Under 18 and dieting.

So, I am 15 years old and got stuck in this trap of hating my body. I actually fit into a healthy weight but according to the media, im fat. I am 5 feet tall and weigh 115. Most of my fat is in my legs, and since I have very muscular legs as well, it just makes me look huge. I have a cellulite problem on my butt. So, that makes me really embarassed. I know that if I start doing some butt excersices it will clear things up, so im not that scared. But, being a teenager I have horrible cravings for foods that are unhealthy and start crying when I see a girl who is a stick that can eat 5x more than me. I feel like EVERY teenager I know is skinnier or fatter. No one has the same body image as I do, so I feel like im alone.

sorry, i posted in the wrong topic >.<

Well, I'm not going to go on about analysing your situation and pretending to be an expert or anything like that.  I do know a few things, and that's only because I'm older than you and I've lived a bit longer and learned a few "truths" along the way.

Here they are, but take them as you will and I do wish you all the best if you choose to take any advice from a stranger.

1. Eat healthy and excercise.  Plain and simple it works. You don't need any fad diets and you don't need any magic pills or excercise equipment that claims to reduce fat around your waiste, butt, etc.

2. Love yourself no matter what.  Don't get trapped into thinking you are alone in hating your body.  Everyone will tell you that they hate one part of their body.  No matter what, everyone gets older and things start to look worse so you better enjoy your life now and forget about what the media thinks, what your friends think, and what you think and start living life.

3. It's hard work to "diet", but the payoff is real.   Don't feel like everything comes for free.  You need to take a hard look at what you are eating and the quantity (portion control).  You also need to drink lots of water and learn alot about proper nutrition.  But having said that, we live in a world with a LOT of temptations and stress.  The sooner you know what triggers you to eat the way you do, the better.  Also, I suggest you fully embrace a change in your life otherwise it WON'T work.  You need to want it and you need to live it.  You need to say to yourself that it's not a diet, but a change in lifestyle.  I hate the word diet in fact.  I just try to change my habits and those lead towards a better life.

All I can say is that I wish you all the best on your journey and hope that you find your own truths along the way.  Don't worry about your looks, because you are beautiful to someone always.

Take care.

I'm 16 years old and I totally hate my body. Everyone has always told me I'm skinny but really I'm not. I have dealing with depression for over 2 years and in those 2 years I've gained 23 pounds!! I'm 5ft4in and I used to weight 117, about 2 years ago. I did weight 140 ealrier this year but I have lost about 5 pounds so far so I'm down to 135 but I'm trying to lose at least 15 pounds. I think one of the reasons I started to hate my body is because I started paying attention to famous women and I see their bodies and the way they look and I don't look like that. I hate it. I hate how some skinny girls eat everything and are effortlessly skinny yet, I hate myself for every morsel of food I put in my body. My body image is horrible, my self esteem is horrible.

You know what some skinny girls hate their body too. Until Twiggy came on the scene in the 70's the fashion was NOT to be very skinny.(by the way Twiggy said she NEVER dieted.  I do not think any"skinny" model since then could claim that)   You are born in the wrong century, that's all.    There are worse misfortunes for women in other centuries- such as  dying during child birth.   A skinny woman would not be considered someone capable of successfully bearing children.   

I realize it may not seem relevant to your present situation, but if you know how artificial and recent the new standard of womens looks is, you might realize it is going to be an ongoing battle with what evolution has given you in the way of a genetic heritage.  You just have not lucked out.   You have what evolution has given you to work with.   To try for the impossible just might kill you like it can happen with anorexics.  

 Look around you.  Look at the most successful relationships you see. Look at pictures of them younger. It's clear that super skinny women are not the ONLY ones with happy lives.  Try to be slim in a healthy way if to be as slim as possible is what your taste is. But do not get obsessed about your weight to the point you get upset over 5 pound fluctuations during a week. It is like you thinking its idiotic for some one to argue about the fact she got 99.5% instead of 100% on tests.  she might go on to become a doctor whose fussiness and attention to detail is a welcomed assurance to her patients. But can you really think of an advantage to people who have a depression, hate themselves over slight weight fluctuations? Imagine having a mother who fusses over your weight like that, they were not sucessful, so you have to be?

I can certainly sympathize.  When I was your age, I was ~5'4" and around 130 lbs, with a B going on a C size bra.  My 5'6" mom weighed ~110 (high for her at the time) although we did wear about the same size.  I never felt like I was skinny and sometimes felt chubby or chunky by comparison to a lot of the other teens.  Now I'd love to be 130, in retrospect, I had a really great body and I'm trying to reclaim it now.  The main thing to remember is that everyone develops at a different rate.  A lot of the teens that you're comparing yourself to haven't reached their full growth in either the upward or the outward direction, let alone emotionally.  You are you and you don't need to try to be like anyone else.

I completely understand. I'm 17 nd a senior and have felt that way since....freshman year. I still can't stand eating at lunch so I just drink water.  It makes me angry though watching stick figures shovel in hamburgers and pop tarts and keep their perfect little bodies =[

I'm also 15, also 5 foot, and i weigh 120 pounds. I'd love to be your weight ! But seriously, no one's ever called me fat, or even overweight at this weight. I'd like to lose more, get down to 110 I think, but I KNOW I'm not fat.

 I've seen a 'fat' friend lose so much weight that her ribs and bones stick out, and she alternates between saying how fat she still is, or how great it is. I make sure i don't become like that.

I have size 6 friends (size 2 in America) trying to diet to become size zero, even though they agree their not fat! There's no point in trying to follow the media. One week everyone's too fat, the next their too skinny. Celebrities are dissed by the media for being size zero (at least in England) so it''s really not something to aspire too.

 And if you look closer, you realise that yeah, people are skinnier and fatter, but I know a lot of people who are where i am - not thin, but not fat. And trust me, one day that food will go straight to their thigs! Metabolisms slow down :D as harsh as it is, I'm looknig forward to watching it happen!

x

im 4'11 120lbs. and more often than i would like i am stressing over how much i hate it

i have good days and bad days about how i feel about myself and my body but i just wanted to say this discussion is really nice because i know now im not the only short "fat" but not really "fat" chick feeling this way

its a new year! lets try our best to embrace other positive characteristics about ourselves and to remember our health (mental and physical) is more important and is what will help us later in life.

Join the club.

I'm 5"2 and a lot heavier than you. My goal weight is heavier than you weight now (Y)     

Hi Tori

 I'm 16, and have a similar problem. I certainly don't hate my body, but I have things I want to improve.

 One thing that keeps me in perspective is:

 It's all metabolism. Either that, or their binging and purging. If you eat right now, you'll beat them in the long run, and look beautiful in your 30's and beyond.

Hope that helps