What can I do?

[Targeted]

Okay. I am 5"6 and 140 pounds. I am 14 years old. I was wondering if someone could give me some helpful hints for losing weight. Like on exsecize and dieting. Keep in mind that I am a vegetarian. So any helpful tips?  

[Statistical Anomaly]

I can't help you on the diet, since I know absolutely nothing about vegetarian nutrition.

Exercise, on the other hand... If you're just trying to lose the weight, consistent aerobic exercise, such as running, fast walking, cycling, aerobics programs, etc, done 3-5 times a week for 30-60 minutes should help. If you're doing this, though, I would recommend throwing in a day or two of resistance training to keep your muscles going and ensure that it's actually fat you're losing (and it'll help you get trimmer too). Nothing too intense, just something to make sure all your muscles get attention, not just the ones you use in your aerobic workout.

Or, try tae bo. It's an aerobic and resistance workout all in one, and from what I've heard, if done consistently, it can have pretty good results.

Biggiest things are variety and consistency. Find a group of exercises you like to do, and rotate them. Just do them regularly. And don't be disappointed if the weight doesn't come off immediately-it'll take some time for your body to adjust to what you're doing if you haven't been particularly active in the past.  

[Targeted]

Okay thanks.  

[Divash]

Make sure you're getting good vegetarian protein. By the way, how vegetarian are you? Do you avoid only meat, but will eat fowl and fish? Do you avoid those, but will eat eggs and dairy products?

If all you're avoiding is meat, go for the chicken and turkey. If you avoid fowl (birds), opt for fish, especially salmon and tuna.

If you eat eggs and dairy products, do so, but make sure that the cheese, mik, and yogurt are low fat. With the eggs, go for Egg Beaters or other egg substitute, so that you don't eat the yolks. Egg whites are mostly protein, but the yolks are mostly fat/cholesterol.

If you're not able to eat any animal products whatsoever (or even if you do, actually), you can get a lot of great proteins from soybeans and other legumes. Lentils and other beans/peas (legumes), anything with tofu or tempeh, TVP (textured vegetable protein), and other vegetarian sources of protein are essential. Whey protein is from a dairy source, but if you'll eat dairy, can be really good for you.

Also don't forget that you need two to four teaspoons of HEALTHY oil each day in order for your body to be able to process certain nutrients that it needs. The healthy oils are: sunflower, safflower, canola, olive, and... uh... there's one more, which I forget, but it sure as heck isn't butter or margarine. Not getting these healthy oils can actually slow down your weight loss!

Another thing: Make sure that your food is REALLY vegetarian. A lot of foods are vegetarian, but then the cans or boxes are secured with animal-sourced glue. Buying kosher products helps (check out http://crcweb.org/kosher/consumer/Agency_List.html for how to tell when something is kosher), because the laws of kashrut are so strict: NOTHING which is kosher-dairy is permitted to have any meat or fowl product at all in it, and a kosher company doesn't even process meat and dairy products on the same machinery. Likewise, something which is kosher-pareve isn't allowed to contain even traces of either meat or dairy, though they may contain fish or eggs, but they'll be listed on the label as such. Whether you avoid meat, fowl, fish, or dairy for religious reasons, dietary reasons, ethical reasons, or just for taste, you should be aware of what's really in your food.