Ok, first off, I'm 14 and I'm about 30 pounds overweight. I'd like to weigh 90 pounds, but my doctor says that it's unhealthy for a girl of 14 and 5'7 to be that weight, so I changed my goal to be 110.
I went on Atkins by suggestion from both my parents, who are on it with me + have been on it before. I've lost 10 pounds already, and I want to lose more.
Honestly, I'm doing this because I feel pressured by my peers to be skinny and perfect. How would you feel, going to school every day and looking around at all the snooty skinny rich kids, and then looking at yourself, the supposedly 'overweight' girl who's never even stepped foot in an Abercrombie & Fitch store?
All of my friends are skinny-minis(like 95 pounds--it's crazy!!) and I feel jealous. I'm trying really hard.
The bad thing is that my school is very food-oriented. It seems that everywhere you turn, you see a party going on. The other bad thing is that the people at my school don't absorb carbs, so they bring this horrendous amount of carbage to these parties.
There was a party on Friday--I couldn't even eat the stuff that I, myself, brought!
So basically, I'm trying to lose weight to impress my peers and just fit in. I know it's not natural, so you don't have to point that out to me.
Thanks for reading this.

hey sweetie, your post struck a cord with me a huge amount of the posters here know EXACTLY what it's like to be the fat girl at school, to be made fun of, etc, etc. I HIGHLY recommend that you seek a doctors opinion regarding your goal weight. I think if you are wanting to lose weight for everyone else then it is a losing battle and not worth messing your fragile metabolism up with because you will only gain it again. Happiness does NOT come from being skinny. Even if you did/do get down to 90 lbs, that isn't going to change the person that you are inside. I have friends who are drop dead gorgeous and skinny too, and I get jealous too, but they are them and I am ME. You said you're going to parties and that is awesome that you're being sociable, get out there and be YOU and quit worrying so much about what other people say because it doesn't matter how much you weigh or what you look like, people will always say things, it is just a fact of life. Look at all the beautiful celebrities...they are talked about constantly, someone is always saying SOMETHING...they are TOO THIN, TOO FAT, have bad hair...

basically all that to say that you should definitely seek an opinion of some doctors and if you're going to it then do it for yourself and not for anyone else. This is a WAY OF LIFE, not a fad diet to be on so one can wear their bikini If you are on Atkins you can take summer sausage and cheese to the party, make hamburgers, I don't know..but there are other options besides what everyone else is bringing

you're very young and have a beautiful life ahead of you...I wish you luck in whatever you do

Lacey

btw, your feelings ARE VERY normal. We all want to fit in.

and all the girls who made fun of ME in school?? 99% of them weigh a LOT more than I do now. What comes around goes around

Lacey

Hi Cheedles, welcome to the forum. I have a 14 yr. old daughter who started Atkins with me last summer. She lost 27 lbs. and was down to 108 at 5'2 and she looked great. She finally went off the new way of eating because it was too hard for her to see all her friends eating the foods she loved and couldn't have. I never should have let her start Atkins. She gained all the weight back and is now more depressed than ever. Several of her friends are 90 lbs. and this makes things even worse. I can personally tell you that 110 lbs. is way to low of a goal for someone 5'7. I am this height and normal weight is 128-159. I am at 150 now and wearing a size 4. My goal is set at 145 because I have no desire to be a size 2. Good luck in whatever you want and I hope your parents are supportive and will help you to set a realistic goal.

Cheedles-
Lacey's right, it's normal to feel the way you do. It's hard to be a teenager-all of us (and even all the girls who make you feel pressured) have/had something about us that made us feel awkward or different from everyone else. Some people have acne, or a big nose, or lots of freckles, or no designer jeans. EVERYONE goes through what you are feeling for some reason or another. You said "I know it's not natural", but actually it is.
That being said, At 5'7", 143 is NOT overweight. If losing a few lbs will make you feel better about yourself, then there's nothing wrong with that. But please keep a few things in mind.....
You're still young enough that your body is changing, and those couple of extra pounds will probably be gone soon without you doing anything at all.
Atkins is a very drastic metabolic change, and if you start something like this now, you may end up doing more harm than good.
Your friends may weigh 95 lbs, or say they do, anyway. But are they as tall as you? You shouldn't weigh as little as someone who is 5'2".
Right now, it's your friends at school that provide the peer pressure. We as adults know how you feel, because we have friends at work or celebrities on TV that we feel pressured by. You have to learn to like yourself no matter what and not give in to that, because there will always be someone out there who is skinnier/richer/prettier than us.
At 14, your metabolism is still strong and undamaged. If you just exercise a little more or cut out a snack here and there, you shouldn't have any trouble at all dropping a few pounds.

Thank you guys so much.
I'm so grateful that there are people out there who understand!!

Even at 155 for your height you are not overweight.You are in fact probably more healthy than those skinny girls at school.Your Dr is right if you went to 90 pounds i doubt you would be around for long.I don't want to sound mean but what you are saying kind of scares me.Your mindset is off base.

Hi Cheedles,

Congratulations on losing 10 lbs WTG !!!!!!!

10 years down the road your gonna see pictures of yourself (as you are now) and your gonna say WHOLEY CRAP!!! I LOOKED GOOD!!!!!... trust me.

Don't let the twigs get to you okay, bet they are jealous of you because you have a shape and they still look like little boys with boobies.

I think its great that you are trying to eat healthy but please please please don't beat yourself up and get all negative about your body image. Your very young and your body is going to keep changing so keep that in mind. When your friends bring in all the crappy food, try to walk away from it or !! bring something you can/will eat thats healthier.

One more thing....stay active. Join some sports or do some stuff at home that will help your bones and muscles develop and be stronger.

I bet your a knock out !!!

I would like to add something. If you are thinking being skinny will make you more attractive, you are wrong. Men like women who look like women..complete with curves! I have talked about this very subject just yesterday with my kids and their friends. All the boys said the same thing, that they preferred a girl who was curvy. Now, granted at 14 they may go more for who they perceive as 'popular', but in a few years, when you are out of high school, that is not going to matter in the least. If you feel like you need to change your shape, then get into exercise. It will help more than you can ever know. Get your metabolism revved up now, and it will serve you well for life! I agree with the others that 90 is not a realistic goal for someone who is 5'7". I am about that, and my goal is more like 165! At 159 in college, I was very thin. I hope you decide to approach how you look and feel with exercise, and just moderate dieting. We are not all supposed to be skinny. Please don't let the kids at school encourage you to harm your body trying to achieve an unhealthy thinness.

Cheedles, I know where you are coming from. When I graduated from high school, I was 5'5" and weighed 135 lbs and I was considered the fat one in my group. Now that's my maybe goal weight. If I had any sense, I would have done whatever it took to stay there instead of gaining up to 390.

I know it's tough at your age not to succumb to peer pressure. But the only person's opinion that really matters at all is yours. You need to feel comfortable with you and the heck with what the rest of the world thinks.

Glad to have you here.

I wish you luck in whatever you decide. If you need an ear, feel free to PM me! Keep in touch and let us know how you're doing!

Boy do I know how you feel. though I could be your mother the feelings you have never change. I was 135 and 5'2" most of my high school days. I even did the swim team in a bathing suit. (UGH!!) I look back now and wonder why I felt so bad. I can understand.

So any ways your feelings are normal, and I wish I could say some words of encouragement that you have not heard before, but the girls have said it.

As for doing the hang out thing Eat a full meal (healthy) before you go and drink plenty of water so you are not so tempted to eat.

Try to find clothes that flatter your lovely curves and not to have the pants so tight the gut hangs over it. I know that is the style. I see the kids when I drop the kids off at the high school. look for shirts that show off the curves and show a little shoulder. get the spaghetti strap shirts that have a built in shelf in. to help support the "girls" even better yet have some of those bras with the clear plastic straps or pretty color straps. (I have a 17 year old Daughter with size 8 - 10 pants with a 36D and a 21 year old with 6 bottom and 34DD top so I do know how they dress. do some of the layering of the tops, or wear your bathing suit top with a shear or lacy top. those things are all in style and will help hide some of those lumps that you do not like. But best thing for you instead of dieting is to actually take up a exercise regimine. nothing like a nice curvey toned body. and those skinny girls will wish they had a nice body like yours.

that is actually the best piecc of advice. because if you severely restrict your self now you will fight it tooth and nail for the rest of your life. get your body so it responds to exercise and eat smart. heathy carbs droping the bed things and there for when you do have a party to go to your body will burn the carbs and not think twice. and you will not feel so bad if you eat unhealthy. OK??

Cheedles, you might want to compare notes with my daughter LacyMarie who is on the forum now. The 2 of you are the same age and pretty much in the same boat. Not really over-weight but wanting to look thinner due to peer pressure. Good luck. She has done Atkins before and is now trying to just lower her fat intake a little and get some exercise.

I understand where you are coming from! I was around 150-160 in high school and I was teased all the time for being 'fat'. I look back at those pictures and wonder why I believed them! I was softly rounded with a knock out hour glass shape - and looked GREAT!

What I would like to suggest to you is to have a goal SIZE, not a goal weight. Remember what your friend who's 5'2" weighs is not what you should weigh at 5'7" (just using an example - don't know if you have a 5'2" friend). You might both wear the same size clothes and be drastically different weights.

Take it easy on yourself. It is easy to get caught up in the 'gotta be thin to fit in' mindset. That is what spurs a lot of anorexics and bulimics. Not a path you want to go down, I promise.

We're here for you!

Cheedles,

I think you should shoot for a goal of about 127 - this is a 20 BMI, the minimum for someone at 5'7". I imagine that you will find yourself quite skinny at that weight!

Really, 90 pounds is the low-end of the weight range for someone who is 4'8"... WAY shorter than you.

And 110 is the low-end for 5'2".

You are tall (hey like me! whoo!) which means to be healthy, you need to keep your weight in a normal range for your height. You really don't want to get too low because it can mess up your metabolism, your health, your bones... and might even lead you into the nightmare of an eating disorder trying to maintain a weight that is too low for you.

I'm not trying to scare you but I know about peer pressure too, I remember the skinny popular girls in high school and how I felt like a schlub in my size 12 jeans. Yes it can suck but it's a short time really in your life Though it might feel like an eternity hehe!

BE STRONG and take care of yourself... don't overdo the dieting stuff. Trust me, it can lead to dark places (I've had bulimia for a few years and now have mostly beaten it.)

The suggestion for you to look into sports or activities to tone up is a great idea... it doesn't have to be a formal organized sport, just something that gets you moving and that you have fun with. It's a lot more pleasant to lose weight with exercise and a bit of diet change than to dramatically cut calories alone.

And don't forget to relax and enjoy those parties!