Hi, this is my first time using this website and I have been searching for support groups but it's hard to find in this day & age. First off, my name is Regina and I'm 19 years old and I am currently in college. Not to boast, but growing up I was a great athlete. I played many contact sports and was naturally fast, muscular, and thin. I ran competitively (5:00 min mile & 2:16 800m & 18:45 for the 5k) but like many student athletes, I had to quit my sport in order to focus on earning my degree. It was bittersweet but I definitely made the right decision

Anyways, I have always been worried about my weight. I've suffered with depression lately and a huge part of overcoming it will be losing weight. I am 5'6, and about 150ish lbs. I used to always be 120. If I put my mind to it, I lose weight rather quickly. I go back to school in late August, and I truly want to change my lifestyle around/be happier. I know that losing weight won't solve all my problems, but it will help me to deal with my problems better...instead of going to food for comfort, etc. This past year I have grown in many ways. I want to start a new healthy chapter of my life leading into my 20s. These next years should be the "prime" of my life, and I do not want to be sitting on the sidelines. I know healthy eating, portion control, and exercise...however sometimes you just can't get the mindset to balance all 3. I would love for some encouragement/tips/advice/help/any users who have a similar situation or are around the same age.

My goal is to lose around 30-35 pounds. I don't want to yo-yo diet or starve myself but however..eating a low amount of calories and exercise works for me. Please NO NEGATIVE FEEDBACK ABOUT STARVATION MODE. I have truly read it all and those only contribute to my ANXIETY. Once I lose the weight, I will either maintain what I have been doing or slowly add calories back in.

I have been exercising and eating around 1,000-1,200 calories per day. Thanks guys

Hi I wish I could contribute with words of wisdom but I'm new here. What I can say is that I'm excited for you and believe that you have made a good choice in joining. The people here are very supportive (in the two days I've been here) and are open to giving their feedback and support.

I really hope you find the tips and advice you seek and wish you the best of luck on your journey. It would be wonderful to see you post your progress and how differently you feel about life when you achieve the goals you set for yourself

Thank you so much Just by your response, I already feel better. It helps me to know that there are kind people out there who can help me..as well as I can help them (hopefully haha). I would love to see your progress too-congrats on joining. We are in this together.

Can you remember what you were doing when you were a svelte 120lbs? Can you remember what your eatin and exercise habits were bak then? We're you calorie counting, weighing yourself, obsessing about food? My guess is that your lifestyle back then came naturally to you. You were physically active because you enjoyed it. If you can try to hone in on the naturally healthy habits you had back then you'll have good luck with reachieveing what came naturally then. You're young, enjoy your life, make some better choices and get involved in sports again. Fretting about calories in and calories burned is the least fun anyone can ever have. And honestly there are people who diet for decades and gain weight.

Adding calories back in will of course ads pounds too. But I won't lecture.

I echo Wannabe. If I had a time machine and could go back to 19, I would definitely have worked more on becoming a normal eater and less on diets. If you think you've gained weight because you aren't exercising as much, is there a way that you can manage your school AND exercise? I realize it might not be as much as an athlete, but you might be surprised. One thing that will never go away is the difficulty in balancing your time between life demands and self care. Get a handle on it now and you'll set yourself up for success.

But I'm "old" at 35, lol, if you want to talk to those your age more on this site you might check out the 20-something board. Or the featherweights. There are a lot of younger girls there, too. And of course, the fitness and exercise board!!

WELCOME!!! And I look forward to seeing you around and watching your progress!!

Hey there and welcome. Not to bring you down but I feel it's important to make sure you have reasonable/realistic goals for yourself. I don't believe BMI is the be-all end-all but it is a good indicator of the "extremes". Now, at 5'6" and 150, you are at the upper limits of what is still considered normal, which is fantastic but if you felt you needed to lose some weight there is room to do so. However, if you wanted to lose 35lbs that would put you at 115 which is one decimal point above being considered underweight for your height.

You mention you are an athlete, do you plan on training and building up your muscle again? If so, you may find it difficult to get down to 115, and maybe not even necessary.

The other question I have is, how old were you when were you 120? You're 19 now, and I hate to break it to you but puberty does not a woman's body make lol It wasn't until I was in my very early 20s that I actually started to look like a grown woman - a girl's body to a woman's body means putting on a few pounds. So if you're thinking you'll get your 16 y/o body back, you may be in for some disappointment. But it doesn't mean you can't make healthy, realistic and attainable goals for yourself!

If I were you, I'd make my initial weight-loss goal match somewhere in the middle of what is considered "normal" weight as per BMI and then evaluate from there. For you that would be around 130ish.

good luck!

Just want to send you ! We all have different approaches to weight loss, but we're all in this together, so you're not alone. I'm really glad you found this sight!

Right on, girl! Sounds like you've got a lot of positive intentions. The 1,000 calories thing is definitely doable for a little while. You won't get encouragement to eat that little, but I've eaten around that before for around a a week or two. After some period of eating at a large deficit, you will start getting very hungry. When you do start getting that hunger, you can safely go up in calories. If you're just fine and dandy eating 1000 calories, that's cool, but you will still lose a decent amount of weight eating up to 1400 calories .

Don't stress too much. Just eat healthy and live your life. Don't stop everything just to diet.

About being 19 and growing or w/e...I quit growing in height at around 16, so it really depends. I think most girls are pretty close to their adult size at 19, though.

Yeah people stop growing at different ages. I stopped at 11, and definitely by 13 had my full woman's figure. There's plenty of women looking great at 120, it depends on bone structure. I'm the same height (5 foot 6) and am aiming for 132, I looked pretty good then and it was my 13 year old weight.

1000-1200 is doable for those last few kg - it's only when you're starting at much higher weights that 1500-1800 is better.

I felt fat at 150-155 lb too, and as a teenager, I was, compared to my peers. Luckily you don't need to lose much, so it won't take long. Pattience is right on target with her dietary advice. I'm doing much the same now and the weight is flying off.

good luck!