[dolphin056]

Hello everyone!!

My name is Stephanie. I am 14 years old, weight about 120 lbs, and am 5'3". You may think, why is she posting on a weight loss forum??! I'm doing it because I'm a bit uncomfortable with my body and want a change.

I would say I'm moderately active, I competitively swim 2x week for an hour each, play tennis 1-2x week for 1.5 hours, and I usually workout at the gym 1x week for 1 hour. I have a very low-low-medium metabolism, and my weight fluctuates a lot! Unfortunately, my weight likes to gather in the stomach area/hips, and a bit in my calves. It varies whether my muscles are toned or flabby. Also, my arms are pretty skinny and I have a straight figure (no curves whatsoever! Lol).

One reason I don't work out as often is because I don't have the time...I am extremely busy juggling school, sports, friends, and other typical things!

My usual day's food intake includes:
-either a breakfast item (muffin/banana bread, etc), some cereal, or fresh fruit (apple or pear)
-lunch of sliced white turkey and American cheese on whole wheat bread, a water, a breakfast/granola bar, and a chip/goldfish/pretzel snack bag
-after school snack of a few pretzels, an apple w/ pb; usually nothing big
-dinner of whatever mom makes! typically meat or chicken, starch, and vegetable/fruit or Caesar salad
-dessert: I'll have a cookie or whatever we might have, or just a bliss chocolate square or something

I'm wondering why my weight isn't really going anywhere. I feel like the number of calories I consume every day isn't all that much....definitely less than what I did as an 8-12 year old. Then I was around 135 and definitely pudgy. I do have a relatively small/average frame (with big swimmer shoulders!) and people never tell me I look fat or anything. I'm just a little curious why I'm not seeing any results. Also I'm going on an island vacation in 3 weeks and would love to lose some pounds here and there. Let me know if you have any questions.
Any feedback would be extremely appreciated! Really, thank you for even taking the time to get to know a bit about me! Stephanie

[earthecho]

It's completely normal for your body to hold on to extra fat during early adolescence. As much as you might hate it, your body needs it right now -- your bones, your brain. It's an important time. It's foundation building time. I'm not surprised your body is hanging on so tightly to every calorie. It's busy building you an adult body. Let it! Please. If I could talk to my younger self, I would say the same things as I'm telling you. Be at peace with your body, especially right now. You sound strong and healthy. Your diet and activity -- excellent.

[Locke]

It is completely normal for your body to get a bit curvy at that age. You are on the lower end of normal according to your body mass index, which is not always the best indicator of weight. I would say just eat like you've been eating as your diet seems good. You may benefit from strength training to develop your muscles. If you really feel that you could stand to lose a few pounds consult with your doctor first. You are right at the age when eating disorders start developing- don't make my mistake and start dieting because you are suddenly conscious of your figure. It will only lead to problems down the line.

[mainecyn]

I have to agree with the info provided to you already. It may not be the answer you are looking for but what is happening with you is normal for your body.

-either a breakfast item (muffin/banana bread, etc), some cereal, or fresh fruit (apple or pear)
-lunch of sliced white turkey and American cheese on whole wheat bread, a water, a breakfast/granola bar, and a chip/goldfish/pretzel snack bag
-after school snack of a few pretzels, an apple w/ pb; usually nothing big
-dinner of whatever mom makes! typically meat or chicken, starch, and vegetable/fruit or Caesar salad
-dessert: I'll have a cookie or whatever we might have, or just a bliss chocolate square or something

Right now you shouldn't think about dropping calories or other extreme weight loss measures at your age or weight. What you can do is focus on eating healthier to make your body more efficient with the fuel it is given and to feel better. Depending on the amounts you are eating (you didn't provide measurements), you might even be under eating which could put you in starvation mode.

I developed my eating disorder and body obsession around your age, 12-13, I am now 40 years old and have been fighting myself my entire life. It is very serious and can cause life long health problems. Like others said here I wish someone had told me back then that I was normal. I had the issue of being overly curvy and full busted at your age. I took it as being fat, ugly, undesirable. I wasn't, I was normal.

If you would like to do something for yourself and your health I would focus on eating healthy and continuing the exercise that you are doing.

Instead of (muffin/banana bread, etc), some cereal, granola bars, or pretzels, you could try replacing those items with lower carb choices link lean cubed meats, egg whites, cheese. You could add in more veggies that are fresh, steamed, or canned-not loaded in extra calories.

There are alternatives to some choices, my highschool aged daughter has changed many of her habits..instead of a bag of chips she now eats a single size serving of microwave smart pop popcorn, or plantain salted chips. There are options like that. For desserts instead of cookies or ice cream she now has a sugar free fudge bars, or fruit pop. She has replaced sodas with flavored waters. My daughter still loves chocolate and also pretzels, to help her I have purchased 100 calorie packets of dark choc covered pretzels. For several months two of my kids have been eating a great deal of greek yogurt. Not the high carb/sugar kinds but either the light versions made with splenda that are 90 calories a serving, or using plain real greek yogurt and mixing their own splenda and fresh berries.

You can not deprive yourself of everything, there are still occasions where there are french fries, birthday cake, things like that, but instead of telling my daughter that she can't have them she has a smaller amount of them and less often. You need to make sure that during the teenage years you are getting enough vitamins, calcium, healthy fats, etc. to help you grow properly and supply all the correct nutrients.

Also, using the stats you posted I looked around on the internet and this is what I found.

"A 14 year old (female) child who is 120 pounds and is 5 feet and 3 inches tall has a body mass index of 21.3, which is at the 71th percentile, and would indicate that your child is at a healthy weight."

"A child/young adult is considered overweight if they have a BMI over the 95th percentile for their age
at risk of becoming overweight if they have a BMI between the 85th and 95th percentile for their age
underweight if they have a BMI under the 5th percentile for their age

And a child has a healthy BMI if it is between the 5th and 85th percentile"

According to the multiple charts I compared your stats to it says you are at a normal weight. I have three teenage daughters, each a different height and weight. Two of them are tall and build very small or slight framed, the third is built with a very large frame, they are all different. Two of my daughters are either your weight or more (the older being 140lbs). I also have two sons and they are of different weights as well. My two smaller daughters eat nothing but garbage and are not healthy. Yet my other daughter who is larger tests healthier than her sisters because she eats healthier. She has also lost weight this year after weighing in at 230 lbs. I took her to the dr and even at that weight the dr stressed she should not focus on losing weight but on making better food choices and more exercise. She is now almost at normal weight without any major changes.

There are a million different body types and builds. I hope that you do not become obsessed with your own like I did and develop an unhealthy view of yourself or your self worth. Do not compare yourself to others or put pressure onto yourself that shouldn't be. Focus on being happy, healthy, and active. i wish I had had that advice at your age. Using the charts I found you are far from being overweight. You sound healthy and active. Have you spoken to your mother about what you are thinking about yourself and your weight, or even discussed it in health class at school? There is always someone that will listen and you made a good choice to get input from other people.

[patns]

You are well within a normal range and workout a far bit. This likely built up muscle which weighs more. Just keep on doing what you are doing but maybe make a few substitutions like mainecyn outlined.

[girl81]

Originally Posted by dolphin056

Hello everyone!!

My usual day's food intake includes:
-either a breakfast item (muffin/banana bread, etc), some cereal, or fresh fruit (apple or pear)
-lunch of sliced white turkey and American cheese on whole wheat bread, a water, a breakfast/granola bar, and a chip/goldfish/pretzel snack bag
-after school snack of a few pretzels, an apple w/ pb; usually nothing big
-dinner of whatever mom makes! typically meat or chicken, starch, and vegetable/fruit or Caesar salad
-dessert: I'll have a cookie or whatever we might have, or just a bliss chocolate square or something

I'm wondering why my weight isn't really going anywhere. I feel like the number of calories I consume every day isn't all that much....definitely less than what I did as an 8-12 year old. Then I was around 135 and definitely pudgy. I do have a relatively small/average frame (with big swimmer shoulders!) and people never tell me I look fat or anything. I'm just a little curious why I'm not seeing any results. Also I'm going on an island vacation in 3 weeks and would love to lose some pounds here and there. Let me know if you have any questions.
Any feedback would be extremely appreciated! Really, thank you for even taking the time to get to know a bit about me! Stephanie

I love that you're active and encourage everyone to always be as active as possible.

I would:
1 Change to a healthy breakfast. plain yogurt, fresh fruit, veggie omelet
2 Replace the bar and crackers at lunch with veggies.
3 Replace processed snacks with whole foods. veggies, yogurt, organic turkey jerky, cheese stick, fruit, natural nut butter (watch amounts).
4 Talk to a stable adult woman (a teacher, coach, nurse, counselor, parent, Church friend, etc.) about your thoughts at least once a week.
5 Enjoy life foremost. If your friends invite you over for pizza, go. Making smart choices as often as possible will see you to your goals.

[Eydawn]

I think the mods ought to boot you off of 3FC. You've no business being on a forum like this. Hear me out. I don't mean this to be cruel... I say this out of significant concern.

You are FOURTEEN YEARS OLD. With a normal BMI, a normal amount of intake, and significant athletic activity. If you spend your time worrying about your weight/shape when you are well and truly normal and your body is still growing, you are setting yourself up to develop an unhealthy relationship with food and body image.

Forums like this can provide good support to adults who need a space to really work through issues, but they can also be a breeding ground for developing unhealthy obsessions and ideas.

Go be a teenager. If you truly think you have a problem, talk to your parents and have them take you to your primary MD to have a discussion. Give your body time to grow and do what it needs to do. Do NOT worry that you "don't have time to work out"- you're plenty active.

It is ***normal to feel uncomfortable in a teenage body.*** Your body is growing, developing, changing... you'll have lots of changes in the next six years. Just strap in and go along for the ride. Your diet sounds plenty healthy to me, and if you feel it needs changed, you need to consult with a doctor or nutritionist who specializes in adolescent needs, not be on a forum of lay-people looking to support each other.

Lots of love...

[dolphin056]

Hi all, thank you SO much for your great advice. These past 2 weeks I have noticed a bit of a difference. I'm really astonished on how you all thought clearly about my situation. You have provided me some valuable insight with which I hope to develop good habits (which will hopefully stay with me for life!)
@girl81: This past week, instead my usual snacks w/ lunch, I have prepared either celery sticks with a bit of peanut butter or some baby carrots (& wholegrain chips on some days). I do like these veggies and having a fresh snack puts me in a better mood. Next week I'm going to try to wake up 5 minutes earlier some days to make myself a nice and healthy breakfast, like maybe a veggie/mushroom/ham omelet.

@mainecyn- wow! The statisticts were helpful in allowing me not to compare myself to others. Also, I really liked your daughter's ideas for healthy snacks-- they seem very reasonable and completely within reach.

@earthecho, locke, patns, eydawn- After a bit of thinking, I now seriously agree with your thoughts. I shouldn't be worrying about any of this now, but rather determined on making good choices (which might include what I eat and how I exercise). Everyone takes their time to grow & develop, and I guess that I was just getting confused as my timing is a bit later than others of my age (but I've talked over things with my doctor). My body is changing and I need to accept it because eventually, everything will sort out. And from all of your pointers I feel MUCH more comfortable with myself. Now I'm not really looking into making a change, if one at all. From my personal experience, my body image fluctuates with the seasons, and now I am on the positive end! If I wanted to make any change, I would just probably drink more water, get more sleep, (both in which I'm lacking) and do 20 crunches a day.

And also, my wellness teacher recently told me that on the scale, muscle weighs more that fat. She went to a new doctor for a physical, and the doctor told her she is obese. Now, my teacher is extremely fit, muscular, and has a healthy diet. Ironically, my teacher told the doctor how she is not obese and how weight is just a number! [and then she walked out, lol]

Thank you all again for your advice. I really shouldn't be focused on that stuff but instead on enjoying the teen years keep going & good luck on your journey to better health!

and by the way, if I'm ever offered chocolate cake or pizza, I will never say no! I'm lucky that I have a close network of family and friends that will let me know if my weigh/health takes some kind of spike.

[Nostoppinusnow]

You sound like you have a good attitude! My daughters are just a few years behind you. Good for you for incorporating more fresh unprocessed growing things into your diet!

It's taken me a long time to accept it, but the answer to your initial question, "why am I not losing weight?" is always "because I am consuming the amount of calories that my body needs to maintain whatever weight I am." If you consume more, you will weigh more, and if you consume fewer, you will weigh less. How much more or less depends on one's individual metabolism.

The question for you is, do you really want to go down the road of cutting back on fuel that your growing/exercising/competing/studying body needs, and suffer the consequences, in order to change your body? Right now? I think the answer you have chosen instead, to focus on healthy nutrition, is the best one--but then again I'm just a random fat mom on the internet!

All the best to you!

[Pattience]

I just put your numbers into a calorie calculator (although i had to say you were 15) and it told me you could eat 1830 calories per day to maintain your current weight. Actually i erred and said you exercised about 1-3 times per week. Although on rereading, it looks like you could eat more and maintain that weight.

Obviously if you want lose weight you do need to eat a little less than what you are currently eating. But don't try to reduce your food intake by much because you will upset your metabolism and end up causing major weight fluctuations.

But i suspect you don't need to lose any weight and trying to will only stuff up your weight in the long run.

If you want to lose a little, just quit the cheese or the pretzels and replace them with some fruit and or salad(e.g. tomato) in the sandwich. You can always swap foods from a high calorie to a low calorie type of food such as i have just described.

But really don't get obsessed about your body and appearance at your age. I know its normal in our society to start obsessing about these things but it only ends up with us taking our minds off what is genuinely important - which is studies, friends, learning to be a good human being.

If you want to look better, learn to make the most of what you've got. Boys don't expect perfection. Just go with keeping your hair nice, your clothes clean and reasonably well chosen and well fitting, nice shoes and you'll look great. you don't need to look like a model to find success and happiness in life.

[paris250LB]

I'm in same boat like dolphin056. Try to cut daily intakes but my body weight isn't going anywhere.

[Tai]

Dolphin056, you got lots of good advice so I won't add anything to that. Just wanted to say that you write and express yourself very well!

Stay healthy!