I think I need help

Hi,

I've tried talking to my friends about this and they didn't understand.

I'm 15 years old and since the past couple of months have been really conscious about my weight...it's irrational but I still am. I've been trying to eat less and I've been avoiding fattening foods such as fried things, I've stopped eating candy for the most part, I order healthier things at restaurants and try to get more exercise. I don't eat as much when I eat lunch at school and I don't eat a big breakfast.

I'm 5 feet, 5 inches tall and *about* 98 pounds. And yet I'm still trying to burn some fat off of my legs/stomach (there's not much but more than there used to be).

I think I need help.

Thanks for any you have.

I am no expert but it sounds like you need to gain weight. I'm 5'3 and 133 pounds. I am in the healthy weight range for my age and hight. You are still young and growing you need to fuel your body for its rapid changes. You shouldn't be depriving yourself although there is no harm in healthy choices.

Good luck and you should always talk to your parents, they can be pretty helpful in situations like this.

Hi Trumpetmarcher,

It sounds like you may be in the beginning stages of an eating disorder.  Please be careful;  you are too young to be restricting what you eat like that!  You are still developing, most likely, and you should be eating a well balanced diet, NOT a restrictive one.  It also sounds like you are quite underweight.  I agree with Penelo on this point.

If you continue to restrict what you eat, your body will go into "starvation mode".  Then, what will happen is your body will start to store everything as fat in order to protect itself.  You will eventually gain the weight back, and you will lose muscle.  You may even gain additional weight, that you didn't have before.

Please be careful and try to maintain a healthy weight.  I don't know your frame, but at 5'5'', I think that you should probably weigh over 125 pounds.  Take care of yourself!

If you don't like your legs and stomach exercise your legs and stomach don't cut your calories.  Your body needs that calories to be healthy and to keep muscle the way it is supposed to.

Be healthy

At 15 you are still growing and maturing, you need some extra calories.  If you feel that your image of yourself may be getting unhealthy, do something about it now!  Talk to a parent, a counselor, or a doc, and find out how to improve your outlook, and what sort of calorie allowance you should be eating everyday.

Like many others said, you are growing and you need to eat more.  From personal experience, I know what this can do to your body when you're growing.  As a teenager I suffered from an ED- my doctor still sites my inadequate nutrition at that time as the reason I am only 5'2 1/2" - based upon their predicitions I should have bee about 5'7".  Trust me, you need to eat! 

It is fine to avoid junk like fried food and candy, it is okay to eat healthy, but make sure you are eating enough when you eat healthy or you aren't doing your body any good.

I think you need help too.  You should talk to your parents or a doctor, or even a teacher or school nurse.  I'm sure someone you know will listen to your concerns.

I'm in the exact same situation as you. I'm 15, 5'5" and i also weigh 98. and as long as you don't eat too much fattening foods you should be fine. but you don't really need to cut calories.

Please be very careful. I don't think that at your stature you need to be losing much weight...if any at all. If you want to tone areas on your body it might be a good idea to talk to your parents about consulting a specialist about proper diet and exercise. I think it's good that you are watching what you eat and making healthy food choices but please consult a specialist to make sure what you THINK is healthy for your body really is good for you. Eating nothing but lettuce and fat free dressing is not good for in the long run. You need a balanced diet to keep your body healthy and looking good. Find an activity that you enjoy (swimming, skating etc) and use that activity to tone and strengthen your body.