Can Any Teen Help Me?PLEASE!

Hi. I'm 13-14 in a couple weeks- years old, aobut 5'5 and about 130 pounds. My stomach is huge and I'm always sucking it in and doing different types of situps and core exercise videos along with cardio exercise for about an hour almost everyday. I used to eat 1300 calories and every morning my stomach would look small. Now I'm eating 1500 calories or a little less and my stomach always looks round and situps won't do anything and no matter what I do I can't seem to slim down .I  haven't checked my weight- I'm too scared and don't want to be hit witha  wave of depression during exams.

What do you eat? how much do you exercise?

Shouldn't I be able to lose weight on about 1500? IS my metabolism screwed form eating 1300 for so long or should I begin eating 1300 again. Does sodium have anything to do with my bulging stomach? My breakfast, lunch and snacks are not high in sodium-cheerios or oatmeal for breakfast, cheerios or PB&J for lunch with an apple and pudding, and some fruit for a snack. My dinners could be anything from fish with brocooli to penne and vodka sauce. MY parents make it and they ar einsulted if I don't eat and assume I'm starving myself. So those cna be high in sodium. then I have an 100-calorie pack with milk or a Skinny Cow dessert no higher than 200 calories for dessert. My dinners usually have at elast 350 calories so they are definetely my biggest meals.

Also, I do exercise videos for 30 minutes and the treadmill for 30 mins(15 walking 15 running). But lately I have been doing an hour or exercise videos because I'm sick of the treadmill. Would this do something to my weight loss?

Should I cut sodium?(I heard that's how you can get a flat stomach?)

Should I cut calories?

Should I change exercise? I don't know how I could though. all I have is a treadmill and I take walks and I do all different exercise videos. I get really guilt if I don't run on the treamdill b/c I already take sundays off form the treadmill but sometimes I just can't handle doing it 6 days a week.

Any advice of your would help. Any and all. Pleas,e only respond if you want to be helpful, not for telling me what I'm doing wrong.I've received a lot of that on this site and it has truly dissapointed me. Notice I'm placing this in the "Young Calorie Counters" Section for a reason.

Any success stories, tips, jsut what you do in general>? How much exercise you do , how many calories you eat, ho0w much wieght you've lost, what exercise you do, what you eat. Any suggestions for my many issues? Especially related to the treadmill?

PLEASE PLEASe help me. I'm so sad and depressed. If you could just take the time to write a small respone, it would brighten my whole day.

Hey Hun,

From first hand experience, you sound like you are facing ED.  But don't worry, 'cause all it does is lie to you.  Yup, lie.  I restricted way below 1300, and when I upped my calories I finally began to lose weight again.  If you feel like your stomach looks fat just by eating 200 more, it's because its the ed speaking and making your thoughts disordered.  It's all in the mind.  I restricted way below 1300, lets say 800, and when I finally started eating 1500 I began to lose again.  Your growing and your body needs the calories.  Do not worry, you will not gain weight!

It really doesn't matter what you eat, as long as you eating below your burn.  The minimum is 1500 so eat that.  And all you really need is 30 minutes of exercise a day.  Walking is great!  AND YOU WILL LOSE WEIGHT EATING 1500 CALORIES.

Like I said it doesn't really matter what you eat.  Just try to eat more fruits and whole grains and lean meat (eggs, chicken, fish), veggies (even tomato sauce counts), yogurt, milk (1%).  You can eat ice cream now and then as long as its within 1500 calories.  AND BELIEVE ME YOU WILL LOSE WEIGHT!

Plus, you don't really need to lose weight 'cause your already at a perfect weight!  Just keep active, and eat!  If you don't eat you'll go into starvation, mess up your thyroids and become malnutreated.  So eat. :)

hello hun like ladydelish4eva said you sound like you are having an ED mindset. if you continue to feel this way, please seek help. no matter what you do, if you have an ED, you will never be happy with your weight. you will keep having lower goals until you die from malnutrition, and it's a very serious thing, and not shameful. it's an illness, like the flu - it chooses you - so don't be afraid to ask for help.

with that big long speech out of the way... i plugged in your stats here. i used 14, not 13, which lowers the limits by about 30 calories. anyway, you are moderatively active, and the website says you would need 2500 calories to maintain your weight. yes that's right 2500! which puts you at an 1000 calorie deficit... no one under 200 lbs should have an 1000 calorie deficit. i would bump up to 2000 calories and see if you lose on that (i guarantee you will not gain on it!) or if you don't feel comfortable with eating that much yet, 1800. do NOT go back down to 1300, it's not enough to grow and have your brain form properly.

trust me on this one, i used to eat 600 at first... then 1300 daily (i was grossly misinformed not anorexic) when i learned that 1500 is the BARE MINIMUM anyone needs (and anyone who exercises needs more) and i bumped my calories up. i saw a 2 lb weight loss that week, very quickly, very randomly, over a couple of days. it's because my body was no longer holding on to every little calorie. your metabolism is NEVER fully screwed and you can always reverse it by eating high calorie.

best wishes, and if you ever need someone to talk to, i'm here :) and remember, love yourself, because in the end, that's the only person you have to deal with.

xoxo

You have already posted several questions regarding this same issue. Your posts will be locked or deleted if they continue to exhibit such unhealthy tendencies/mindset. You are young and need to nourish your body. If you do not intend to accept the information that is given to you please refrain from posting, as it is very discouraging to the other members of the community.

Calorie Count Plus's mission is to promote healthy and sustainable weight management.

Thanks everyone!

but ladydelish and selenaxoxo- how cna I have an eating disordeR? I'm eating 1500 calories!!! and everytime after I eat it feels like I've gianed 20 pounds and my stomach looks huge, so how is it possible? Aren't people with ED's eating like 1000 calories less than me and actually losing weight?

1500 is the BARE MINIMUM for people who don't get out of bed. since you exercise for an hour, i'd guess you burn 400 calories extra (i burn 200 when i run for half an hour so this is just a guess) so it's really like you're eating 1100. 1500 is barely enough for you to survive, to be honest. and eating disorders have even more to do with than how many calories you intake. you seem like you might have an ED state of mind... you can have an ED mentality and be eating any amount of calories. and no, girls with EDs can be GAINING weight (when you eat less than your body needs to survive, it goes in to starvation and may make you GAIN weight) or not losing at all for the above reason.

trust me on this one, baby, i have a friend who's all OHH I ATE 1200 CALORIES I FEEL LIKE A PIG I CAN'T EAT ANYMORE :( even when i tell her the consequences of starvation mode, to eat more, etc. we're both trying to lose weight.  she's gained 2 lbs eating that little, i've lost 7 lbs on 1700. we both started on the same day.

you will see the above information repeated on many many posts here. most of it is not my own words, but words of people more experienced than me. however, i would like to be a nutritionist or dietician when i graduate so i like to think i know a little something, haha :)

much love! ♥

You're really nice and explain things really well and in a nice way-unlike many people here who jsut yell at me for my thoughts.

I will eat 1500 and tr ynot to fell guilty. I will try to want to eat healthy, not just less but I'm having trouble going over 1500 so I'm going to stay ther enow.

I kind of wish my mom would notice that I have ED thoughts( is it just thoughts or a real ED) so I could go talk to someone. but she won't and we don't have the money right now.

I think you'll be a great nutritionist or therapist-type person!

Thanks you♥♥♥

Original Post by crazyperson01:

You're really nice and explain things really well and in a nice way-unlike many people here who jsut yell at me for my thoughts.

I will eat 1500 and tr ynot to fell guilty. I will try to want to eat healthy, not just less but I'm having trouble going over 1500 so I'm going to stay ther enow.

I kind of wish my mom would notice that I have ED thoughts( is it just thoughts or a real ED) so I could go talk to someone. but she won't and we don't have the money right now.

I think you'll be a great nutritionist or therapist-type person!

Thanks you♥♥♥

well thank you, i do try! people are much more likely to listen to you when you explain things nicely, but i understand why some others get slightly annoyed with these kind of posts as some girls come on and specifically think of this as a "pro-ana" site.

you can stay there for now, but the longer you stay there, there will be no change as your stomach won't expand. if you're uncomfortable with quickly going up in calories, you can try upping 100 calories every week until you get to at least 1800. i don't recommend posting about eating less than 1500 again, as promoting starvation diets can be extremely triggering to recovering anorexics.

if your mom and you are on good terms and she is the kind of person who would sit and talk with you, you can come up and ask if you guys can talk because you've been feeling down. you can explain all the things you've been feeling, and talk it out. i guarantee talking to SOMEONE about it will make you feel better.

right now, i think you are getting closer to having an ED. it's hard to know completely, because i don't know everything about you. you can check out this questionnaire here and see how many of them you check off. but right now, i do not think your thoughts are good at all and no girl should feel sad, depressed or desperate to lose weight. remember, what's on the outside doesn't define who you are on the inside. weight loss should be casual and not the focus of your life, remember to have fun. this is the best time of your life! :) enjoy it.

and thank you very much :)

Sweetie, It could be hormonal weight gain. 13-14 yrs old is when your body is sorting out estrogen and progesterone, and no matter how much you eat, a hormonal imbalance can make you gain weight or lose weight. Eating less calories won't help you and in fact, it would probably put your body in panic because you are eating so little. Believe me -- when I was 13 I was your weight and I'm only a little taller than you are. I'm 21 now and the weight has fallen off dramatically over the years just by eating healthy and exercising. Don't deprive your body of nutrients.

BTW, avoid those 100 calorie packs. They're packed with aspartame and fake sugars that will only want to make you crave more sugar! Eat healthy -- try to eat foods that are MORE natural.

really? i eat 100 calorie packs all the time and i never crave sugar...? actually most of the time i don't want any sugar at all? is it all 100 calorie packs or just some? hehe sorry to overload with questions!

i think it goes for all 100 calorie packs. my motto is just make sure your body feels full -- and instead of filling it with 'treats' that are just 100 calories, i would rather eat something more filling and more nutritious because im more likely to be satisfied with that. Plus, the fact that its "only 100 calories" sometimes makes people think its okay to gorge on them because they're just that. Think of it this way, whats more nutritious? A salad (2 cups) with 1 tbsp of CREAM dressing (not even vinaigrette (around 170 cals) versus a 100 calorie pack chips a hoy... see what I mean? :D

oh, yeah, i definitely see what you're saying! sorry for derailing your thread crazyperson01 :)

Coming from someone going through the final stages of recovery from an ED, do NOT eat 1300 or even 1500 calories! Seriously, 1800 is the minimum and the weird thing is that you can maintain just as well on that as you can 1300 or 1500! You will probably gain weight at first, but it will come off because that's just food and water weight, and your metabolism will kick in (promise!) I messed up my metabolism soo badly, but thankfully the damage isn't permanent. You'll be happier and have more freedom. 

You should also know that you're current weight is awesome. :) Maybe you have a "big" stomach and maybe you don't. Cutting down on sodium will help a lot. That means not a lot of processed foods, salt-free seasonings instead of added salt, etc. It helps my self-esteem a ton as I'm trying to gain weight. Also drink a lot of water to avoid bloating. 

Walking/running won't help as much as you think it will. Try lifting light weights, keep with the sit-ups, try squats maybe and other things to tone your muscles. You don't need to lose weight at all, but by building muscle you'll look thinner at the same weight. Also you can eat more because muscle burns more calories than fat. Make sure you get enough complete protein to build muscle. 

Changing your food will also help. (Never restrict things from yourself but if 100-calorie packs and such is an everyday thing, you could probably do better than that.) Fat actually makes your skin glow and your hair shine. You need a balance of fats, carbs, and protein in each meal. A better breakfast might be a cup of 2% cottage cheese with fresh fruit and either a piece of whole wheat toast or dry cereal with the yogurt, or one whole egg with a piece of toast, fruit and a cup of 1% or 2% milk. A good snack might be celery and peanut butter, carrots and hummus, or yogurt (live cultures and less added sugar is more important than fat free). Eating good food will also help your depression. :)

Original Post by selenaxoxo:

oh, yeah, i definitely see what you're saying! sorry for derailing your thread crazyperson01 :)

Hey, no problem. I got a low of useful information!

Mabnill: Yeah. I only have a treat for dessert. Ranging from 100-200 calories every night. and I usually have 60-calorie sugar-free puddings for lunch along with an apple and cereal. I've been thinking I should change those puddings to vegetables. Are the puddings unhealthy?

Original Post by blueberry_lips:

Coming from someone going through the final stages of recovery from an ED, do NOT eat 1300 or even 1500 calories! Seriously, 1800 is the minimum and the weird thing is that you can maintain just as well on that as you can 1300 or 1500! You will probably gain weight at first, but it will come off because that's just food and water weight, and your metabolism will kick in (promise!) I messed up my metabolism soo badly, but thankfully the damage isn't permanent. You'll be happier and have more freedom. 

You should also know that you're current weight is awesome. :) Maybe you have a "big" stomach and maybe you don't. Cutting down on sodium will help a lot. That means not a lot of processed foods, salt-free seasonings instead of added salt, etc. It helps my self-esteem a ton as I'm trying to gain weight. Also drink a lot of water to avoid bloating. 

Walking/running won't help as much as you think it will. Try lifting light weights, keep with the sit-ups, try squats maybe and other things to tone your muscles. You don't need to lose weight at all, but by building muscle you'll look thinner at the same weight. Also you can eat more because muscle burns more calories than fat. Make sure you get enough complete protein to build muscle. 

Changing your food will also help. (Never restrict things from yourself but if 100-calorie packs and such is an everyday thing, you could probably do better than that.) Fat actually makes your skin glow and your hair shine. You need a balance of fats, carbs, and protein in each meal. A better breakfast might be a cup of 2% cottage cheese with fresh fruit and either a piece of whole wheat toast or dry cereal with the yogurt, or one whole egg with a piece of toast, fruit and a cup of 1% or 2% milk. A good snack might be celery and peanut butter, carrots and hummus, or yogurt (live cultures and less added sugar is more important than fat free). Eating good food will also help your depression. :)

Thanks:) But I'm still really nervous to go up to 1800 calories. I love your breakfast ideas and I think I'll try the fruit and cottage chees eone tomorrow...well, I don't have cottage cheese. Is ricotta cheese okay?

And I was thinking of taking those 60-calorie jell-o puddings out from my lunch( i eat an apple and cereal with it also) and trading it for veggies. It will be really hard because I looove chocolate but I don't eat any veggies unless I have them at dinner which is not usual. Plus my Dad brings home bread a lot(not the healthy kind-french and italian breads) and I'm thinking if I have veggies instead of the pudding it might even out my nutrients. I'm trying to cut out sodium-bread ruins me though! I'm staRTING WITH limiting myself to 2 slices when it's my favorite type. I'm also trying to dirnk more water- 5 glasses a dya at least, no questons. will that make my stomach flatter?  Also, do you know where a lot of sodium comes from? I know pasta and bread(that aren't whole-wheat) but what else? Is ranch salad dressing okay or should I use a differen type? whart about chicken and rice? Do they have a lot of sodium?

Sorry for all the questions and thanks so much! and I'm proud of you for trying to be healthy!!!

ricotta cheese is great (please don't get into the habit of labeling foods "good" and "bad;" everything is good in moderation), but i really can't imagine having it in a bowl like cottage cheese. but if you like it that way... it is healthy. i like sandwiches with ricotta cheese, pesto, and tomato. whole grains, good fats, protein, and a veggie. yum.

you really should go up in calories. once you've eaten a higher amount of calories consistently for a while it won't even make a difference- that's the awesome thing about metabolism.

you said it will be hard to cut out the pudding because you love chocolate? easy! take your veggies and a hershey's chocolate kiss. one dark chocolate kiss provides antioxidants and is only 20 calories, like nothing. i think it's a satisfying way to end a meal. pudding is still great to have, but it would be better as dessert on occasion than an everyday lunch item. 

yes, water will help you have a flatter stomach. it keeps your system running smoothly. 

you can look on food labels for sodium. most things like chicken and rice aren't high at all but it depends how they're prepared. 

Maybe I'll buy cottage cheese when my family goes food shopping. How would the amount of calories not make a difference? I haven't been able to cut pudding out- maybe after exams, I like to look forward to the pudding. Plus, I don't have a lot of veggies at home, but I'll ask for some.