How many calories is reasonable for me to reach my goal of about 105 pounds at 5'5"? (as a young teenage girl)

I'm 5'5"  and I weigh about 115 pounds.  I'm a young teenage girl and i'm looking to lose some of the fat that gathered on my belly from eating junk food and all-around I just want to lose about 5-10 pounds.  If I eat about 1100-1200 calories a day will i lose from 5-10, and if so how fast?? I exercise about everyday, usually about 30 minutes and 1 hour on a good day.  I go walking and jogging along with biking on more laid back days.  Any opinions or tips on what I should do?

So you're asking us how to get yourself to be underweight when you're already on the lower end of the healthy BMI chart, and still growing, on a diet that is either less or the minimum of what the basic adult needs to survive when doing nothing at all even though you plan to work out everyday?

Do you see how silly that sounds?

You'll lose weight, but it'll come back as soon as you quit this silly "diet," and it'll come back with twice as much force. You might actually get fat. :: gasp ::

If you want to lose the "fat" around your mid section, you have to tone yourself, not just starve like all the tabliods say. Start lifting. You don't need to lose any weight. YOU'RE FINE.

Dieting now can lead to obesity when you're older. Young teens who are constantly dieting ruin their metabolisms and will gain weight as they age. Eat healthy and at least 1500 calories a day to avoid this. If you exercise, eat even more.

http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/bodycomp/bmiz2.html

Use this website if you are really concerned about your calorie intake. I've already plugged in your numbers:

Your BMI is 19.2. The minimum your BMI should be to be considered healthy (not underweight) is 18.5.

Your percentile is 39.5. This means 60.5% of kids your height and age weigh MORE than you. 

Based on just what you do now (very active), you NEED (not optional, this is for basic bodily function) 2920 calories. For context, that is about one GALLON of Breyers triple chocolate ice cream.

You do not, I repeat IN CAPS for emphasis, you DO NOT need to lose any weight. I would expect you to grow a little more so there is absolutely no reason for you to consider weight loss. To do so would be DANGEROUS. If you want to lose "flab," start a weight training regimen or some abdominal exercises to build up that muscle. And don't be afraid of "bulking up" or gaining weight. If anything, muscle erases all the jiggly stuff you may be loathing. 

For celebrity context (these are are people who are 5'5):

Tara Reid and Courtney Cox weigh about 110 (as far as I could pick out), Mia Hamm weighs about 125, LeAnn Rimes weighs 115, and this person:

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k264/waynes terr/1156148448_JessicaBarton1.jpg

weighs 108 (edit: She is also your height, about 5'5, and a model). You fit right in with the tabloid world already. Please don't try to lose any weight.

If you want to look trimmer there's a really simple way to do it that doesn't involve either becoming underweight or slashing calories.  Choose better food....  You say yourself that you eat a lot of junk food.   Junk food, processed food and packaged food tends to contain a lot of salt,  sugar and additives which lead to fluid retention.  This can have the effect of making a very thin person (which you are) look a little 'wobbly' around the middle.

Better food =  fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, salads, whole eggs, lean meat, fish wholegrain foods, pasta, rice, dairy products, olive oils, pulses/legumes, plain water.  NB..  It doesn't mean low-calorie or low-fat food, or diet products and it doesn't mean starvation diets ... just simple, traditional food, cooked at home rather than served in a polystyrene tray & eaten regularly.  If you eat this way 80% of the time you can afford to eat 'fun foods' the other 20% of the time and - by being active - be in fantastic shape.   No calorie-counting required.

As you're a young teen have a word with whoever is responsible for the grocery shopping and cooking in your house and talk to them about a healthier diet.  This link aimed at healthier eating for teens is a really good resource.  If you have concerns about your body, if you feel self-conscious or lacking in confidence.... again.... talk to your parents about how you feel rather than thinking that being thinner would help.

So don't 'diet'... eat better rather than less and you'll look healthier, grow stronger and feel happier.

You need to eat more, you need to eat healthy, and you need to lift weights.

You don't need to lose weight, you are complaining about a lack of hard muscle mass. So - a person your age needs to eat a minimum of 1500 calories to sustain organ function. On top of that, you move around a lot (school and whatnot) and work out daily. That means you need closer to 2500-3000 calories a day to MAINTAIN your weight while maintaining your level of activity.

I saw a post of yours earlier in the day, saying that you eat about 1100-1200 calories a day. As you have been heavily restricting your intake, you'll need to gradually up your calories. Try eating 1500 for 2 days, then 1800 for another 2, then 2000 for 2 days, and then up again. It is likely you will gain a few pounds when you start increasing, because you need to repair your metabolism. Your body will get so excited at being allowed food, it will hang onto all of it. Once it realizes that you aren't going to starve it anymore, it will chillax and start making muscles and losing fat.

Maybe you can ask your parents to take you to a nutritionist? They can help you with a meal plan for muscle gain and weight maintenance. Good luck.

I'm sorry you feel like you need to lose weight because, really, you don't. You sound like you are at a perfect weight, though eating healthy is not a bad thing. And part of that is eating enough, and your not. My first reaction to your post was to get mad, yell at your for trying to lose more, but I know a few years ago (I'm 15 right now) I would not have known how much I was supposed to eat to be at a healthy weight either. So, the minnimum calories for a woman to survive on is 1,200, or your body goes into starvation mode(it sounds scary, and it is). And that's for a woman, but us kids need more, because we're still growing, even though we don't get much taller by this age, we're still growing in other ways. And that requires more calores! So stock up on healthy foods, fruits, veggies, grains and so on. (Visit mypyramid.gov to find out what nutrition your body needs) If you make an effort to cut out those unhealthy, fatty foods, then you shouldn't even have to worry about getting too many calories, just about getting enough!

I hope we can help you change your veiw on food, and healthy weights, we all want you to be able to find something that will make you happy and healthy for a very long time

Good luck!

thank you so much for not yelling at me like everyone else did:P HAHA yeah well anyways I know that I do have confidence and body image issues that I'm trying to work through... Its just really difficult.  I decided to try to up my calorie intake to about 1500-1600 a day, does that sound reasonable to you?

You are the perfect weight.  Your question on 1500-1600 calories is good.  Don't starve yourself.  Just eat healthy and most importantly don't let your blood sugar level drop.  To do this eat three meals a day with proper spacing and snack on raw veggies/fruits.  You exercise too so if you keep up this regiment for the rest of your life you will always look good and young for your age. 

thank you:)

I'm not so far removed from teenager-hood that I've forgotton my own body and self-esteem issues.  I'm not going to yell at you either, in fact I'm not going to say anything about your diet.  I am going to say that since you're having such a hard time dealing with your body issues, and you admit that your confidence is suffering as well, you should talk to your parents about the problems your having and the issues your struggling with.  If you don't feel comfortable talking to one of your parents, you can always just tell them that you've been having some problems and ask them to make you an appointment with a therapist, and maybe with a nutritionist as well.

I remember that when I was a teenager, you could not have PAID me to approach my parents with something like this, but ask yourself, is it REALLY harder to ask someone for help than to try and fight it all by yourself?

if you are looking for advice as to how to be hospitalised for anorexia, go to a different site. No one here is going to advise you on how to starve yourself down to a clinically low weight.

It is VITAL that you realise that Body Image NEVER = confidence or happiness. Trust me, I did the exact same thing you are attempting to do. It doesnt work, and you'll pay for it with the repurcussions for a very long time. Talk to your parents about feeling down and low confidence, and try to do hobbies and spend your time doing things that Interest you and make you feel happy. What youre attempting to do will at best make you miserable, extremely unhealthy, take away your rationality and any ability to interact with people, make you lose muscle, slow your metabolism.....and at worst kill you.

Original Post by tadina13:

thank you so much for not yelling at me like everyone else did:P HAHA yeah well anyways I know that I do have confidence and body image issues that I'm trying to work through... Its just really difficult.  I decided to try to up my calorie intake to about 1500-1600 a day, does that sound reasonable to you?

It's not reasonable, no.   1500-1600 is the bare minimum for a totally sedentary teenage body to scrape by on and you'd be putting yourself in the path of sickness, stunted growth, possible loss of periods and problems around malnutrition.

You should be aiming for 2000 - 2500 cals a day but, ideally, not counting calories at all.  Simply eating regularly, eating well and enjoying being a normal teenager.  If you do have problems with self-esteem and confidence seek help from the people closest to you rather than punishing yourself further with a starvation diet.  

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I am 5'6 and when I was a teen and weighed 110 pounds teachers and friend sthought I was anorexic (I WAS NOT, BUT THATS HOW I APPEARED). Do you want to look like you have a disease like Anorexia? I think you are being too hard on your appearance. The truth is, boys/guys/men do not find skin-skinny women attractive. So, keep that in mind. If you're trying to be "hot," 105 pounds is NOT the answer. If you're trying to compete with your girlfriend over who is skinniest, well, that's just dumb, but yong girls do it. Please be careful...enjoy being able to eat whatever you want while you are still young!! trust me, when ur 30, you'll kick yourself for caring about a centimeter of chub on ur flat stomach.

I have always remained between 115 and 125, myself. I think your fine just how you are!!

Hey I'm a young teen also, 5'4 1/4. i'm 129 but I have a lto of muscle, all women in ym fmaily do plus I'v ebeen toning up so I say I look 10 pounds lighter. I want to be around 110 also. Try Jillian michaels 30-day shred, it tones you up and is only like 25 mins. Maybe we can work together ? share successes? I wish i was your weight...=[

yea that sounds like a good idea:) i really feel like i need some support sometimes:) is the 30 day shred a DVD, because if it is i'm willing to go buy it... lol I have a friend who used her programs before and she said that she found success.

I would see if your parents will let you see a nutritionist.  Tell him or her how you are feeling and see what is suggested.  My parents offered this to me so many times before my ED was out of hand and I just wish I had taken them up on it....I just wanted to weigh 100 pounds at 5'4"...I didn't see the big deal...

 Then I had developed anorexia at 17 and it destroyed- no it eradicated nearly everything worthwhile I had in my life.  I spent my entire senior year of high school in and out of treatment, lost all of my friends, my brother and sister came to hate me,  I spent nearly all of my college money on treatment, had to take my GED instead of graduating HS, and I never finished college as a result of just wanting to see how thin I could get.  I had a 3.7 GPA and a very good SAT score...but I didn't even care anymore.  I got hooked on Adderall, now I can't drink alcohol even socially.  I became borderline obese as a result of screwing my system up, and it took 3 years to get my metabolism back.

  Yes I had a happy ending, everything is wonderful nearly 10 years later.  It was not a great time in my life however.

  I am not trying to say you have an eating disorder, I just wanted to let you know what can happen to some girls who diet unnecessarily.  So many people don't realize you don't just mess up your body and mind...you destroy your life.

Tadina13

i use the video on youtube9 go to: Jillian michael's 30-day shred Level 1 PArt 1). she has three levels, the first for 10 days, the 2nd for 10 dyas, the 3rd for 10 days=the 30-day shre.d My parents would never approve so i do it in early morning on youtube when no one knows. Aiming to be 110!

that sounds good... I found the vid on youtube and I tried it this morning.  so, for the next 10 days I will do level 1 part 1 that is about 7 min long right? lol I think i'll accompany that with about 30 min of running everyday and a 1500 calorie diet, does that sound about reasonable to you?

NO, Tadina. Eating 1500 calories while you are working out does NOT sound reasonable. Everyone has told you that 1500 is the minimum intake for a sedentary (not moving at all) teen girl who is around five feet tall. You are very active, and 5'5".

What does cc say you burn in a day? I'm guessing around 2,000 calories (at a minimum.) So you need to eat at least that.

I understand that you think you want to lose weight. What you need to understand is that if you build muscle, you will get the lean look you desire, but will not weigh any less. The reason weight loss should not be your aim is that you are already at the very low end of the BMI range for your height. If you lose any more weight, your health - and looks, if that matters - will suffer. No period, hair loss, nails breaking, bad skin... do these things sound attractive to you?

Please, please talk to your parents about your weight-loss plan. I'm glad you are motivated to exercise, but 13 is really too young to be cutting calories. You are still growing and doing so will harm your health for the rest of your life.

these are the weights for women based on your height

5'5"

117-130 small frame

127-141 medium frame

137-155 large frame.  these amounts came from the "health check website" you are at your perfect weight. for your height and what you weigh now. you do not need to loose weight if you really want to get technical you should gain 2 pounds to be at the lowest weight for your height but considering that this scale is for some one who is 25 you are probably ok with weighing 115. maintain what you have right now, even if you gain a pound or two.