I feel soo....

I feel so huge. I am 5'8'' an 140 pounds. I hate my stomache and thighs. Anyone have any advice for me? I am here crying because I can't stand the way I look. I eat 1500 calories diligently and I exercise for two hours daily (running, elliptical, swimming, tennis, or dancing). I also strength train and do yoga. I am 16 years old by the way.

5'8 and 140lbs is in no way huge.  Since your only 16 and still growing you need to eat more that 1500 cals/day.  The MayoClinic recommends between 1800-2400 a day for girls 14-18 years old (it varies with height and activity. Also cut down on the excercise.  You need to add in some weight training and cut down on the cardio big time. Cut down the cardio to no more than 1 hr a day and try to weight traing 30-45 minutes 3x/week.  At that activity level you would probably still be burning close to 2400 cal/day.  So if you eat 1800 cals you will lose 1lb/wk. 

You are not huge, you probably just need to tone up your body a little.  I know how it feels to be completely disgusted with yourself.  I am in now way overweight but I still have my areas that bug me.  Whenever I mention that i workout or watch what I eat people think I'm crazy and say i do not need to lose weight.  I don't need to lose a lot (just about 10 lbs) but those 10lbs are enough to make me uncomfortable sometimes. 

You are not going to lose any weight on the routine you are on now, you are not eating nearly enough for your age and the excercise you are doing.  Eat a little more, excercise a little less and you will be much happier.

How will eating more help me lose weight??? I'm miserable!!!!!!!

Because your deficit is way to high.  If you maintain a deficit that is too high your body will store what you instead of burning it.  In addition to having to big of a deficit since you are not eating enough to begin with your body will not let you lose weight.  when you eat below your bmr (what you would burn in a coma) your body starts sending out a "storing" enzyme and drops your metabolism down to the level you are eating at.  Anytime you eat above this new level (even 100 cals) your body will store it regardless of how much you burn throughout the day.  Your body is preparing for you to drop your calories again.

Plus you are are still growing, if you undereat now you could be setting yourself up for problems later.

I know it sounds crazy eat more to lose more but it's true.  I'm 5'4.5 134lbs about 19% bf.  My bmr is about 1400.  A few years ago I was excercising everyday for 1hr+ and eating only 1200 cal/day.  In 3 months I actually gained 12 lbs!  As soon as I increased my cals to 1500/day (and at this time I was not excercising due to lack of time) I lost 10 lbs without even trying.

You also need to make sure you are getting the proper macro ratios.  Try eating about 20% fat, 30% protein and 50% carbs. 

How odd is it that where you are now is less than my ideal? 

Think about this... I was 5'8 and 172 pounds when I graduated High School ten years ago.  And I thought I was big then.  But now at 191 I think 172 looked pretty good.  My goal is 150 and you are ten lbs LIGHTER than that!  Maybe instead of worrying about losing the weight you should work on tightening things up.  

And yes... eating more than you are now will help you lose weight if you continue to exercise.     But your height and weight are very much in the healthy range for you!   

Go for a run or a walk and see if your mood changes.  Then look in the mirror and think about the BEST part of your body and only concentrate on that!!!    Don't worry about the rest of it!   If you can't love your body... no one can!

Your weight for your height sounds right on target.  Lizshuler has really smart advice for adding calories to your current intake.  Try it for a week and just see what happens. 

As far as your stomache, ab crunches on a big exercise ball and regular sit-ups are great. 

I used to have bigger looking thighs because I was running a lot on an elevated incline on the treadmill.  Once I switched to walking at a brisk pace on an even level, the thighs seemed to be less bulky.   Strength training on weight machines are great for toning the thighs.  It's better than cardio alone.  Ham string curl machines, the adductor/abductor leg machines and the leg press are my favorite leg machines.  Plus, the standard lunges and squats are great. 

 

Hi, i feel your pain, sometimes no matter what people say to us ( re: not fat) we still feel huge. you are not huge...omg not at all. 5, 8 and 140 is not huge at all.

i am 5,3 and 133 if that makes you feel better...than i am a whale...lol

keep your chim up and remember that there is more to you than just a number.

{{{{HUGS}}}}

Agreeing with everyone else that what you've got there is a beautiful womanly figure I wonder what else is going on (or not going on) in your life that is causing you to be so depressed?  Your appearance is almost certainly not it.  Have a think... have you got problems at school?  Bullied?  Jilted?  Stressed about coursework? Quite often if you're unhappy or you've got low self-esteem it's easy to pin the blame on something tangible like your body.

Eating too little can make feelings of depression worse.  Poor nutrition, lack of energy and low blood-sugars can lead to mood-swings.  So the advice you've had to eat more is actually spot on.  Especially if the food you choose is healthy and wholesome and providing you with a good range of vitamins.

Do talk to your parents about the way you feel.  I'm sure they'll reassure you that you're beautiful and valuable and will help you in every way they can. 

You're actually not fat at all. You probably just need to tighten up. I mean we're almost  the same weight and I'm 5'2. I don't really see how you consider yourself fat. Maybe you just don't have a flat tummy? Lots of thin girls don't have flat tummies. All you need to is a lot of cruches. Like 150 a day and  you'll see a difference is a couple of weeks.

You are NOT fat, overweight or ANYTHING! If anything, your weight is right on target! What is causing you to think you're overweight and fat, or be disgusted with yourself? I hate the images the media and society throw @ teenage girls making them think they need to have this certain body weight or look that IS NOT IDEAL!

You might also have the body frame, genetics, or whatever that won't let you get much below 140. Don't sweat it... I am sure you look great.

Stop reading so many magazines, you are giving yourself a case of body dysmorphic disorder. You are at a lovely slender weight for your height (BMI 21.3). There is NO WAY that you are "huge" or fat or any of that. There is fat on your body just like there is fat on every normal human's body - and that's not a problem, you need it to be healthy. A fit, strong woman is supposed to have 19-24% body fat.

You are not eating enough and you are overtraining yourself. Don't exercise for more than an hour each day (everything combined), and eat 2000 calories a day at least. It will help your mood (undereating can lead to depressive symptoms, that might be why you are so apt to cry these days) and it will help your health.

Seriously....YOU ARE NOT HUGE.  I'm also 5'8" and my *goal weight* is 148.    You're probably just the right size. 

Instead of controlling what you eat so tightly, why not do some exercise to address your problem spots?  Stomach and thigs can be really difficult.  One of the best things you can do for thighs is to ride horses.  Now, that's not for everyone, probably due to availability of a horse. 

Google on exercise to tone thighs and tummy.  There's bunches out there.  See if that doesn't address what you're seeing.