I feel really fat!!!!

I just gained weight in like 3 weeks. I am now 5'4" and 130 pounds. My bmi is normal but why am I SO fat?? I have huge thighs, really flabby arms, a big butt, and a tummy that sticks out. How can I lose all of this? I'm tired of seeing skinnier people walk by me, it feels like they are much happier than me because they don't need to worry about themselves. I feel like crying when I just think I could lose weight and be like people who are skinny, but it feels like it would take forever, and for even starting to think about that, I actually need to be able to stick to eating 500 calories less a day, which is too hard for me. I feel like I just want to hide from everything when I think about how fat I am when I'm around people, thats why im never happy about myself. I really hate how fat I am, I feel horrible when I look at my thighs when I wear jeans. I don't wear skinny jeans anymore, but my thighs are just as worse in jeans that are best for bigger thighs. I feel like there is nothing I can do but just be depressed about my weight. I really want to lose 15-20 pounds but I cant. It never works because I am always hungry even though I have try like 15 ways to stop hunger and NONE of them worked, that's why i gained weight. I even eat 5 smaller meals a day which is SUPPOSED to not keep you hungry. I really need to lose weight because I am sick and tired of looking at my self in the mirror and wishing I was skinny like all the girls my age. I'm tired of feeling fat even though I exercise a lot, and eat only healthy food.

i know the feeling, every time i see some itty bitty girl walk by me i wana slice the fat off my leg manually. it doesnt help that there's an abundance of tiny tan girls walking around everywhere, carefree about what they eat.

coco, you need to stop thinking you are fat. you sound just like my bestfriend. she is same height, same weight. she always complains about being fat. but i honestly think she looks really slim! i woulda guessed she weighs maybe 115 or so. and its not like shes muscular, so ya. if u keep thinking ur fat, it could lead to an ED, which, trust me, u do NOT wanna go down that lane. be happy about ur body and if u rly wanna lose a couple pounds (dont lose more than 5!) go for 3 runs a week and instead of having chips as a snack, have an apple. same with u darky. im sure you are both extremely pretty girls

You don't have that much to lose. I'm 5'4'' too and currently 141 pounds and I'd love to be 130 pounds. You don't have much to lose (my goal is 125 pounds, and I couldn't imagine myself any much skinnier). Same with you. I couldn't imagine you much skinnier. I agree with kuhristenn, 5 pounds is all you can afford to lose, and you're already on your way to losing it. If you see skinnier girls than you, they're probably not even healthy. Don't stress about it. Just keep on healthily for the time being and being active and by the end of the summer (and only at the end), weigh yourself. You'll probably be surprised you lost the 5 pounds and think that you didn't do anything to lose it. I promise you you're not fat!

Also, in addition to what the 2 posters above me suggested, if you really do feel "flabby" in some areas, why not try out toning up a bit? There's a bunch of stuff around the forums about people wanting to tone up flab on thier healthy-weight bodies.  Look around fitness or just search the forums for toning.  Even then, don't lose too much more, keep eatin right, excersize, and don't worry about those other girls :)

I think even if you toned up and ate healthy, whole foods you'd still be depressed.

Why?

Putting self-worth on a number/looks. There are PLENTY of larger people who are extremely content with themselves, and enjoying life. You don't have to be a size 2 or a size 20 to be happy with the way you look, you can be who are you are today and still have a great self-esteem and level of happiness. Depression makes it harder to lose weight and tends to make you feel hungrier.. Maybe if you looked up some books at your local library about self-esteem, they will greatly aid you.

Defiantly check and see if you're eating enough food for your height and age. Keep in mind, a deficit that is too big = No bueno. If you don't feel hungry with a 300-400 calorie deficit in comparison to a 900-1000 calorie deficit, stick with the 300-400. Trying to lose some extra weight does not mean you should feel hungry all the time, and your body might be hanging onto the extra flab because it thinks you're starving yourself. Also make sure you use the children's BMI chart to measure how many calories you should take in on a daily basis, not CC's tools.

Keep in mind though, if you do some strength training, you'll look a LOT less flabby and you'll shrink and looked toned... BUT most of the time, when you do strength training you'll gain weight. Muscle, but weight gain. It's not bad. If you want to measure your progress, eff the scale, stick with the measuring tape.

Diets don't work. Why? Because they're not your own eating habits. Balance your food intake out in a way YOU prefer doing so. As long as you're getting enough nutrients, fat, protein, and carbs in on a daily basis, you'll be happier and your body will thank you. If you make a choice to eat cleaner and healthier on your own terms, you'll lose weight naturally. Dieting doesn't help unless you stick to that diet, otherwise it'll just make you fatter because a lot of the time you'll lose that ability to listen to your body because you have to ignore your hunger signals in order to "stay on track."

If you're hungry: eat. If you're not: toss the food, or save it for later. That's what most leaner people do.

Also: Buy better clothes. FFS, if it doesn't make you feel good, stop wearing it. There are clothes out there that are comfortable and look good on you if you look for them. Buuuut, if you're convinced you look like a cow, alas, there is nothing I can do. You can get as skinny as you want, but as long as you're convinced that you're not happy unless you're 110-100 pounds, then I can't help you, can I? What's better, really? Being skinny, or being happy? You can be both eventually, but why spend much longer being miserable on your way to losing weight? Body acceptance is extremely important, so I advise you to atleast look for a book or two.. please?

Here's some suggested books:

Body Image: Self-Acceptance vs. Imperfection

No Body's Perfect: Stories by Teens about Body Image, Self-Acceptance, and the Search for Identity

Women and Self-Esteem: Understanding and Improving the Way We Think and Feel About Ourselves

Self-esteem comes in all sizes

I really, really hope you consider checking these books out at the library. Good luck, young skywa-- err.. Good luck with your journey. :)

i totally understand where you're coming from. i'm 5'2 and last year at 118 i felt enormous. im back to about 110, and i still feel large alot of the time. do you find that other girls who weigh the same or even more than you look fine, even though you are not pleased with yourself at this weight? seriously there are girls who weigh more than me, and my mom will ask if i think they are fat and i say no, and she says well they're bigger than you so how can you still think you are fat? i have no idea. i'm sure its just a mental thing we need to overcome, but its very hard. i'm also pretty sure you don't look fat either, and you probably dont'need to lose 15-20 lbs. one of my good friends is 5'4 and around 110, and she looks sickly sometimes. my parents think i have a self esteem problem. maybe i will try one of those books bucketwithapurpose suggested. i'm not depressed though, im a pretty happy person, other than that im not totally thrilled with my body. if you figure it out, let me know, but you aren't the only one!

also most of the itty bitty girls do watch what they eat i am seeing. they just don't make a big fuss about it.

rikaj.....how did u lose the weight?? thats almost exactly what I am right now and i wanna be back to 110