Abnormal weight loss? Help?

People seem to get mad at me when I say I need to loose weight. I am in the healthy weight zone, weighing 106 pounds at 5'3" and 13 years old. But I have been trying to loose weight since Monday(this week), and when I started I weighed 113 pounds. Is this a normal rate of weight loss? Now, our family eats very healthy and the only bad food I get is at school. We have no sweets in the house, and whenever I'm hungry for something sweet I get a yogurt. I am not very athletic, and I had been getting approximately 15 minutes of exercise a day.Now I get about 30-40 minutes or exercise a day.

  I did however drastically cut my calories. I went from 1,500 calories a day to sometimes less then 500 all in a week. I have been trying to get into shape and looking down upon my current, which I am told isn't good.

  Now I start to get tired around 6, and mope around drearily for the following hours. My hands get shaky and I feel faint. I looked it up, and these are the supposed symptoms of low blood pressure. I don't see how I could have low blood pressure, when I haven't been doing anything wrong.

  If you're saying to yourself, " Oh, she isn't serious, she's only lost seven pounds," well I am pretty serious. That's more pounds then days, and my mother says its unhealthy. I couldn't stop crying for an hour yesterday because I wanted to eat very bad, but when in sight of food I became appalled.  Something has to be wrong, for I feel as if I'm out of it and I am disillusional. I can't help but worry what this could lead to.

Please forgive the unsequencive rhythem of my writing. My mind is in a blur.

Hello Sierra,

Well first of all, if you are unhappy with the way you look, and want to drop a few pounds, thats perfectly fine, however my biggest concern is your calorie intake, I know that it may seem like the right thing to do to cut your calories that low, but the reason you are feeling so faint and weak is because you are not consuming enough calories. The minimum you should be eating is 1200 calories (maybe more because your so young), but 1200 calories will at least give you enough to live on. Those symptoms also point to low blood sugar.

Im not sure where your mindset is so I cant really judge, but from the tone of your post, this sounds like it could easily turn around on you and bite you in the butt, causing an eating disorder.

Exactly how much are you planning on loosing? I wouldnt loose much more if I where you.

I guess my biggest recommendation would be to stear away from calorie cutting, and focus more on exercising, and getting more physical activity.

I'm 17 and a few years ago I started to get into some very dysfunctional thinking and eating, and trust me, its not the path you want to go down. If you would like to talk, Im on everyday, so drop a line.

I hope this helps. Have a nice day.

500 calories a day is starvation - plain and simple. 

You don't feel well because you are starving. 

You are starving in the way that people facing famine starve.  You are starving in the way that leads to death.  Quickly.

I think you are here because you know you are starving.

113 lbs is actually a very healthy weight for your height. 

Now I will tell you what I wish my mom had told me at your age.

Your body is changing from a little girl's body into a woman's body and you will have more curves now.  At the moment that body change seems ackward and may seem as if you are just getting fat.  But you are not getting fat.  It takes tme for your body to make it's transformation into womanliness.  In the mean time it may seem that your body is your enemy.  But this is a natural change just the same way a puppy goes through a weird gangly stage.  Eventually everything evens out and the result is pure beauty.

Please do not listen to anyone who tells you you are getting fat.  Please do not try to keep your little girl figure for life.  Being a woman is a beautiful thing and if you treat your body right, it will be beautiful for life. 

Continue to be active.  learn how to take care of your body by eating a good balanced diet with adequate calories.  And know that one day very soon your body will be spectacular.  Not just skinny.

You should listen to your mother.   A 13 year-old body needs to grow... physically as well as mentally.   There are important changes going on inside you that happen to us all as we go from being a child to a woman.   Starving yourself of food.... and that's what you've been doing.... can cause all kinds of damage to someone as young as you.   Losing 7lbs in a week is terrible... you didn't have 7lbs to lose.  You're already tired, shaky  and depressed because you're malnourished and you're severely lacking in energy.   Your mind is in a blur and you're delusional because a starved brain can't think properly. What will make you feel better is to get your full energy needs.... around 2000 cals a day.

Talk to your mother and start the day tomorrow with a substantial breakfast... Eggs, toast, butter, lots of orange juice, yoghurt, oatmeal.  Make yourself a big plateful and sit down until you finish it.   Follow up with snacks and good-sized meals the rest of the day.  Have a bar of chocolate... it'll do you good.  The combined effect of energy, vitamins and minerals should give you a real boost and you'll find it easier afterwards to keep going..  

You could nip this in the bud right now or you can end up on the slippery slope to disordered eating, forced feeding in hospitals, losing all your hair, infertility.... .  Make the smart choice.

Honey, you are 13 years old. I know teenagers don't want to hear that they are still kids (I sure didn't), but you are. You will regret wasting your youth concentrating on food, exercise, and weight SO MUCH when you are older.

I'm 21 years old and if I could go back and do my teenage years old without dieting, I would.

YOU ARE THIN. You do not need to be losing weight, restricting calories, exercising 30+ minutes a day. Your body is still growing taller and you probably haven't even hit puberty yet, which means your entire body shape is going to change to develop breasts & hips. If you don't eat enough (2000+ calories a day), you will not end up as tall as you could be. You might be supposed to end up at 5'10", but you could stop growing at 5'3" if you continue starving yourself like this.

Stop counting calories, just eat three meals & two - three snacks a day and you will be healthy. If you can't stop dieting on your own, please talk to your mother and get help. It isn't shameful to ask for help, it means you are a strong, brave, self-aware person who wants to live and be happy.

Life is very short and the time you have to be a teenager is even shorter, it will fly by so fast and you will wake up one day at 21 years old and regret all the years you spent thinking about this. PLEASE GET HELP.

Original Post by sierrax:

People seem to get mad at me when I say I need to loose weight. I am in the healthy weight zone, weighing 106 pounds at 5'3" and 13 years old. But I have been trying to loose weight since Monday(this week), and when I started I weighed 113 pounds.

People are not angry with you, we are just concerned that you are starving yourself and will damage your growing body beyond repair.  We're also concerned that, since you were not even slightly overweight to begin with, that you are headed down a dangerous path. 

You should know that the CC Tools are calibrated for adults.  You need to use this calculator to determine the normal weight for someone your age, height and activity level

http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dnpabmi/Calculator.a spx

If it's any comfort - you're a kid, and kids are supposed to grow.  That means you'll weigh more by the time you become an adult.

I hope that we've been helpful to you, even though we can't support your quest for weight loss. 

As you are so very young, 1500 is the sedentary minimum for someone your age. So as you can guess you are well and truly STARVING.

If you are under 21, CC's tools are inaccurate and you should use this calculator instead: http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/bodycomp/bmiz2.html as you are still growing. Yes, even in the later years - there's more going on inside of you that you simply can't see.

Eating too low a calorie intake, or having a deficit from your BMR greater than 1000 results in something called "survival mode", where your body holds every last thing it can get in expectance of a famine. Water, food, calories. Explained:

• Dieting & Metabolism - This article explains starvation mode and why undereating is counter productive.
• The Body Neglected - This is what happens when you undereat for an extended period of time. 
• "Obesity on 700 Calories" - A tale of starvation mode's devistating effects, and proof you don't have to be underweight to be starving.
• From Ask Mary, the segment provided by our CC nutritionist Mary Hartley: On the dangers of undereating and what it does to your body.

The physical dangers that come with undereating and restrictive eating habits are numerous. You put yourself at risk of osteoporosis, of loss of fertility if you lose your period, hair loss, electrolyte problems, a weakening of the immune system, low blood pressure, blood disorders such as anemia, heart problems, and even death. The mental woes that come alongside can be just as devestating. Depression is common as well, as well as distorted perceptions and problems like Body Dysmorphic Disorder.

You are describing a disordered eating pattern and this is something you need to talk to your doctor about even if just to hear a professional opinion on top of CC. Furthermore - sweetie, you are SO young. You don't need to lose weight at all right now. Please, wait for growth. Doing what you are at your age can lead to stunts in your growth, the failure to see a period at all and osteoporosis even in your twenties.

Talk to your mum. Please. Tell her how you are feeling. You need help with this right away before it gets any worse. Ask her to take you to your family doctor. If you want some online support try http://www.something-fishy.org, and take a look through CC's Eating Disorders Health, Resources and Info Thread. But your most immediate concern is your health - and for that that means you need to talk to your doctor before you begin dieting again as your mentality should be your priority. However, while I realise you are scared I have to remind you Calorie Count's mission is to promote healthy and sustainable weight management and if you are not seeking to manage your weight healthily we cannot help you. Please, go talk to your mum and your doctor and increase your calories.

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I just wanted to thank everyone here. I realized that this was an unhealthy way to approach it, and I'd rather lose weight at a slow, steady pace then become sickly.

 My friend yesterday said she only had eaten a banana and an egg, and I realized how unhealthy that was. She has been exercising constantly, may I say over-exercising, and I now want to just be healthy and muscular. I ate a large breakfast until I was full, and I plan on doing the same, and exercising more often. I feel completely healthy and aware of myself. Thank you.

Original Post by sierrax:

I just wanted to thank everyone here. I realized that this was an unhealthy way to approach it, and I'd rather lose weight at a slow, steady pace then become sickly.

 Didn't you understand the whole message?  What everybody is saying is this:

You do not need to lose any weight at all.  You can expect to weigh more as you grow.  It's normal.

What you should be doing is not thinking about food at all.  Just go out and have fun because you'll never be 13 again and you'll never have a chance to do all the things 13 year olds can do.

It doesn't sound like you even have a goal weight. I think it would be better for you to just pick up a sport and make sure you're eating at least 2000 calories, maybe 2500+ depending on which sport.

Original Post by poofyball:

It doesn't sound like you even have a goal weight. I think it would be better for you to just pick up a sport and make sure you're eating at least 2000 calories, maybe 2500+ depending on which sport.

 She shouldn't have a "goal weight."  She needs to let herself grow normally like any kid.  Sports are a good idea for overall fitness and for fun.  Especially the fun part.