scared for the under 18s on this site

OK so I have become incresingly concerned about the number of young poeple on this site. Without generalising, some also seem way too obsessed and worried about their weight. I even found a 13 year old on here.

Is anyone else worried about this?

xxx

I didn't realised that there are people as young as 13 on here. That is definitely two young to be worrying about what your eating!

I'm 21 and I've only just started to keep an eye on what I eat, before 21 I didn't give it a second thought. Neither did any of my friends and I think thats perfectly normal.

i think girls are more concerned with their weight from an earlier age. i know i was and all the girls around me. being thin is portrayed by the media as being pretty/beautiful/popular/successful etc and girls tend to equate those things with weight loss.

i am recovering from an ED and it bothers me to see such young girls here...i wish i could help...tell them how important it is NOT to follow this path. still...as i was at their age...they are strong willed and make their own choices. they will make their own mistakes.

BUT also consider the positive support of the forum (when it wants...) as hopefully some of those lost girl will gain a better understanding of how their body works and nutrition-and maybe we can all be a positive force here

Unfornatley I was one of those girls who got sucked in by the media. I recovered and I'm gaining back to a healthy weight. I don't count. I'm not worried about being skinny and looking like an anorexic ...HEALTHY IS THE WAY TO GO!

I'm 14 and when I see people younger than me it's really sad. Now that I changed and saved myself and my health I really want to help other sucked into the media crap.

I feel concerned when young people on this site are looking to lose weight when they really don't need to. They're just gonna get unhealthy. :/

I know I'm pretty young, but I really do need to lose some weight. xD But I'm not pulling any drastic changes - just doing it nice and healthy. =)

It's a shame that in the world we live in, young people are pressured into looking skinny. :/

yes, i have also been quite concerned about how young some of the people on this site are. maybe 17 and up or something isn't troubleing to me but most of the growth spurts i have seen occure have been 17 and under. i was only 19 and 10 months old when i started here though but i had been out of highschool for two years and i knew i was doing this for the right reasons.

i don't agree with the younger girls on here trying to lose so much weight BUT in their defense, girls' bodies stop growing at a much earlier age than boys, so i would be much more worried if we had a bunch of 13-14 year old  boys because some of them are still gaining inches up until 18, where girls usually hit puberty at 13-14, for me it was 12! (lame) haha

but seriously, a 13 year old girl who weighs 102 has NOOO reason to be on here looking for ways to count calories, she needs to worry about her friends and home work and she will  burn off everything she eats if she doesnt sit at home on the damn computer trying to figure out how to burn them in the first place.

I  may be one of the people that you guys are talking abuot im not as young as 13 but I am 17. The reason I joind this site today was because im starting college in August. And Ive never really been happy about my weight.

To me its just a lot of pressure that builds up. And right now i finally feel as thought I have the confidence to loose some weight

I feel sorry for young teenagers who have weight problems.  As you get older, weight becomes more and more of an issue the older you get.  If you  have a weight problem in your teens doesn't that mean that the issue is just gonna get worse?

I mean, when I was 13 I was so thin I was damn near transparent, now I am 30 and a whopping 40lbs over weight. 

Am I concerned that they are worried about their weight? of course, at 13 they are still in puberty and developing, any weight loss advice needs to come straight from a doctor as they're bodies are different than a fully developed adult for whom this site is targeted. 

However, if they are concerned, a lack of information isn't going to help things.  I'd rather them read these articles and talk to these people than the articles in Glamor magazine (or others) and talk to their diet obsessed friends. 

This site is the best I've found for those promoting a healthy diet and exercise to achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle.  If they come away from this site with that message, I'm happy.

I started counting calories around age 12 (I was 5'3" and weighed 65 lbs).  It's definitely not a good thing, but I never got an ED though, unless you consider overeating and becoming fat after age 19.

I think its too young to be worrying I too started worrying about my weight at that age but I wasnt even overweight mabey a few pounds slightly but nothing seriouse I have medical records due to my thyroid condition that show that at 13 I was 137lb and 5'1 tall.

One day my world was shook when I went to dr and he said I needed to lose weigth it was the first time I ever even thought about it I though i looked fine and from that day one I knew I was worthless until I was thin.

I starved myself but it never got out of control however thats how i got into a starve binge routine which effected me all my life now these days i know it was just because my body was changing been told you need to lose weight by anyone at that age is awful especially as you are going through so many other changes too developing lumps and bumps in places you didn't even realize you had.

I would defianttly pin point that day so unless anyone this young is in the overweight category and needs to loose wight to improve there health I don't think its a good idea I don't think many people realize what they are getting into as the whole size 0 thing has such a powerful lure.

Original Post by mandeepb:

I'm 21 and I've only just started to keep an eye on what I eat, before 21 I didn't give it a second thought. Neither did any of my friends and I think thats perfectly normal.

Perfectly normal when you grow up thin. =/

I agree with OP. I was in the mall a while ago and heard a 10yr old say she was too fat to wear a bracelet...she was a stick by the way. :/

I'm 15 and the reason I am here is I am thinking about being a nutrisionist or something so hearing the concerns of people wanting to lose weight is very helpful :)

Anyway..screw the media I'll be watever the hell size I want to be! Ha! I weight lift in your face! :p

Original Post by fuzzys:

I started counting calories around age 12 (I was 5'3" and weighed 65 lbs). It's definitely not a good thing, but I never got an ED though, unless you consider overeating and becoming fat after age 19.

How the heck do you get to a near death weight of 65lbs and not have an ED?

I would only be scared if they were trying to lose weight in an unhealthy fashion. However, alot of younger people, including me, just want to maitain our healthy weight. I just needed help eating healthy and knowing what choices to make when deciding what foods i should have This site does contain an abundance of information that is very useful.

Original Post by vicereine:

How the heck do you get to a near death weight of 65lbs and not have an ED?

I don't think when you're 12 that counts as a "near death weight". When I was 12 I was 4'6" tall and 52lbs and I never even thought about weight, I just didn't eat much. You're still a kid then, BMI calculators don't work the same when you're young.

I think the rise in young people being so worried about their weight has an awful lot to do with the increased prevalence of childhood obesity. At least I hope it is. If you're 150lbs at 13, it's likely that you're going to be heavier than that at 23, unless you start thinking about it then.

Have you seen someone who is 5'3" and 65 lbs? My sister was 5'2" and they threw her @ss in the hospital for a month when she got down to 75lbs. She could not have looked more scary.

    I'm 14, but I have a legitimate reason to be concerned about my weight, and perhaps other kids around my age as well. It's a good idea to start soon, to engrave healthy habits into the mind. This is something that can change your life, health, outlook for the better... why not start at an impressionable age?

How old was she spiro?

Original Post by sharkythesmurf:

    I'm 14, but I have a legitimate reason to be concerned about my weight, and perhaps other kids around my age as well. It's a good idea to start soon, to engrave healthy habits into the mind. This is something that can change your life, health, outlook for the better... why not start at an impressionable age?

 Eating healthy is a good idea at your age, but obsessing about calories isn't. Cutting out junk food and playing outside..getting away from the tv is all you need...I think it's just too easy to go in the direction of letting it "take over" when you are in fact so young and impressionable. At your age...I ate whatever I wanted. I also played baseball and football and rode my bicycle for miles with my brothers on a farm. I did not have to even think about weight until I was a bit older and much less active.

Perhaps joining a sports team or playing tennis or something fun could take the place of charting every morsel of food you eat. And just cut out junk food. I just feel if you are here you are over-thinking it for your age.