I just joined this board because i was browsing it and i saw that one can get a lot of help on this board...this is my problem...i am 17 i have been working out for the last 2 years and i do weightlifting and i am overweight by about 20 lbs and the problem i have is that i have stretch marks on my biceps (clearing up a little) and under my pits and a little on my chest...i also have a bit of man boobs..but theyre starting to go down a little but still a problem...Wow what a mess right?...I feel really insecure sometimes cause i feel i cant do anything....can anyone please help me http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/frown.gif

I'd recommend looking seriously at your workouts and what you eat. Are you working hard or just going through the motions? Do you eat healthy most of the time, or just once in a while?

I'd recommend working out six days a week. I know it sounds like a lot, but it only adds up about 4 hours a week. 3 days lifting, approx. 1 hour/session and 3 days cardio aprox. 20 minutes/session. Working out before you eat in the morning will help to shed more fat than working out later in the day. But anytime of day is better than none.

If you work hard, eat right, and stick with it. You can easily lose the 20lbs, including the man boobs. Adding muscle will not only make you look better but help keep the weight off. A pound of muscle burns 50 calories/day at rest!

Don't worry about the strecth marks, they'll fade and virtually disappear with time.

Post back if you have questions.

Good luck!

[This message has been edited by Chasedog (edited 09-08-2003).]

I'm seeing a lot of posts from teens about man-boobs. While this is often a result of weight, it can be the result of a hormonal imbalance in teens. As a teenager, I was on a swim team, and thin enough you could almost see my ribs, yet I had a partial man-boob, or gynocomastia as it is termed, on my left side. As a teenager, your body is developing, so its sorting out how much stuff like testosterone and estrogen to produce. For some people, the body will react to a slight excess of estrogen and begin producing these gynocomastia. A sure way to tell if it is fat or hormonal is to feel around the nipple. If there seems to be a hard core below the surface, you're probably suffering from a hormonal imbalance. In many people, these will go away over time. For some, however, it may require surgery to remove the tissue that develops.

Thank you a lot you have been helpful...i guess what it ultimately comes down to is to just workout and take care of myself better