Teenage Girls: Laxatives and Vomiting Lead to Weight Problems

I was a girl who used laxatives to lose weight and I did. I used them in October and November, and weighed 130 and by christmas I weighed 124, now(4/14/05) I weigh 113, and still losing everday. I hope by the end of summer I weigh 90-99 lbs. Alot of people in my life tell me I'm too skinny because I'm 5'6" my mom thinks I'm anorexic. BUt I'm no and she keeps threating to send me to a Psycologist. But I just felt like telling my story.

So who has control of your life? You or the laxatives. What have you gained by seeing a different number on scales?

Hi, i'm 14, and weight 135, at 5'5 i would like to be like 115 what can i do? i feel so fat, id like to fit in to a siz 3 again...... Please does anyone have any suggestions?

I am actually 18, and also 135 at 5'5. And while I relate to feeling fat much of the time, the fact is, I am not. You probably aren't either. Our BMI is 22.5 - a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered healthy. And while BMI is not always 100% accurate, it gives a relatively reliable range for average people.

If you really don't feel good about yourself, start making small changes in your habits. Replace chips and cookies with veggie sticks and pieces of fresh fruit. Eat lean meats such as chicken and fish. Opt for whole wheat and hearty grains instead of white breads and pastas. Replace sodas and other high calorie/sugar drinks with water or skim milk.

Develop hobbies that keep you physically active. Personally, I play Dance Dance Revolution, fun game. I also enjoy going on walks with my friends, hiking, biking, and jogging. Get a workout buddy, and you two can play tennis or racquetball, go swimming, throw a medicine ball back and forth, do sprinting relays somewhere, watch exercise videos together. My favorite exercise video is Pilates: it does wonders to tone the body and make you feel lean.

Hope some of this helped. Try to remember, your weight may be higher than it was in the past, but you aren't fat, and beauty needs to come from within.

Im 5'1 and weigh 127. I'm physically fit everywhere except my middle. I eat well and excercise but nothing seems to help. Its summer and i want to be able to look decent in swimwear. I also feel that It make me less attractive. Please help.

Hey my name is lauren and i used hos pills to! they work but plaz let me tell yo .. my mum sent me to a specligest :S dont let your self get case usin these at school and remember but if you wanna bea skinny model like me ... use them ! in 19 and im 89 pounds ;)
skinny a hott :D

I tried using laxatives once for a while to try and lose weight. They don't work for weight loss, all they do is give you cramps and empty out your bowels. The thing is, I didn't really need to use them to lose weight either, since I wasn't overweight. I no longer use them and I feel so much better. And I actually lost a little more weight after I stopped relying on the laxatives...probably because I started eating more frequently and working out. And Sarah, you aren't fat! DDRgirl is right...you're normal. The number on the scale isn't as important as how you feel inside and how you look. Trust me, unless your weight was printed on your head, most people wouldn't have a clue as to what it was.

Here is a list of some of the risks of laxative abuse:

(1) Electrolyte imbalance, leading to muscle cramps, tremors, spasms, irregular heartbeat, and in some cases cardiac arrest (your heart stopping, causing you to die)

(2) Laxatives and enemas (and also vomiting) remove needed fluid from the body. The resulting dehydration can lead to tremors, weakness, blurry vision, fainting spells, kidney damage, and in some cases death. Severe dehydration requires medical treatment. Drinking fluid may not hydrate cells and tissues quickly enough to prevent organ damage or death.

(3) irritable bowel syndrome (rectal pain, gas, and episodes of constipation and diarrhea)

(4) bowel tumors (both benign and cancerous).

Laxative abuse can cause bowl cancer. You can seriously screw up your system and possibly need major surgery eventually, which will seriously damage the quality of your life (want to poop in a bag for the rest of your life?)

Hey everyone im 5'5 and 128 and i want to be 115, i have tried throwing up and it doesn twokr i just tried drinking milk of magnesia and that stuff is disgusting and i really need help email me soon

Sarah, you need help changing your perceptions. 5'5" and 128 is in no way fat. If you feel fat, you are not seeing yourself the way you really are. Eat healthy, stay active like RandomDDRgirl suggested.

To you and everyone else who posted here saying they wanna lose weight and talking about using laxatives: you are not overweight. Here is a site that can help:

http://www.something-fishy.org

I am 5'4 and about 115 lb. i feel discusting in a swim suit!! I wanna me bikini material. But i love food!! i no im not fat but still...help?
-amanda-

5'4" and 115 lbs?!?!?! Wow!! What a cow!! You people have all lost your minds! THAT'S NOT FAT YOU'RE JUST DYING FOR ATTENTION!! Get a life!

Gimme~A~Break that was a really cold comment. you have no idea how it is for some girls and the pressures we feel 2 b thin. I am 5'8" and weigh 126lbs but feel i need 2 lose weight. its a relief though 2 know other girls go through the same stuff as me and im not just a total weirdo lol xx

Hi, i've desperately wanted to decrease my chest size to C Cup for 3yrs now(as well has the rest of my body). i am 18, 5'3.5 and weigh 143lbs my chest size is 32FF. I can't vomit because i cant bring myself to put my fingers down my throat. i want to try laxatives but i keep hearing that they DON'T actually make people LOSE weight. Is this true? Please help.

you girls aren't fat. keep eating its good! food is good ! lol i'm 5'2' and 155 and perfectly happy most of the time!! learn to love yourself the way you are

Hi! um i was always a skinny girl. But then with an assortment of things i am not so skinny anymore and its hard dealing with it. i am 15 and at a healthy weight (though toward the top half 5'6" and 145 lb) I want to get in shape and increase muscle tone and maybe shave off some fat pounds. The problem is i think about it too much and spend more time planning than doing and then i lake motovation! Is there any suggestions that can keep me motovated on just feeling good and not thinking about losing weight. when younger i weight myself maybe twice a year. now i keep a close watch on it and i dont want to care! Does any one have any advice that can help me swich my thinking. I try but it never totally goes away the "i feel fat" one that i try so hard to let go of.

to you other "wanting to lose wight" girls out there. I've tried a diet and lost weight but gained more. dont try all that low calorie junk. Excercise will do it all. it makes you more aware of your body so you eat well and gain muscle and look great! I just need to do it myself. like i said- anyone else have motovation suggestions? (just writing this is helping my motovation, it just dosnt last as long as i need)

do laxatives actually make you loose weight? if someone answers, can u tell the truth minus the whole be proud of your body lecture please. :-)

No, they don't make you lose weight. They just speed up what would normally happen anyway. People are under the false impression that taking a laxative will somehow inhibit absorption of nutrients or something, but that part of digestion is already done by the time the laxative would kick in. All laxatives do, typically, is give you the runs and make you have bad cramps.

I'm 5'6" adn I currently weight 96 pounds. I used to be a Junior Olympic ranking swimmer since the age of 8 years old, but only until i went to boarding school(which didnt have a swim team) that my body began to change. I didnt have the same excercise routine, but maintained the same diet (when i swam, i would finish a pint of ice cream every day as a snack between meals) but i never gained weight. the excercise of swimming controlled my body, helping me to look sleek and toned and ultimately thin. It wasnt untill i looked into the mirror during last year's thankgiving that i was horrified with what i saw. gross. thankfully, i decided to do something about it. i exercised, i cut weight. i dieted and continued to lessen my intake as i kept dropping (thanks to my discipline from swimming) i was able to drop all the weight off in 2 months. thats 15 pounds. yes, it is completely possible. no it takes to long for me to tell you my routine. however, now i am perfect. i am thinner than before and look better than ever. i fit in all my designer clothing and nevr have to worry about bathing suit season coming around. im fit to put on a bikini any time i want. its worth it, all the dieting, all the hard work, it truly pays off. but its a vicious cycle that will never end, if YOU want to lose weight and maintain a nice body, YOU must face the facts and you are going to have to sacrifice a piece of yourself in order to attain your goals. after boarding school, i am now attending an IVY league college. I proud at where i am now, and i promise to all those girls out there that it can only get better, don't believe that bullshit that ppl think you are perfect the way you are- YOU ARE ONLY AS PERFECT AS YOU WANT YOURSELF TO BE it is a mind game. american society is HUGE, not only do we rule the world politcally and economically, but also in the amount of space we take up. regardless to the chinese and indians out there who hold the record for the largest populations, we are by far the biggest out there in terms of weight and proportions. like i said in the beginning-gross. so one step a time america..one BIG step at a time.

Dear Sylvia,

5'6" and 96 llbs?! That's amazing...I'm currently 5'6" and 118 lbs and I feel incredibly fat. Aside from the enormous weight difference, we are very similar. I too attend a boarding school and swim. I know you said it would be too long to share your routine but I would be really interested. I find it so difficult to control my eating in the dining halls, especially during swim season. When I first entered my prep school, I was 5'5" and 90 lbs. Now I'm so much fatter. Please help me!

hi my name is Maryam, im 5'5 and weigth about 190, i am so overweight to be 15 yrs old girl. im so fat that i cry everyday of my life. i always had a weight problem but i dont why. plz help me soon before i turn 16 yrs old in march 1 that's almost about 3 months i have to lose about 45-to-50 pound plz soon.

Hey this is for maryam... I know its hard to be overwieght, i know how u feel i am just 12 but i wieght 183 i know wut u feel... i cry toooo im always sad but u kow u have to control wut u are eating by like ig ure hungry just grab a apple. or somethin im sure u like apples or oranges... see u bye... hang in there...

Hey I am 5'3 and I weigh 105..I know deep down Im not fat but at school I see all these other girls not eating at lunch, or going straight to the bathroom to throw up. I feel so awkward. I really would like to lose some weight just to fit in. My boyfriend and my parets tell me I look too skinny but I just cant find it in me to believe them..Please help..should I lose weight? email me back PLEASE at kc_qt_pie@hotmail.com with suggestions and answers Thanks--Confused*Kaci

Hello,Im Amber & im 14 years old. YOU GUYS THINK YOUR FAT?!?! Well Im 5'6 and 185 pounds,now thats OVERWEIGHT,OK! Im sorry,but I have read ALL of your guys letters and none of you are fat compared to me,believe me. Im Very overweight and I know that,and Im not the only one who knows that either! People making fun of me ALL THE TIME... I just can't stand it ANYMORE! I Have tried 3-4 diets already,i just love food..:(I really need Help,someone,please! Please Email me or if you can't do that call me (women and girls only,please) THANK YOU VERY MUCH

Look, guys, some of you are being insensitive. Almost every girl would like to lost a few pouds, to reach an "ideal" weight. I'm 14, 5'9", and 132 lbs - and I'd love to lose 12 of them, but I am (fairly) realistic . I know that excercise and diet are the solution. But even someone like me (I have a stationary bike in my room!) has trouble with motivation. And I don't know about anyone else, but school food is unhealthy crap, but so many people don't have to time to make their own lunches. RandomDDRGirl, the thing I find most amazing about you is that you have the TIME to play DDR. I tend to be up until about 11:00-1:00 every night doing homework - I don't HAVE spare time! does anyone else relate or have tips on finding time for excercise? Oh, and a tip - -if there's a food you KNOW you crave, that comes in large packages, pay the extra money to get snack-size single-serving bags. And keep them somewhere out of sight, and have ONE when you get a craving. This has helped immensely with my beef jerky addiction! Oh, and does anyone have ideas for breaking eating patterns? I get Doritos and pizza every day for lunch, I know I shouldn't, 1 girl in my class has even expressed amazement theatI "can eat so much junk food at once" (this was also with an ice cream sandwich). But it's habit, I ask for Doritos without even thinking about it. Any tips??????? Also, any tips on convincing my 5'3" belly dancer swimmer like 100 lb friend that SHE IS NOT FAT!?? And anyone have tips for ab-firming excercises? Or again, like everyone else, tips for getting motivated?

Wow that turned out long. Dang.

Y'all can email me at vicki0016@yahoo.com if you want to talk or swap tips or w/e. My blog (the website linked to from my name) doesn't mention this at all, but you can look at it if you like.......

Hi, i'm 5'5" and I weigh 81 pounds.I was wandering what you guys would think of me. How much weight do you think I need to gain? BE NICE!!!

Well- I've been bulimic for 2 1/2 years now, and it never helped me lose weight. It is mostly a control issue and I realize this...being able to eat whatever I want and then instantly get rid of it. I would cut it out but it is such a huge part of my life...Anyway, statistically speaking- bulimic people maintain their weight typically. About a year ago I got really sick, and I mean really sick. I was 135 lbs at 5'4, and two weeks later I was 118. This was because my body was working so hard to fight whatever ailment I had (we never figured out what it was). After that, I was so thrilled to be thinner that I really watched what I ate and kept around the 123 range. Then I decided that I wanted to lifeguard at a waterpark that summer, so I started hardcore swim training (because you had to pass a number of very intense tests to work at this park) and I had never swam before (atleast not with technique and doing laps). I was on a very limited time frame, and I wanted the job so badly- so I swam for an hour every morning and 1-2 hours every night for 6 weeks, and had slimfast shakes for breakfast and lunch and regular dinner proportions, which i usually threw up. By the time I moved to the area where the waterpark was, I was down to 110, and had really nice muscle tonage. I was actually skinny! Unfortunately after the season ended, and college started back, I gained 15 lbs! It's driving me nuts. It easier said than done, this losing weight thing. I know it's cliche, but what did it for me was the exercise...you have to burn more calories than your body is taking in, but u still have to give your body enough to have the energy to keep going. I highly recommend the Slim Fast Optima Shakes. I am back on an intensive diet and hope to lose 10 pounds in the next three weeks. I dont have access to a pool but im going to run 4 miles a day...we'll see. I'll let u know what happens. By the way I'm 22. Old habits die hard (bulimia).

Hello. To you girls sticking your fingers down your throats and popping all sorts of pills, doing God knows what to yourselves; listen up. For most of you, it isn't about "being skinny," it's about feeling like you have control over your life, and you seriously need to consider getting help for yourself. And if it IS about being skinny, pills and vomiting aren't an easy way out. Just eat healthy foods and exercise! It's no mystery what makes people fat ... fat makes people fat O_o

I am in the military so I need to stay healthy for my fitness tests. I spent one month exercising, cooking all of my own foods, not using butter or oils or sauces, eating fresh fruits and veggies, whole grain breads and drinking nothing but ice cold water (about 7 glasses a day) I lost about 15-20 pounds ... in ONE MONTH and felt better about myself and less stressed than I have in my entire life!

Hi, Im 34 years old, 5 1 and weigh 180 can someone tell me whats the bes way to lose weight. I tried 10 differnt types of diets. and what's hard my husband isnot suppportive at all. he says that i look ok and i can't stand looking at my self .....please help

Hey girls! I think that you all should stop being so hard on yourselves. God put us here for better reasons than being skinny. My heart goes out to you all. I am a big girl and it does bother me too. I am 5'6" and I weigh 148. Sometimes I feel out of place, but it is all about how you present yourself. Letting other people see that you are self concious only makes it obvious. I remind myself that when my time on earth is finished, how small I am will be the last thing on my mind. I know it is hard, but I am sure you have plenty of people who care about you to help. Good luck and I hope you get control over your lives. Wishing you happiness!!!!!!!!!!

Hello To all,Im not going to tell you what you want to hear.First off,Guys Your not a girl,and you never will be,So stop trying to tell a girl and or woman,How to be a female,Also,Never forget Free speech,is a good concept,But if a girl and or woman asks you,Honey do you think I look fat in this,You better Lie,and tell her. You look great,Apperance is a Big word in a females vocabulary. Guys If you compliment a woman more she feels better about herself. Women everyday fight with the mirror.And that has been true throughout History. That which is not obvious,is sometimes very important. One other thing, Women do not like to be judged, The most important word to remember in dealing with women is LISTEN, Let them talk, They just want you to listen,Women love men who listen to them,Talk, Also,This dosent mean let them tell you what to do this means listen and recognize they are speaking,Im very suprised at you so called Men for not knowing this.Men not knowing how to deal with women causes so many problems in society,Guys women,and even teenage girls need compliments,about their apperance.Women in general have low self-esteem.So Its a good idea to give women compliments.Positive reinforcement,is always the best way to deal with this problem,You look great,your perfect,thats a good idea,That was smart,Tell other Guys about what I have said here and together,We can make a positive change,It will basicaly create a trickle down effect.Guys the advertisers on Madison Avenue make money,By promoting womens internalized view,About the way they look, Its very sad,But this is reality,The more women think in their mind that they are fat,and or obese, the more money,Drug Companies,Stores,Cosmetics,Make,Sad but true,All in the name of profit.And the only way to switch it around is to compliment Women!

Im 5"1 and i weigh 120 lbs. (I NO IM FAT!!!) Im physically fit everywhere but my stomach?? I dont even eat fattening foods either!! HELP ME LOSE WEIGHT!!

cheerleader, you are not fat. You don't need to lose weight.

hey well im 14 years old and im really fricken tall..5'10" and i weigh 185!! i know that alot of it is that im tall but i feel so disgusting because i cant wear tight clothes without being embaressed! And by the summer i want to be able to wear a bathing suit and not be so embaressed...please help me...im struggleing

Rikki, you are young so you shouldn't go on a restrictive diet. If you don't play a sport or do an activity already, find one you like. Try to eat good food, eat your vegetables, fruit, and avoid junk like chips and soda. You'll lose weight without damaging your health.

ive tried everything and my lower stomach is really big. help meeee

Again I'll say, cheerleader: YOU ARE NOT FAT. If at your weight, height and age you feel you have a big stomach, you're either imagining it (as in, thinking your stomach is really big when it isn't) or it is a result of bad posture. So try standing and sitting up straight, that can't hurt.

ive tried everything and my stomach is still big!!! (im not imagining!!)

cheerleader: have you tried checking your posture? Cause seriously, that is the only possibility for a 120lb 5'1" young girl to have a big stomach (an actual one).