Eeeeek.. Weight Gain

[Andromeda18_]

So I went for my yearly health exam and found out I gained 15 pounds. Here's the weird thing though - all the pounds seemed to go to one area of my body - the stomach!!! It is a really weird experience for me because all throughout high school and college, I've been the same weight - around 113-115 pounds. I've always wanted to gain a couple of pounds to be a bit more healthy (I'm 5'5) but it never really happened no matter what I ate. Then after college I moved in with boyfriend and that's when the weight gain happened. (No, I am not pregnant ) The same thing happened to a couple of my girlfriends once they moved in with their bf/or got married. But they are very lucky.. because their pounds got distributed throughout their whole body. I hope this isn't an asian thing I bet it's all the rice I eat plus turning into a couch potato.. I got a TV recently and I never realized how many reality shows were going on.. when did this start??? I guess there is more to life than watching anime dvd's and playing world of warcraft...

Having turned into a couch potato is definitely the main reason why you put on that much weight. However it's also related to the fact that you're older now than when you were in college. Our metabolism slows down as we become older, although at 23 your metabolism is still pretty high. So couch potato + slower metabolism = + 15lbs. Usually women gain weight around their hips and thighs but like me you're an exception to that rule. You gain weight in your stomach I gain weight in my arms (fortunately I don't put on weight easily). My hips haven't changed since I was 14, ever since my bones stopped growing. That's a good thing really, most women would kill to be like you and me. And don't be so worried about the fat in your stomach it's a health hazard to men but not so much to women. The equivalent health hazard to women is the hip/waist ratio. Even if you have fat in your stomach as long as your hips are larger than your waist the risk of cardiovascular diseases is low. Just divide your waist circumference by your hip circumference. If your waist-hip ratio is 1.0 or higher you're considered "at risk" or in the danger zone for undesirable health consequences, such as heart disease and other ailments connected with being overweight. Women should aim for a ratio of .80 or less. So if despite the fat in your stomach you're within these values you're fine as far as health is concerned (for now). Of course aesthetically speaking I bet you don't like it one bit, right? So just do like so many people here have already told you, do cardio to lose the fat and weight training to increase your metabolism and tone up. Don't waste too much time on abs because it won't help unless you lose the fat that's covering your abdomen and that can only be achieved with cardio. As far as food goes I'd recommend you start eating more fish and less meat, eat a lot of vegetables and fruit (no more than 4 pieces a day). Don't stop eating carbohydrates like rice and pasta, that's a common mistake. Carbohydrates give you the energy you need and give you a lasting sensation of having your stomach full, therefore you won't eat so often. Simply eat a moderate amount (about two servings a day) but do eat them. ALso, as far as dairy goes, stay away from cheese, but drink milk (preferably non-fat) and eat yoghurts (non-fat), you need lots of calcium. By the way, the best way to avoid this kind of unpleasant surprise is controling your weight on a regular basis. Just weigh yourself once a month and if you happen to be a little fatter just make some changes in your life style and lose that weight. It's much easier to lose 2 or 4 pounds than 15!

Hahaha.. that is very hard for me to do. I can't suck my belly in for long periods of time.

Don't suck it in, it's bad for your lungs. Contract it, it will do wonders for your posture and at the same time work your abs.

I would like to try a kangaroo at least once. I tasted deer last year. My friend had went hunting and barbecued some of the deer meat. It was horrible.. maybe it was the way he cooked it or maybe the meat was just bad. It was hard to chew. I hated it. In the Philippines, some people eat dog. I had that once too when I was younger but don't really remembered how it tasted. When my dad was a kid, he had a pet dog, and for his birthday he ate it... Later on, when he was asking where his dog went and found out what happened, he cried his eyes out.

I can't believe someone did that to your father! That must have been horrible!