I am new to the 3 Fat Chicks site. I was directed here by my mom, lilybelle. She is on the Atkins diet and has been for 11 months. I was on it with her, and I had lost 28 pounds but I got discouraged and quit the diet. I just couldn't do it anymore. It was very hard to keep up with while being in school, because it seemed like the other kids were constantly bragging about how they got more "normal food" than I did. After quitting, I've gained back up to 129 lbs. now. Mom suggested that I go on a Low Fat diet, because I like breads and pastas and you just can't have much of that on Atkins. So, I just now began the Low Fat diet and I am allowing myself 25 fat grams per day. I use www.FitDay.com for a food journal. When I go back to school in August, I'm not even planning on telling anyone I'm on the diet. If they ask why I bring lunch, I'll just say I don't like the cafeteria food. I do like the Low-Fat diet better already, because it seems like there are more things on Atkins that you just "can't have". On Low-Fat dieting, you can moderately have different foods, while on Atkins, it was more of a "meat and greens" diet. Well anyway.. I hope everyone is doing well with their diets. Keep up the good work.

May I ask....How tall are you? Just so we all have an idea where you are coming from?

Hey, glad to have you on the board.

You're so young, I wish you wouldn't "diet." And I'm only saying this because I've been there. I felt "heavy" in high school (although on reflection, I really wasn't). I did all sorts of diets, including low fat. I would start a diet and lose weight and I would stop a diet and regain weight. You've already seen how that works with the Atkins diet, right? You lost weight and then quit and regained weight. Did you regain a little more weight than your original weight? I always did. I am taller than you, and I weighed 140 lbs in high school. I "dieted" all the way to 200 lbs by the time I was 35. I wouldn't want that for anybody else.

So, if I could go back to the high school me, I would definitely do things differently. First, I'd try to find some kind of athletic ability I really liked. I was too shy, felt too fat and clumsy to try in high school, but now I know I would have been just fine. Maybe volleyball or track or tennis. Just something to get me in the habit of healthily moving my body. Something to make me enjoy exercise.

Then, I'd really want to learn about healthy eating. Not diets, but how to eat healthy. Understanding that bodies need a certain amount of food everyday, and it's the quality of food that really makes a difference. I would also try to understand portion sizes. A serving of pasta is small. A bag of chips might look like a good size for a snack, but the back of the package actually says a bag is two servings. I would look at the nutritional information for fast food places and restaurants and realize that most of that food should be eaten in moderation - treats, not three meals a day.

If you plan to start a diet "be on a diet" then you are planning a time when you will not be on a diet. What will you eat then? It was a tough lesson that took me 20 years to learn - I had to give up the idea of a diet and just change how I eat. Healthy meals every day - lots of fruits and vegetables, lean protein (like fish, chicken, eggs), low fat dairy (like string cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese), healthy fats (nuts, nut butters, olive oil, avocado), whole grains (bread where the first ingredient is WHOLE grain, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat tortillas). Definitely bring your own lunch to school, if your cafeteria is like mine, it's nothing but pizza and tater tots.

25 grams is not a lot of fat, not for a growing girl. Fat is not evil. Fat is not bad. Fat helps sheathe the nerves and protects the organs. I eat around 50 grams a fat a day - healthy fat like natural peanut butter and olive oil and avocado. I use Fitday to try to keep fat around 25-30% of my daily calories. The last time I went super low fat in college, my hair literally fell out by the handfull in the shower. Did I lose a lot of weight, yeah, but my hair fell out and I gained all the weight back anyway.

And treats too. Right now, I'm living around 90% healthy/10% treats, but I would like to eventually get to a place where I eat healthy 80% of the time and allow treats 20% of the time.

I do think food journaling is a good thing for a lot of people, make sure you are eating ENOUGH. You are young and growing and you need good, healthy food everyday. Sorry your schoolmates brag about eating "normal" food - what is "normal" food? Greasy chips and super sugary packaged donuts? I am happy to not be normal and not eat that junk.

Okay, sorry I talked too much. Posts from teenagers like you doing "diets" always makes me feel a little sad, since I tried that for so long and it never made me happy with myself. Your mom embraced Atkins not as a diet but a way she plans to eat forever. Atkins isn't right for you and it wouldn't be right for me either, you have to find the healthy way of eating that will be right for you forever. Healthy foods you like, and plenty of healthy fat!

Reply:

I am approximately 5'4.

Reply #2:

I can't really do any athletic activites, because when I was younger, I had too many health problems and was always in and out of hospitals, so I couldn't. Now my health is better, but I am a freshwoman and can't go join an athletic activity because all the other kids have been doing sports their whole lives, and I wouldn't measure up. I've never even practiced for any sport or anything because I just thought, "They won't let me play because I'm the sick kid." And no, After Atkins, I didn't gain back more than before Atkins. When I started Atkins, I was 136. I lost down to 108. I then gained up to 129. I started the Low-Fat diet on June 6th. Since, I have lost to 127. And of course, mom wouldn't let me do anything she felt was "unhealthy" because she was a registered nurse for 20 years. Thank you for your concern, but I will still continue dieting because I feel its what is best for me.

I just wanted to point that that at your height, 5'4 100 pounds is unhealthy. You are perfectly healthy they way you are now. Much lower then 110 and you are at an unhealthy weight.

LacyMarie, can I ask - - why do you feel like you want to lose weight? I'll bet you look perfect the way you are!

Stop the madness.

I am almost scared for LaceyMarie. Her weight is perfect where it is.

I would assume should would just need to do some toning to acheive this body she is looking for.

I am very scare for LaceyMarie not only is she at a perfect weight for her height but according to her profile she is only 14! No 14 year old should be worrying about their weight unless they really are overweight. That is my opnion though.

Hi Glory, thanks for your helpful post. All Lacy is wanting is a little support. She has a lot of peer pressure going on. Her food intake is being closely monitored, as I do the cooking. I am encouraging 50 grams of fat a day at least, not the 25 that she wanted. She doesn't skip meals. Eats plenty of grains, protein, veggies, fruits and dairy. Has a healthy appetite and is looking forward to walking with me of the evenings. No one needs to worry about her. We have a very close family and she will be monitored closely but thanks for everyone's concern.

Mom encourages 50 grams of fat per day, but I try to keep between 25-35.

Hi Lacy Marie- I'm 5'4" & I remember weighing about 115 in high school & having to be very careful about what I ate & I exercised alot. According to all of the charts I've seen 110 is the lowest a person our height ought to weigh. Please talk to your mom & your dr about what a safe weight would be for your build & height. Your health is more important than others' opinions about your weight & your figure.

Please be careful!!! I thought I was fat in highschool but now I look back at pictures and realize how VERY wrong I was... I dieted myself 100 lbs overweight. I wish someone had sat me down and told me I was already right where I needed to be. For your height your weight sounds perfect!! Eat healthy, get some exercise and love your body and your youth!!!!

I am dieting because I feel that my body is very unproportioned because my thighs and legs are small, but my stomach is, well... let's just say, not. It would also help me if I were smaller because all of my friends are VERY small. It's not that I want to be as small as them, because they all weigh from about 80-90 lbs. I just want to look better and have more self-esteem. I am eating healthy, and hoping to become a better looking person. I am definitely not considered anorexic, as I eat just as much or more than most adults. I eat a lot, but I just eat healthy foods.

I think everyone is being way too harsh on LacyMarie. You are never too young to be concerned about eating healthy. "Diet" is a four letter word around here, but what you eat is your diet, and Lacy wants to change hers to be healthier and we should support her in that.

Being 14 years old is tough. Being 135 or 235 at 14, you're still insecure about your body. 100 maybe too low a target for her height, and one day she'll realize that as her weight gets lower.

But as long as she is eating healthy and getting the exercise she needs... she'll realize that 120 toned is better that 100 boney.

Best of luck LaceyMarie. Just be healthy and be careful. Realize whatever your 'diet' has to be something managable for the long term. If it's not working, tweak it, don't give up on it.

If you need a buddy let me know