I am a 16 year old girl, I go out with my friends, I am involved in lots of activities like 2 hours of dance and cycle 5 miles atleast twice a week, I walk everywhere other than cycling . I am a vegetarian, and I eat in moderation and healthily. YET I AM STILL OBESE FOR MY HEIGHT?!?! I don't understand, and I feel very upset and downhearted about it. My weight goes up and down all the time but only between obese and more obese :/ I hate it! My boyfriend says that i am beautiful but to be honest i cringe when i look at myself in the mirror and i don't know how he can stand to look at me. I'm really confused, how the **** can i get to my ideal weight without exercising 24/7 and starving myself?! Because that's the only thing that looks like it would have any affect- even after that i'll probably still be overweight! I get bullied at school, and my parents and siblings take the piss too :/ I am really unhappy, and most days i just want to cry when i see myself. I'm fed up of being the fat one and I just wish something would work!

Oh and I go swimming for 2 hours atleast once every week too

Can you post an average day's worth of food?

Welcome to the forums and we will do what we can to give you guidance, can you post an average day of what you eat and your activities? We will look at them and give you some ideas on how to tweak and get to the place you want to be

average daily food,

breakfast:normal sized serving of bran flakes with semi-skimmed milk. and a 250ml serving of orange juice.
snack:apple/banana
lunch:salad or wholemeal thinly sliced bread with low fat spread with low fat peanut butter.
dinner: small meal such as low fat vegetarian cottage pie served with steamed vegetables, followed by more fruit, such as fresh pinapple or melon.

drinks other than the morning one are usually suagr-free squash or water.

Welcome!

Dhani

you could be sensitive to carbohydrates.. I am!!! I can do a lowfat diet and exercise my buns off and not move the scale, but if I cut the starchy carbs outta my diet I can loose without exercise... Insulin resistance is a real issue some people have.. If you are not getting anywhere with what you are doin, try looking into it.. I know as a veg that it is a little harder for you, but, the only thing in your daily menu that is not starchy carb is the steamed veg, and that just depends on what veg it is... If you are insulin resistant, there ya go... Everything you eat turns to sugar!! When you have this issue, even what seems like a complex carb is the enemy!! Have you ever had your blood sugar checked??? If you are prediabetic, you are even more sensitive... There is alot of info on here about all sorts of low carb lifestyles... I would urge you to try it and see if it helps!! Good luck sweetie!! I have a daughter the same age as you that struggles with her weight too!! I know it is hard to be so young and not feel beautiful! Chin up!!

Most vegetarians tend to eat way too many carbs. Check into that.

Write down everything you eat for 2 weeks. maybe there are more 'exceptions' than you realise.Otherwise, maybe you should see your doctor in case its a medical problem.

This is the same advice I give people who ask me how I lost weight, and/or what they should do. Looking back on what I was eating, when I first decided to lose weight, it's crazy! But at the time, I thought I wasn't doing so badly. Oh, but I was.

So just take a deep breath. You WILL get it figured out. Start by logging everything you eat AND drink for 1-2 weeks. Drinks play a big part in weight gain for a lot of people (my husband used to consume more than 1,000 calories a day in soda EASILY, along with sugar-sweetened tea, energy drinks, etc). Eat normally, and record portions too based on what's on the box. You say a "normal sized" serving of cereal - but is that the serving on the box?

At the end of the period, take a look at the calorie, sugar and carb counts in what you're eating in a normal day. You may be surprised at what you see. Then again, it may be all good. At that point I'd look into talking to a doctor about a possible medical reason, since there are MANY of them possible.

Hi and welcome to 3FC.

Good luck with your goals.

Hugs
Michelle

whyamI....if you really want to know the answers to your questions I would suggest sticking around the 3FC...Go ahead and post honestly your daily intake...there are plenty of ladies here that are able and willing to help you if can tell us EXACTLY where you are! you can do this. Absolutely. No reason to be discouraged! Your journey has just begun!

It's okay, I promise!
When I first started I felt like I had no idea why I was so big. And then when I realized how much I was eating, not so much what but how much, it was kind of shocking and then I got it (and also what, but my biggest issue was the amount at first for sure). You can still gain weight on healthy foods.
But please don't think that starving yourself is the only way, it's not. When I first joined I thought that too. I thought the only way in **** I was going to lose any weight was if I "became anorexic" and then did some crazy Biggest Loser-esque eight hour workout every day but that's not how I've gotten this far. I found something that worked for me and just stuck to it. You can do this.
I'm assuming your going by BMI? Don't. Just like forget it. It's nice to look at once in a while and to kind of guide-line by but there are some people out there who live healthy lives while still being 'overweight' or 'obese' you don't have to be in what that chart says is 'normal' to feel good and be healthy. Also, forget your parents and those kids at school. School is hard, I know, I got made fun of a lot because of my weight, too, but you have to show them who's in control of this situation, you are! Not them, don't let them get you down. And please, please, you sound like a beautiful person don't let your weight get you down. You can be beautiful at any weight no matter what, just remember that.

I used to be just like you. I know so far I've only lost a few pounds, but I started on Monday. I use an elliptical trainer and run like crazy. Yesterday I ran 4.39 miles. I do write down everything I eat, but I don't say to myself "You can only have under this certain amount of calories!". I tell myself as long as I'm eating less than I was before, for now, that's enough. It really is a good idea to write down EVERYTHING you eat for a week or so. I did that and it really opened my eyes. I didn't think I was eating that poorly, (certainly things in the 'health' food category) but all in all it was almost always more than 2,000 calories a day. BAD! You can do this, I know you can. Just dive in. It helps me if in one way or another my weight is always on my mind.

Have you had any sort of blood work for insulin resistance or a thyroid condition? In popular media, heavier people are portrayed as trying to "blame" excess weight on those two issues, and so sometimes doctors ignore the signs of those problems even when they are presented with them. I begged for assistance for several years from doctors, and it was only when I went into a specialist who didn't accept insurance (and I therefore paid a zillion dollars to have him run tests he thought were good ones to try) that it was determined my thyroid was seriously messed up. Don't be afraid to tell your doctor that you want a full array of endocrinology blood work, and if she doesn't help you, go on to another doctor until you are heard and assisted.