Hello, I'm 16 year old male and have a question thats been bugging me A LOT.

I used to weight 160 pounds and now weight 122 pounds(over 3 and half month period). I'm happy with my weight loss but one thing bugs me. I have a brother who is 1 year younger and weights 126 pounds and is slightly smaller then me. I still have some belly fat(very little) and chest fat(very little) I want to lose. I don't understand how he has LESS belly fat and chest fat then me. It's just perfect on him. I'm not fat , but I want to flatten my chest so I can look good nice in muscle shirts and what not.

I know that muscle weights more then fat BUT he isn't that much more muscular then me and I'm already 4 pounds lighter then him PLUS slightly taller. It's really frustrating. Even kids my age group weight about 3-4 pounds more and have less fat might i add that I work out about 4 times a week at the gym as well.

Someone please help me out with this? Is there something I'm doing wrong?


Thanks a lot in advance for any responses.

hi!! i was wondering how tall you are? ..i think you have answered your own question though..it is probably a matter of muscles....muscles take up less space than fat in addition to weighing more than fat..so your brother is sleeker looking even though he weighs more than you..but it is a lean muscular look, not bulky muscles like weight lifters have that are more evident..he is just a bit more toned than you are..but it really isnt a good idea to compare yourself to other people..what you need to do is focus on the success you have had and congratulate yourself on that, and continue to work until you are satisfied with your efforts..adding weight work to your routine will provide tremendous results..young males are quick to put on muscles..if you use light weights, with lots of reps you will get a lean look..if you use heavier weights with fewer reps you will get that bulked up look...also if you still have a bit of fat to lose, you wont see some of those muscles till that is gone...but they will be there..so continue to do cardio work to burn the fat..

what eating plan did you use to lose the weight? again, congratulations on your achievment!!

thank you.

I actualy look pretty toned. Yes indeed not as toned as my brother so perhaps it is muscle. But when I reach something like 115 and I'm not there then I'm almost positive it's something different (maybe genes).

Here is how I lost my weight. Pretty straight forward.

First I needed motivation. I got that by going to a local gym from time to time with a friend. All those muscle guys made me want to really lose weight so i can myself look that good.

I didn't just jump into my weight loss diet. Started by going to gym once a week, and added slightly more excercise.

I finaly got a gym pass and thats when I kicked into gear. I cut out pop , I was drinking like 3-6 cans of coke a day. I didn't realize a can of coke had nearly 150 calories. I would also eat late and eat often, which I stopped, not right away obviously. At first i went about 5-6 times a week to the gym, and every day I would do 200 calories worth of running on the treadmill plus tons of walking.

Not to long from that point on I was eating right , keeping my calorie intake much lower then I used to and excersizing at least a bit a day. Once I lost 20 pounds I went to the gym 3-4 times a week. Once I lost 30 pounds I went to the gym 2-3 times a week and did less running (was getting real tired of it).

This is how my progress went.
First Day i weighed in I was 162 pounds
Month Later i was 152 pounds (10 pounds first month)
Second month I weighted in at 140 (12 pounds second month)
Third month I weighted in at 128 (another 12 pounds)
a little over half way through this month and I'm 122 (6 pounds)

Just need to stick to it. Even now I feel like going back to my old habits and even after this kind of success i'm still not totaly satisfied :( but I'm glad I'm getting there and as long as I'm losing weight I'm happy.

There thats how I did it.

oops forgot to add my height... Well I was 5'4 but I know i grown a tad so I'm probably 5'5.

that is totally fabulous!!! you have what it takes kiddo!!! very inspirational!!!

Along with the great execise plan, remember your diet. At this stage in your game since you're looking to lean out you REALLY have to watch your fat intake. Ever heard the term "a skinny fat person?" Sometimes very small people can still be "giggly" with excess fat because their diets contain high fat foods. So to really lean out and get the look you're going for, you're going to have to eat your foods from the right sorces. Not saying you can't have a cheeseburger and fries ever, but the bulk of your diet should come from lean proteins, complex carbs and your fat intake (for while you're leaning out) should probably not exceed 25%.

I find the website: www.fitren.com very useful for information on eating for weight training. There is a monthly newsletter that is sent out that always has very good info that I usually print and keep for reference.

Donna

thanks a lot guys.

Dear Addicted,

Almost 40 pounds in 3.5 months is a big drop in a short amount of time. You've done great. It takes many months for your body to adjust to this new size. You're skin is too big now. This may be what you're interpreting as belly and chest fat. Just keep working out and the muscle will fill out more of the skin and the skin will continue shrinking.

115 pounds is too thin for a 5'5" male. Body builders are solid not light. Keep working on building muscle mass. Are you taking protein powders? They're really beneficial after a work out.

I have two sons about your age. My 16 year old plays football
and really is into fitness. Can you talk with your coach at school for some guidance. The coaches are there for you. Give them a chance to feel needed and appreciate... talk to them about these things too.
And thanks for the inspiration youre bringing to everyone here.
bytheway, if you really have serious concernsabout distribution of bodyfat during this stageat life, and you are doing all the excercises for fitness, you may want to consider seeing what's going on with your body chemistry with a trip to an endocrinologist. Ocassionally (about one in 500) males have a conditionc alled Klinefelter's Syndrome, and all it means is that the male needs to take some testererone about oncea month.
Young men in adolence depend on the testosteron for
muscle development. This condition can only be diagnosed by an
endocrinolgist. I have a family member with this, and it's really okay... just thought I'd mention this because extra chestiness(and I don't mean muscles)
is one of the manifistations..... and the supervision of an
endocrinolgist will solve this, if this has any relevence to you, just thought I'd let you know. Also there are alot of support groups out for Klinefelters men now. The year is 2003.

Hmm you probably right, 115 is to light, but I intend to raise my weight from that point on, with lean muscle, at least thats my goal.