durham is perfect, plenty of hills around for inclined riding and/or running. anything to get the heartrate going should work for you i gues, and dont worry so much about what you eat, worry more about the exercise. i have a very slow metabolism however wheni used to play rugby say 5 times a weeks last year, i ate all sorts of crap and still lost 2 1/2 stone just cos i was doing so much exercise. i have since put it back on and have re-started my quest for fitness as uni rugby is so poorly organised. ive lost about half a stone in half a week. admittedly this is mostly water weight, but ive been on a compule of jogs and about a 20 mile bike ride, so i shalnt be putting it back on in a hurry, thankfully home is boring, so im more likely to go out on bike rides etc to kill some time! at 15 you shouldnt be much of an alcoholic (like i was at that age ) but if you are try not to drink as much beer, its what made me put on so much weight at uni, why does it have to be so nice! try and eat some proper food though.....and if you want to bulk up a bit, as hwulex said use the things around you and your own body weight to exercise with (if you havent got any weights) if you have got weights, then smaller weights higher reps will be helpful for endurance and stamina more than larger weights and lower reps, although for bulk you have to lift the higher weights. shame my multigym at home only does up to 65kg p.s. ever thought of taking up rowing? you live on a river afterall.
Here is a compilation of what I have said in the past, the first part is just knowledge (which is good to have - you need to understand what you are doing and why), the last bit contains what you need to do: BASICS Firstly, dietary needs vary between people according to age, sex, lifestyle and health. A balanced diet contains (in correct the proportions): - Carbohydrates. - Fats. - Proteins. - Minerals. - Vitamins. - Water. - Dietary Fibre. Carbohydrates - Separated into 2 groups: - Sugars - fast releasing, found in sweet things ( bit of an obvious one that). - Starches - slow releasing, found in the likes of bread, vegetables, cereals, nuts and fruit. These are broken down to form glycogen which is stored in the muscles and liver as the main source of energy. But, if you consume more carbohydrates than your body needs the excess is converted into fat. Fats - Fat is an important nutrient for the body. It is a source of energy, keeps you warm and supports and protects some organs of the body. Fat is essential in forming important compounds and tissues vital for good health. Protein - Protein helps in the repair and growth of bodily tissues. Also provides energy if the is insufficient fat and carbohydrates available. Proteins are made up of amino acids, 23 naturally occurring but 8 essential that can only be gained from eating the food that contains them. A Balanced Diet - Contains roughly: 15% Proteins 25% Fats 60% Carbohydrates The way the body works is as simple as a see-saw, take in more calories than you use and you put on weight, either take in less or use more and you will loose weight. Though you must remember you cannot just stop eating (or any other stupid diet - Atkins, vegetarian, etc ) your body needs a lot of the goodness that comes in the food along with these calories. Vitamins and Minerals - Although only needed in small amounts they perform specific functions and aid in preventing infection, strengthening blood vessels, growth and repair, red blood cell production and energy production. A balanced diet will contain more than the required amount of vitamins and minerals and supplements are only really needed if you are medically deficient or do not eat a balanced diet. Water - One of the most important substances required by the body. Vital for transportation of substances and regulating the body's temperature. A small loss (2-3% of body weight) can seriously effect you. Dietary Fibre - Not absorbed by the body but important for the digestive system. Found in cereals, vegetables and fruit. BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS Important for weight management and keeping energy levels up. - Low blood sugar causes lethargy and hunger. - High blood sugar causes the excess to be turned into fat. Taking the wrong foods out of your diet will result in high blood sugar. Fast releasing carbohydrates create peeks and troughs, with excess blood sugar stored as fat. Slow releasing carbohydrates keep the blood sugar level above the hunger line for longer without creating fat. To keep blood sugar levels stable: - Avoid fast releasing carbohydrates and eat more slow releasing. - Eat regular meals - 4-5 small meals a day. - Avoid stimulant foods (caffeine and sugar etc). - Take on plenty of water, vitamins and minerals. - Hydroxy citric acid (HCA) is found in green tea and helps reduce the fat produced from excess blood sugar. EXERCISE Firstly, you must set realistic goals. You will not (healthily) work of all your excess fat in a month, and it is bad to think that you will. Set a realistic goal and stick with it, do not become disheartened if you see no change for the first week or two, perhaps even longer. This is a long term effort. You want to loose fat, therefore you want to be doing aerobic training such as walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, etc. These are all forms of cardiovascular fitness and should be done ideally before breakfast so that you body uses your fat stores for energy rather than the easily available energy present after a meal. For fat loss you should be training between 50 and 70% of your maximum heart rate (rough guide: 220 minus your age, beats per minute), this is know as "the weight loss (or management) zone". Push harder than this and you start pushing into other forums of training such as endurance or anaerobic, this is bad as it will use protein for fuel and lead to muscle rather than fat loss (catabolic). Also, anything else you do will help, such as walking to places or if you have to get a lift ask to be dropped of a little short to get 10/15min walk. To clear up a common misconception you cannot spot-lose weight, doing ab exercises will not loose weight around your gut. Doing ab exercises will only work the underlying muscle and any change you see is due to this muscle being firmed and toned which improves the shape of your stomach only by changing the supporting structure. You can not spot lose weight through exercise! FOOD Eat clean and often! Eating every 3hrs will 'trickle charge' your body slowly taking in what it needs and providing a constant source for when it needs it. Remember that eating unhealthy foods will put more calories into the body and less goodness so you should balance this with healthy food too. Very complex diets can be made up but these are very hard to stick too, even harder if you do not have direct control over what you eat. Best you can do is try and balance and distribute what you eat as best you can. You shouldn't be feeling hungry (though you may at first) and you shouldn't feel stuffed. ALL DONE Remember what I have said is purely for fat loss, if you wish to incorporate other aspects of training (which I suggest you do) just ask... Finally stick with it, you will not see dramatic changes but given the effort and determination you will see changes. Initially you will feel like you are wasting your time but gradually you will feel better about yourself, as you see the changes you will want to keep going. You will feel healthier and look around at others and feel good about yourself that having put the time and effort in you are healthier than them. Good luck, anything else just ask...
One more misconception is that people have a fast or slow metabolism, this isn't entirely true and it would be best to say people have either a working or disfunctional metabolism. Energy used by the body can be broken down as: Thermic effect of food (thermogenesis) - 10% - This is the energy it takes to digest your food and absorb the nutrients. Physical activity - 25% - Used to do your daily movement, can be boosted to 40%+ by hard work and/or exercise. Basal (resting) metabolism - 65% - This is the amount of energy used just to keep you alive. Muscle burns 10 (much argued about from 5 to 20) times more calories than fat (loose a pound of fat and put on a pound of muscle and you will burn an extra 100 carolories or so by just being alive). Having a disfunctional basal metabolism (genetics / disease of the thyroid) can cause you to eat the same as other but get much fatter than them. But this is an exception, most of the time people will only have a 'fast metabolism' (quoted because like I said at the start - not entirely correct) because of the amount of exercise they do and amount of muscle they have...
I've managed to put on half a stone in the past term at uni I do a hefty amount of excercise though and put it down to dropping swimming to make time for more football matches.
i try and try but nothing really happens... i can probably go to the gym for free as my bro works there.. but i dont really like going on me own and when it gets warmer and what not i can reopen the swimming pool in the garden. but still it dont come off and i dont think it really gets put on in big amounts...
