My name is Nikki and I am sixteen years old.
Many doctors say it is too young an age to start dieting and many of you may think that that is too early an age to start losing weight. But i feel i have to do something about my issues right now.
I'm guessing that my rapid weight gain started just before i turned twelve when my dad, at the age of 40, suffered from a heart attack and passed away. He was fit and healthy, not over weight, normal blood pressure and low cholesetrol. The doctors didn't know why he had a heart attack as nothing pointed straight to it happening. I felt that at that time it was ok for me to binge drink and smoke because it turns out i would die of a heart attack from nothing anyway! I began to gain a stone every year and go up a cup size every 6 months until evetually, at 15 and a half, i couldn't handle being my self anymore.
Because of my father's death and other loses i have had in my family since, (my great aunt who was the closest thing i had to a grandmother passed away in the spring of last year and my dog was put down in the late summer) I've come to realise i am a comfort eater, as are the rest of my family, and want to do something about it.
My motivation originally starting last year, my new year's resolution was to eat healthy and get fit, but after some stupid teenage girl incidents, i became pretty depressed and gave up. Ever since then i haven't been able to get back into the flow of things, except for the period of time just before i returned to school. After putting on a stone from drinking and partying, i lost it and more and managed to maintain that weight for 2 months. Then christmas came along and everything went downhill again.
So this time round i've decided to do things properly. I feel i can't console in my friends because none of them understand what i have/am going through and was hoping that somewhere out there someone might be able to help give me a little nudge of encouragement along the way.

You said many doctors --- what does your doctor say? I'm sure there are many weight-management programs geared towards teens. (Personally, from your weight & height alone, I think you can and should do something to reduce the weight, while at the same time eating lots of healthful foods for your still growing body).

You may also want to see if your school offers any sort of therapy - from your recent losses (my condolences) and your less-than-optimal ways to cope with them (drinking & "partying") it seems you could benefit from a counselor to help address deeper issues (which, in turn, will help you NOT turn to foods as a psychological destresser) -- short of threats to harm oneself or others, therapy/patient counsultations are confidential so you needn't worry about things going past the walls.

And there's no better time to do something healthful for your body and mind than today -- try to keep your lifestyle changes reasonable, gradual and do-able (lots of people make the mistake of hauling their entire diet/exercisek, only to find they can't keep up and fall off the wagon), and don't beat yourself up if you momentarily fell off the routine, just get back on that horse.

Scroll through the 3FC forums and you'll find lots of useful tips for incorporating healthy foods and exercise into your routine to help meet your weight goals.

Best of luck!

It's never too early to try and promote your health. I know myself, and most likely others on the board, are on the same boat as you. I've been an emotional eater since I was twelve, and I'm still struggling with it (I'm 23 now). This is something I have to deal with for the rest of my life. If I have a bad day and binged, I would recollect myself and start over. I cannot beat myself for that, because if I do, that just causes more binges. You just need to be able to move on and accept the bad days.

This board has helped me a lot. I feel inspired by a lot of the members here, and probably most importantly, I don't feel alone. Coming to this board everyday, makes me feel like I'm not the only one out there struggling with my weight.

Don't be afraid to speak up.

AquaWarlock - thanks for your advice. i would go to my school but currently there isn't the right support their for people who have lost members of their family. Im hoping that by joining this site it will help me to overcome things within myself.

athenac - thank you for sympathising with me! I hope that because i am addressing my issues now i will be able to overcome my comfort/binge eating in the near future. x

It's never to early to take control of bad habits. I wish I would have done so at 16. I'm 31 now and still battle weight that came on during the pre-teen years, some years its way up, some years its way down. Better to break the yo-yo cycle before it has a firm grip on you. You can start by figuring out what you eat daily, calorie wise, use fitday.com, try it for a week, see where you stand. Then reduce it and make healthier choices. It won't happen overnight and the best advice I have is patience. See through your family doctor if s/he can refer you to someone for emotional counseling, try and get that taken care of now, instead of in 10 yrs when it's still affecting your eating habits. Hopefully, it'll be covered by your ins, if not, and you should do this anyway, speak to your mom about wanting to be healthier, not just in diet, but in excersize, mentally, emotionally. I bet mom is having a rough time with dad's passing too.

I was put on my first diet in kindergarten, and I firmly believe that childhood dieting, especially the yoyo and fad components contributed greatly to my being morbidly obese today. Eating disorders can become a rollercoaster that is difficult to get off.

That being said, good eating and exercise habits can't begin too early. Changing what you eat and finding fun things to do that burn calories is great at any age. The important thing as a young person (though probably as an adult as well) is to avoid letting your life be ruled by the scale, and restricting calories and/or food from amy major food group to the point of psychological and physical deprivation.

I think you need to find another doctor , people younger than you are put on diets. I am not familiar with where you live but there may be a support group for people dealing with loss, do you have a pastor,sometomes they are able to reccommend someone.

NIKKI!!!!

I agree with the others - 16 is the prefect time to learn healthy habits. I wish I had a place like 3FC when I was 16...Al Gore hadn't invented the internet yet. I know virtual people aren't the same as people in real life - but we ARE here for ya.

If you have doctors telling you this, you need to find new doctors. I've seen toddlers put on diets. There IS no age too young.

I don't think that your focus should be on finding a doctor. You can eat healthy without a doctor's input... "simply" quitting partying, eat lots of fruits, veggies, and proteins, and move more. This is what you ought to do no matter what your weight is or your age!
However, "simply" isn't really that simple or easy. I know; I understand that completely.
I also finally understood that I could not conquer my issues without the aid of a counselor - the burden is too much to bear alone.
I think you need to talk to your mother or another trusted adult about getting setup for individual counseling sessions. You can often find great support here, however it is no substitute.

I Agree! better to start young and not let it all accumulate, then trying to loose it later is harder, I wish I had gotten in a serious diet at 15 when I was only slighty fat...

That doctor is nuts. If you are heavy during your formative years, you will struggle with weight all of your life as opposed to people who stay healthy and slim throughout puberty. If I had listened to my mom and my doctor when I was a pre-teen, I wouldn't be fighting this battle every day of my life now.

Get a new doctor, and get on a good eating plan.