Ask Dan & Jennifer

Your weight is a factor of three things, genetics, which you can do nothing about, diet, and exercise.

Now genetics hurt you, if that's a partial cause, but the key word is partial. If you focus, you can become skinny. What is your body fat %? For a guy, the absolute ideal in my opinion would be 6-8%, but that's not something anyone can get, at least not in any quick manner.

I'd recommend you stop to eat as much, focus on eating healthy soups with meat, that will give you all the nutrients you need including protein, but without many calories. All you have to do to lose weight is create a calorie deficit.

Depending on how much muscle you have, your burn a certain number of calories just being alive. You have to consume food or liquids to maintain this quota. If you don't eat enough to reach this quota, your body goes to the next source for energy, fat.

Fat is simply the way our body stores energy. When you need it, it slowly tears it back down into carbohydrates (sugar). So, eat less, eat healthy, and exercise. When I say exercise, to lose weight, all you need to do is cardiovascular endurance. Anything that gets the heart pumping fast. I'd recommend starting off slowly. Go for a 30 minute walk every day for the next two weeks. Be consistent. Then after that, walk faster, then when you lose some weight, jog... after your heart and lungs improve and as your endurance increases, you'll be able to run, or my personal favorite way to exercise, bicycling.

One final note regarding weight loss, I mentioned consistency before, and it's by far the most crucial word I've said. Why? Weight loss is slow. I've said it. There's no magic pill or secret formula. There are the basic techniques and routines that simply work, but they take time, and you have to keep at it!

I'll give you an example:

One pound of fat is equivilent to 3,500 calories. That means to burn one pound of fat, you have to create a calorie deficit of 3,500 calories. So if you eat 2,500 calories worth of food in one day, and your muscle and other natural body functions burn off 2,000 calories during the day, you'd have to exercise long enough to burn off that extra 500 calories from the food you ate, to just be neutral.

Walking 1 mile at 4/mph burns of 100 calories. So, you'd have to walk for 8.75 hours or 35 miles to burn off 3,500 calories. Now obviously very few people have the stamina to do this in one day, and it's just not effective or really possible in a normal life, which is why weight loss is a slow process. If you keep at it, and do create a calorie deficit, then you will, with time, lose weight, guaranteed. :)

That's why diet is extremely important though, watch what you eat. Size isn't always an indicator to how many calories it contains, so also be careful about that.

The last bit of advice I'll give regarding dating is this, you're 15. Chill out. You've almost just hit puberty, a lot of hormones and feelings are surging, but really relax. Sex is fine but it's not necessary to a happy life. Get a hobby, hang out with friends, have fun.

The key to getting a girl, is not wanting one. Why? You don't care. Simply not caring is in a way a form of confidence, as you're not constantly seeking everyone's approval. Never supplicate to a women. Treat them just like you would with anyone else. :)

Well...I am currently on a diet,with soups and vegetables.Umm...im 1,74 meters high and i weight 85 kilograms,you do the math how fat i am...honestly i dont think its that much.Regarding the excersize,i have been working out for 2 months now.I lift weights at home,go out every day for about a 1 hour walk.Basicly,im taking care of my body...but thats not enough :(

Then keep at it, and cheer up. Life is great. You don't need to have a girl to be happy, trust me. When you're comfortable with yourself and your life, they will come to you.

ok if u think u being overweight is a problem then ur crazy... in my school we have tons of way overweight guys with girlfriends. if they dont like u for who u r then i dont think they would b good enough 2 date a good guy as ur self.
can i ask u something tho?
wat do u look in 4 a girl? if u kno tat then it shouldnt b tat hard to find the girl u like.

You're 15 and you're only 187lbs. ....umm, that's is NOT at all overweight. I was easily the same weight at that age, I'm currently around 225lbs. Your weight means almost nothing, unless it is composed of mostly fat mass. But it sounds like you're eating well and exercising routinely. You really should not be too concerned about your appearance, weight etc. Remember, you're still very much growing and a lot of that "chubb" will likely be lost over the next few years.

The most important thing to work on if you want to attract women is your mindset. You need to be confident. Confidence in yourself and your abilities will make you more attractive. You will exude a positive energy that people will want to be around. But...to gain confidence you first HAVE TO HAVE A HEALTHY RESPECT FOR YOURSELF. This is something that you have to discover within yourself, it will be a long journey of self discovery and insight, especially at your age. You're still just coming into yourself anyways.

Some notes on exercising now.

More muscle equals more calorie burning (its generally accepted that each pound of muscle burns about 25-30 calories per day). You need to have an excess amount of calorie intake to be able to properly build muscle, but seeing as how you have fat stores your body would use this if you achieve a calorie deficit. Personally, I wouldn't really take too much stock in counting calories etc., as long as what you're eating is healthy you'll be fine. Your legs are your largest muscles and as such will burn the most calories...(duh). That being said your core muscles are the most important in general. They help with balance, power etc....You also want a sexy six pack don't you ; )

The best time to run is after a workout. This is because of two thing. First it takes around 20 minutes of running for your body to start burning the most possible calories. Second is that if you work out first then your body will deplete its glycogen (sugar) stores for your workout then when you run your body will be burning only fat stores for fuel.

Hope this help, but remember, the MOST IMPORTANT thing to do is to learn to love yourself. This might sound like a bunch of crap now, but trust me the more you learn to appreciate you for who you are the more confident you will feel, you'll have higher self-esteem, but most importantly people will enjoy being around you more.

Good luck!!

To the first reply you had, the ideal fat ratio for a guy is not 6-8%. You will get seriously sick (and you could die :)) 10% body fat is a minimum. Fat is not a bad thing, it is required for digestion and other things.

As for large people, my sister is "super hot" and she is having a serious relationship with a round guy. Sure, many girls like a big, strong, dominant male but personality is a HUGE part of a relationship. The best thing to have is to make a girl laugh. If you're funny you can get nearly anyone in my opinion. :D

Maybe its not your body but your personality. Be fun, HAPPY and outgoing (or at least try). Also, people look 10x sexier when they smile.

Is there a girl you like? Try and make friends with her. Don't approach her as if you want to have sex (this approach will also take pressure of talking to someone). Friends lead to relationships.

Hope this helps.

My fiance felt the same way when he was 15. He had friends but he was not "cool". He didn't think he would ever have any woman fall in love with him. I first noticed him because he had the biggest smile and brightest eyes. I could barely get my eyes off of his bright smile to look at his body. I didn't care that he was a little "heavier" than the other guys. I "bumped" into him in the hallway one day and we began to talk. We had so many similar interests and hit it off immediately. Be yourself and be patient, you will find that special girl.

~Nicole

None of the above! You´re only 15. I don´t know where you are but several places the average age for guys to loose their virginity is at 18-19 and that´s not necessarily with someone they feel close to. Relax and just enjoy the view. Your time will come soon enough.

Hey! Personly as a girl its not all about looks. Who cares if your over weight its all about how you hold yourself. Ok yes looks do have a big factor in dating but there not everything.
And yes you are right there is something about the "bad boys" that us girls just love. But just remember we will grow out of that and want a guy that has his head on his shoulders and doesnt have the track recored that will stop him from going places.
And like "Grotedque" said girls LOVE guys that can make them laugh! For example my bestfriend is 5'2 98lbs and is married to a guy that is 6'0 320lbs and its all because he is funny and has a great personality.
Just learn to talk to girls as a friends and once you do that everything will fall into place!

Hope that helped...Good luck!