing at least thirty minutes a day and sign up for yoga classes. i am determined to get fit and teim down a bit. thanks you have all really boosted my eagerness to get fit. if any one else has suggestions i am open to them too!

 

[jrdivagrl]

sorry i didnt tell you guys the specifics you asked for. i have a low thyroid. i gain a LOT more weight from eating something unhealthy even if i only had a couple m&ms or somthing. and yes i do take medication but it only works to a certain degree. and i am 14. it is a disease that it very rare for a kid to have and i was diagnosed with it when i was in second grade and i have lived an overweight person for my whole life. but my doctor says that i can trim down by eating less carbohydrates and daily excersize. i need some dailly routines, including stretching and working out. thanks a lot!

 

[CameronMartz]

jrdivagrl,

Thyroid issues are very, very frustrating. I have worked with several women over the years with this type of condition, and it truly does seem that no matter what you do right, the weight does not want to come off. That said, exercise can help things stabilize, and following your doctor's advice, even when away from home, will be imperative to your long term success.

At 14yo, injuries you sustain will have a greater impact on the rest of your life than when your body stops growing. It is critical that you get proper instruction to ensure you are completing exercises with the right technique, to the right intensity, and with the right frequency.

I post workouts weekly (though I was slack this week because of a sick dog) at http://www.divefitness.com/html/workouts.html . You can get an idea of what I feel an adult diver should be doing weekly to stay in shape for diving. Coincidently, the "Zero to Hero" plan is the same type of schedule that might help you.

If you were my daughter and instruction were available, I'd get you involved with some type of formal fitness instruction, whether it's a group class or individual training. It will help you get started on the right track.

If that is not available to you, I list three books on the webpage above that can help you to learn the proper form for many useful exercises.

Cameron

 

[ArcticDiver]

sorry i didnt tell you guys the specifics you asked for. i have a low thyroid. i gain a LOT more weight from eating something unhealthy even if i only had a couple m&ms or somthing. and yes i do take medication but it only works to a certain degree. and i am 14. it is a disease that it very rare for a kid to have and i was diagnosed with it when i was in second grade and i have lived an overweight person for my whole life. but my doctor says that i can trim down by eating less carbohydrates and daily excersize. i need some dailly routines, including stretching and working out. thanks a lot!

A hearty "Good On You" for being bold enough to share and ask for other people's opinions!

Seems to me you are doing everything reasonable for your health and fitness. Exercising regularly and with increasing intensity is really good.

Eating right is also good. But be careful about being a vegetarian. As I discovered it is really hard to get adequate amounts of protein, vitamins and minerals on that kind of diet. It can be done. But you have to really learn about food and diet.

Working with your doctor is great. It is your body so you are the one who has the final say about what is done. But the doctor has the technical knowledge to help you.

Paying attention to these things will bring many years of health and fitness. It may not bring low weight by the rest of society's standards. But, I encourage you not to care about that. If you are healthy, fit and at a weight that is right for you and your medical condition you are doing the right thing.