please can you help me with my 15 year old sister

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hi all, this is my 1st time posting in this section, but my 15 year old sister approched me a few days ago and asked me to help her loose a bit of weight for this summer. Her time frame is from now untill july (so 5 full months). The reason she has choosen july is because there is alot of stuff happening for her such as her birthday party, friends partys, school holidays (so the beach).. and most importantly her school prom, and even though she hasnt said, i think she really wants to look good in her dress since she has been a chubby child her whole life. And i have promised that as a reward for her hard work in thenext 5 months i will help my mum pay for a dress so it will be extra special

Ok so now here is some of her stats :-
height - 5ft6

weight - 175lbs (im proud of her telling me this because she was embarresed about her weight and originally didnt want to tell me, but i convinced her it was important so we could track her progress)

waist - 36.5 inches

hips - 43.25 inches


The reason i am asking you ladies for help is because my only experience is gaining weight in the gym to be honest, and i dont really understand the female physique and have never really planned a cutting diet. I know its alot to ask but i was wondering if you could help me put a diet and routine together? I will most likly make a jounal in the female section, to track her progress and update with before/after pics every month.

If you deside to help me put a diet/routine together heres some info for you:-
GOALS - loose wieght, get in shape as much as posibly by july, then maintain/improve body

FOODS- dislikes most seafood (fish. prawns are ok), tuna, beans

GYM - home gym equipment include, treadmill (incline function) bench, power rack, olympic barbell/dumbells, alot of weight plates, skipping rope, punch bag, pull up bar, dip stand, and some floor space for bodyweight exercise

ROUTINE - probly mainly cardio, with some light weights, start at 3 times a week

DIET - times to eat working around school are breakfast (7 30am), lunch break, pre workout, dinner, and possible snack before bed (if needed).. a cheat meal (takeaway) will be had once a week...shes only 15 haha we all need our little treats.



ok thats pretty much it.... if i think of anything else i will add...we are going shopping tonight for food. Thanks for readin, and your help will be appreciated :D

[bethanyboo]

This thread will help her determine how many calories she should eat and how much protein she needs to preserve her muscle mass:
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703921

There's no need to have her doing light weights. I'd recommend that she lift heavy and follow a program such as New Rules of Lifting for Women.

As for cardio - it's not really important how much she does, as long as her diet is in check.

My final recommendation is to have her make gradual changes. If she jumps right into a 100% clean 1500 calorie diet, with cardio 5 times a week, and lifting 3 times a week, she's likely to burn out quickly and give up.

[imperfectly_lou]

I would agree with the above. She will get more out of this if she is involved in the planning process rather than you doing it for her (particularly as you don't sound experienced enough to write a plan for others, no offence). The New Rules of Lifting for Women is a great book - I would recommend she read it thoroughly and look at following the plan. 15 is a great age to start lifting weights (none of this light weight rubbish!)

[naomitiffany]

Changing my diet was the hardest part for me when I was in high school.
You can't just radically change a diet and expect anyone to be able to stick to it. Remember to set reasonable goals. Start by cutting out the soda. Then the candy. Then the unnecessary sugar. And then start working on the salts (chips, etc). Give her reasonable alternatives. Maybe you guys can go buy some protein bars for her to nibble on as snacks or vegetable sticks. Try all natural peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as an alternative to pizza for lunch (I have no idea what her diet is like now, so I'm just trying to give examples). Tell her to drink water when she feels hungry, wait about 10 minutes and if she is still hungry then grab a snack. There are times when we feel hungry when we really are just thirsty, and this can help reduce snacking if she has that habit (I know I did!).

Start by going on walks, walking the dog, and then build it up to a job, and then interval training. My point is to just progress REASONABLY. Give her positive reinforcement and with reasonable goals, she will do really great. Take pictures for motivation. Sometimes seeing the progress in picture form is the best motivation of all. Also, be open to hearing about her frustrations and let her vent to you. Explain to her that crash dieting does not work and don't let her get into the popular trend of starvation/laxatives/stimulants!

That being said, what are her eating habits? What is her excise activity now? Have her keep a notebook of things she eats. I wouldn't recommend doing a strict calorie count for a 15 year old girl. It might prove to be unnecessarily overwhelming which could lead to frustration and giving up. Just have her keep track of what she eats so she can reflect on it herself. She might notice some simple changes she can make from just doing that-like she could drink Gatorade instead of soda.

I'm not a nutritionist, nor a personal trainer, but I was a teenager once and I have a teenage brother now. I do feel that attitude is very important in success. I'm sure that some one else would be more experienced to advise on a work out routine. Just don't forget she is only 15. I did all the wrong things to lose weight because I didn't have guidance. I tried to do strict diet plans designed for adults, but the fact was it was just too hard for me to do at 16 when I was still emotionally developing, my hormones were out of wack, I cared too much about high school drama and I couldn't buy my own groceries. Tell your sister to feel free to look me up on facebook, or if you shoot me a PM I can give you my email address.