Teen Weight Gain Due to No Exercise

My name's Kerri and I'm 15. I weight 143 and I'm about 5'5". I don't think I'm extremely overweight or anything but my pant size is 9-11 and my friends, who I didn't actually think were that much skinnier than me, are like size ones and twos. I'd stay active as much as I can and that helps me from gaining more weight but I can seem to lose any pounds. I'd like to be a size 3-5 but my mom says our family isn't built that way and it seems like no one believes I can do it and I don't really believe in myself. I hate trying to lead an active lifestyle and do sports while dieting because then I feel like I'm not performing as well as I could. Any ideas? I need help..

p.s. Laura that does seem like a healthy weight for your height but if you really want to tone your body for summer just lay off the junkfood and exercise. You don't really need to lose weight just gain muscle instead.

TateR, thanks, and I know how you feel. Now, remember that 125lb for your height is still thin. I know it is hard not to think "but I was thinner before, so this has to be fat now". I am 32 and I still struggle with that. I have a hard time saying that my weight now is ok because I have in the past weighed less, so even though I've managed to not compare myself to others anymore (it took years to get to that), I still compare myself to myself! It is hard.

I think you should start running again. The endorphins from exercise are a natural antidepressant, and the sense of accomplishment from doing a type of exercise we really love is great too. Put on those sneakers and go walking, if you don't feel like running yet (it does take more motivation to run than to walk). After a week or so of regularly walking, I bet you'll feel like running already. I just restarted serious exercise after dealing with a sprained ankle on and off for 2 years, and I am feeling like a different person already. I was walking lightly before, but it is not the same as having a really exhilarating workout.

Alisha, 125lb is not overweight for 5'2". Have you thought that maybe you have developed already, and your classmates haven't, so that is why they weigh less? You don't need to lose weight.

Laura, 120lb for your height would be very very underweight. I'm sure you are making a huge deal about the difference between yourself in clothes and in a bathing suit. I mean, unless you wear a mumu everyday, people can pretty much see your shape in clothes already. In fact most jeans are more unforgiving than bathing suits are.

I recommend exercise. First because you are unhappy with your shape, and second because everyone should exercise anyway. Are you active right now? Keep in mind that weight loss from dieting only accentuates the problems you see in your shape, if you are not overweight for starters. Exercise is the only thing that can change your shape. For example when I'm at a higher weight for my height but still in the Healthy Weight Range, like 130lb (I'm a little bit under 5'2"), I can fit into any size 6 and look very proportional, and when I'm at a lower weight like 115lb, I think my hips look bigger in proportion to the rest of my body, my ass looks too small for the size of my legs, and the inner part of my leg has a weird shape. Cause the 2 parts that I see as problems, inner thighs and hips, remain just as big, while the rest around them gets smaller, so it just makes them stand out more. So I think exercise will make you happier with your shape than weight loss would.

Kerri, part of what determines your pant size is bone structure, like your mom said - but also keep in mind sizes are pretty insane from store to store, or even within a store. I could go around saying I'm a size 2 or smaller cause I have pants in that size that are big on me, or I could say I'm a 12, cause there are places where I need to get a 12 to get the crotch to fit me and then have the whole thing tightened. So sizes are pretty pointless. I just did a load of my mother-in-law's laundry and her stuff was all size 6, which is what I usually wear, but if you put us side by side, I'm much smaller. So saying "I'm a size [whatever]" doesn't mean a thing.

You already have the right idea with being active. Dieting as in restricting the amount you eat sucks, and you are right, it makes it hard to exercise and study and feel good in general. I think we need to worry about *what* we eat, and not *how much* we eat (of course, this doesn't apply to compulsive overeaters but if you were one of those, you'd weigh much more than you do, so it is safe to say you don't have that problem). What I recommend is: cut out the processed foods, as in, the stuff that was made in a factory, not in a farm. The one exception to this would be whole-grain bread. Make sure you eat one that doesn't have wonky ingredients. The ingredient list should read something like: Whole-wheat flour, flour, oil, salt, yeast, sugar (not all of them will have oil and/or sugar, but if they do, make sure it is like that). Not something like: Flour, wheat bran, hydrogenated vegetable oil, high-fructose corn syrup, inverted sugar, monosodium glutamate, moisture agents [a bunch of stuff], preservatives [a bunch of stuff]. If it has a bunch of stuff you can't pronounce, it is not the one you want to be eating. Eat as much of real foods, like vegetables, fruit, dairy, grains, meats, etc. as you want, just make sure they are not deep-fried.

As for you being a size 3-5, I'm not sure that is gonna happen either for one reason. You are 15, so you have developed already, and you being at the higher junior sizes numbers probably means that you have hips already. Are your pants gapping at the waist in the back? Do you find yourself wearing a belt/pulling them down to make them fit? If so, maybe it is time to move on to women's sizes. If you wear a 9/11 in junior sizes, you'll probably fit into a 4, maybe even a 2, in women's sizes, since they are cut to accomodate curves.

hey guys i am going to be 14 in a couple of days and i have been trying to lose weight for like 1/2 a year. i am kind of off and on like i have my cheat days, and somy mom is a perosnal trainer so she trains me and i eat REALLY well and practice basketball 2 hours a day and i just seem to gain weight... and when i WAS losing weightt yeah people noticed. i just wanted help on a very healthy way to bedown to 110 pounds by spring break.

Chelsea, the weight you are gaining could just be normal weight you'll need to gain to develop. Now, if you are now technically overweight, then you should talk to a doctor about it and get a check up. Your mom is a trainer, so she'll know if you are overweight or just unhappy with not being stick-thin.

Hey Jan. Well, the advise you gave me is what everyone has told me to do, and it hasn't worked. And to tell you the truth, I'm not really that developed. my doctor has told me that i have already had my last growth spur and she said i will be lucky if i get three inches taller in my life.(I'm only 4 feet 11) And i wear a size 34A, the only thing that is really big on me is my thighs. I have a small butt but large thighs. anyways, when you said that i could provably never fit into a junior size, that isn't really true. I have gone through alot of depresion lately and have gained a whole lot of weight in the last year. About three years ago before i became a tipe one diabetic, i used to be very very skinny. and then as soon as i became a diabetic i started gaining like 5 to 10 pounds every three months. no matter what i do, this weight wont come off. I try to work out at least thirty minutes every day and yet i can't loose the weight. except for just recently in the last two weeks, a lot of people have told me that i look thinner, but that is just because i barely eat anything for dinner, breackfast, and lunch. Every time i ask one of my five doctors what to do, all they tell me to do is to do what i'm already doing. I guess that i won't be having any cookies or anything this holiday. please give me some advice i don't already know. ~Dani~

If you already have hips, you have developed (people use "develop" to mean "grow breasts", but it is really more like "grow hips" - not everyone is going to get breasts bigger than most young teens have). You'll probably grow a couple more inches to end up at the same "massive height" as me: 5'1". And like you, I'm also bigger on the legs/thighs, almost no boobs at all.

I want to reinforce 2 things I said in my massive post to you: first, have your thyroid levels rechecked, and make sure they are all good. Not just TSH, but free T3 and free T4. They have to be in the middle to higher end of the normal range. Second, talk to your diabetes doctor about whether you may have developed insulin resistance. If the weight you gained is mostly in the belly (abdominal fat) and your insulin needs have increased, there is a good chance you have, and they may prescribe medication to deal with this.

Cause until you are absolutely sure these 2 diseases are "as controlled as can be" (you know we can never be as well as a healthy person who never had any disease, but we can get close enough), there is no amount of effort you can do that will work. I know, cause I've been where you are (I'm not diabetic but I have PCOS, so it leads to the same difficulty losing weight, plus I have the thyroid disease), only worse, cause my top weight was 230lb. I used to try all kinds of radical diets where I starved only to lose like 3 pounds in 2 months. When I started treating the PCOS and finally got the thyroid hormones to a good level, healthy eating + exercise (I tried to do 1h a day, 5x a week, alternating between resistance training and aerobics), without starving, made me lose 115lb in 18 months. So notice the difference there.

Don't give up, but be patient. Know that once you have the diseases controlled, you are going to lose weight, ok?

Hi i am 14 yrs old and i am 5 ft 2 inch. i weigh 49kg and i am 107 pounds. I knw it is really good and i must look fit and i agree i am but i dont knw but i seem to have a really medium fat bum, my stomach is small - very fit so r my shoulders legs and body but not my bum, itz reasonable size but still i want it to get slimmer. Can u guys help?

Lil, you cannot have a "really fat bum". It is all in your mind. You are very skinny. If you weighed 10 kilos more, I'd believe you, but no, at 49 kilos you cannot have a really fat bum.

We all see our flaws as much bigger than they really are. You are ok the way you are, don't worry about trying to make a body part that only seems big to you slimmer.

All of you are complaining about having a big bum? Guys love that! As a guy I'm telling you, we don't like anorexic models. We like curves and asses and boobs. Something to hold on to. So calm down.

i HATE my body. i am 4 foot 8 inches, i know... short, and weigh a whopping 75 pounds. my body is so WIERD. i have a pretty lean upper body, my abs are really well defined and my arms are too but it's like i get fat below my waist. i actually have pretty thin calves but my inner thighs are disgusting and i can actually hold the fat on my inner thighs. my bottom is really big too and it looks wierd because it kind of sticks out because it's fat. i do gymnastics 15 hours a week but i am still chunky on my lower half. i know im fat in comparison to my teammates and it drives me crazy. im so unhappy and i try to eat well but i always end up eating some chunk food because im not very disciplined in that aspect. i am in desperate need of advice on how to lose weight fast. ANYTHING helps. thanks.

also, a lot of people say im fine and should stop worrying about my weight...but im NOT happy with myself and i really just want suggestions on what i can eat to help me lose my disgusting fat

Irene, you are not fat. You don't have "disgusting fat" to lose. Can you speak to a conselour? And not someone related to gymnastics, someone at school or a doctor.

i dont really feel comftorable talking to people i know because they always get mad at me and say im not fat even though i really am unhappy with my body and want to change because when i look in the mirror i see fat thighs. they get mad at me even though i just want help on fixing my problem. i just want to lose like 5 or 6 pounds.

10 pounds would be even better. i guess my ultimate goal is to lose 10 pounds.

Ok, Irene, you will dissapear if you loose 10 pounds if you already weigh 75 pounds. How old are you? Because i really don't think that that is a normal weigh for someone that is between 12 and up.

If anyone needs to loose weight is me. My mom told me that i need to loose at least 20 pounds in the next three months. O god. If i want to loose weight by my formal i need to start today. Jan, I guess that i will try to work out at least 1 hour a day. And about my thyroid problem, my mom has been trying to get my doctor to see me at TCH but that damm hospital is so busy that they never have time for me. So my mom is trying to change my doctor and get me in another place that isn't too busy to see me and give me the attention that i need. thanx.

i'm 13. i'm sorry about your thyroid problem.

but at the same time i 'm really short and i haven't developed at all, so 65 pounds can't be too drastic?

Hi, I'm 5'8" and 110 lbs. I want to gain some weight, I've done a lot of modeling and have recently quit and would like a more normal body. I want a big bum and boobs and a stomach. Any tips, ie. eating etc. ?

Irene, even for 4'8", 65lb IS too drastic, and way underweight. The BMI for that would be 14.6. That is pretty much dead already. The lowest normal weight for your height is 83 pounds. Don't use your height as an excuse to be very underweight. I know that gymnastics, like ballet and modeling, encourages unhealthy weights, but you need to take control of this now. Several female gymnasts are infertile for the rest of their life because they are so underweight at the time they are developing. This is what happened to Nadia Comaneci, for example. It also puts you at risk for osteoporosis forever, no matter how much you exercise and that you gain weight later.

Dani, it is good that you have your parents on board. Don't worry, you'll be able to lose weight. It will take longer than it takes "normal" people, but it can be done.

Ashley, in your case, I think you should focus on trying to gain some muscle. So try to eat more protein. You don't need to eat huge amounts at once, your body can't process more than like 4oz for meat or chicken, or 5oz for fish in a single meal. Just make sure to have some protein at least for 3 meals of the day, preferably for snacks too. Eat as much healthy unprocessed food as you want, and stay away from junk, of course. If you start weight training, you'll see you'll soon be able to gain the right kind of weight. Cause gaining flab is not a good goal for anyone, gaining strenght is a good goal.

i just wanted to say that muscles add weight (in a good way) so if you are unhappy with your weight and you say you are exercising to get rid of some pounds, but you weigh more after it is because you are building muscle.. so embrace it! being strong is good.

you could do pilates or some other exercise to build muscle. muscles make you bigger.. but also toned, there is a big difference between fat and strong..

Yo am 16 yrs old am 5 5 and u weight 132 pounds I feel real fat I mean am squared I have no curves so I feel real obese I feel as if my ex broke up with me for a betta body help plz I don't really eat a lot but when am depressed I eat da kitchen and den I throw it up help

ok i am very fat and i want to tell my parents that i want to loose weight but i dont know how without saying thank u mom for cooking me fattening foods and thank u dad 4 not taking me out sid e to play pass

oh yeah and i want a six pack anyone no any good ab exersices

Im Not Fat At All. I Use To Do Gymnastics So I Am Reasonably Toned(I.e My Belly).I Dont Have That Big Boobs Either So I Dont Really Want to Loose weight on them. I Have big legs though. thats what i mostly want to get rid of, also my bum, Id Like to tone that.
Could You Help Me? Id Really Like To Look Good Before I Go On Holiday With My Boyfriend In July?
Write Back Please.. Tara x

My advice is try not to spot train. You would only be setting yourself up for failure. Try overall workouts, specifically cardio. Even if you just ride a bike, regular or stationary, you will see a whole body improvement because fat is burned equally all over your body, never in just one place. Though you would think biking would just change the appearance of your legs, it may leave your leg muscles feeling sore but your entire body reaps the benefits.

Tara, on the road is right. You can't make a certain part smaller by exercising it. But any form of exercise will help you lose fat overall.

Collie said:
you are all lucky im 12 5"5 and i weigh 190 or at least the last time i checked that's how much i weighed. in the beginning of school i weighed 180 in 4 months i gained 10 lbs. and now its been 7 months and i dont know how much i weigh. all of you are complaing for nothin. all of you are all skinny. so stop complaining!!!!!!!! i hope i lose this we[...]

Hey there, my name is caline, and i am 13, female, and i weigh 185, i know how you feel, i am trying to lose about 30 but,, i guese i am not into it all the way. well please WRIE BACK

Collie said:
you are all lucky im 12 5"5 and i weigh 190 or at least the last time i checked that's how much i weighed. in the beginning of school i weighed 180 in 4 months i gained 10 lbs. and now its been 7 months and i dont know how much i weigh. all of you are complaing for nothin. all of you are all skinny. so stop complaining!!!!!!!! i hope i lose this we[...]

Hey there, my name is caline, and i am 13, female, and i weigh 185, i know how you feel, i am trying to lose about 30 but,, i guese i am not into it all the way. well please WRIE BACK

Hey!!
Im 13 years old.People think im skinny but thats because they havnt seen my thighs or calfs because there always hidden under baggy trousers!!!
I used to be okay with my body but now its ruining my life!!I can wear skirts or tight jeans and Im dreading the summer!!PLease HELP HOW CAN I LOSE WEIGHT

SRY I MEAN I CANT WEAR SKIRTS :(

Hi im kind of short and like maybe 5'1 or 5'2 but im only 13. I know that I would look skiner if i got a six pack. Not only would I feel better but also be skiner. I could also look go in a swimming suit. My school goes on a field trip to the pool every year. This year I want to go swimming. The past few years (its a indoor pool which also has a skating ring) i have just gone ice-skating. Does anyone know how I can get a six pack before like late April or early May

thanks
Christine

Ok, one at a time.

Caline, you can lose weight. Small changes go a long way. Cut out junk food, walk more, dance around in your room. Eat more fruit and vegetables. Soon you'll see the scale move. Just don't be in a hurry. People have unrealistic expectations of losing 20lb in 2 months and stuff like that. That is unhealthy. Slowly and steady you'll be able to lose it.

Niamh, I doubt you have thighs and calves as big as you think they are. But in any case, for people of any weight, baggy pants are the most unflattering thing someone with heavy legs can wear. They are not disguising your perceived "problem", they are probably making people think your legs are bigger than they really are. You can wear skirts and tighter pants as long as they fit you right, and you can feel comfortable in them. Take some time to go to the stores and try a ton of different stuff on. You'll find for ex. that a skirt that is one inch longer or shorter than another, or with a slightly different cut will make your legs look thinner or thicker. You just have to try stuff on. And with pants, if they fit you properly, not too tight or too big or bunching up at the crotch, they'll make your legs look slimmer too.

As for your calves, shoes are the most important thing. If you wear something with a bit of a heel, not totally flat (1" will do and it won't kill your feet), and that is cut low on your feet, it will make your calves look thinner and your legs look longer. Again, you have to try stuff on. Ankle straps make your calves look bigger.

So yes, you can wear skirts and you can wear pants that fit. Skirts completely disguise the size of your thighs, while pants *show* the size of your thighs. I have thick thighs and I live in skirts. I look 10 pounds thinner in skirts than I do in pants, and you will too.

Christine: it is not a very realistic goal for a female to have a six-pack, nor is it a particularly healthy one. For a woman to have a six-pack, she'd need her body fat to be in numbers so low that they increase the risk for osteoporosis and infertility. You are fine the way you are and I'm sure you look good in a swimsuit. In any case, improving your posture does wonders. So sit up straight and stand up straight, just like your mom and grandma must have been telling you for years. Who knew they were right?

I'm also feeling frustrated with my exercise/weight loss program. I'm 5'4" and currently 120 lbs. I was 129 lbs, so I know all this time at the gym is working, but I still haven't dropped a pants size! My size 5's and 6's are too big, but I look melted and poured in a size 4. Grrr. Anywho, I was just wondering if anyone felt as frustrated as me.

A girl can have a six pack! As long as you do it the healthy way by doing crunches and not starving yourself, etc. My abs are really starting to show some definition, and I just do crunches on an exercise ball while I watch TV. I do several hundred and not even realize I've done them!!!

~Sara

Hey, I'm 13yrs old in 8th grade I'm 5 ft. 0 in. (yeah im short) well since i last checked i might've grown an inch or 2. I weigh 140 lbs and I get under pressure all the time cuz ppl are always looking at me and i think im starting to get overweight. Its so frustrating watching popular skinny girls walk through the halls with groups of friends. It always seems everyone hates me (literaly, not just thinking it). Im unpopular and I hate it. If you act a certain way or look a certain way that most people dont like such as overweight they take advantage of you and im sick of hearing gossip about me daily. Its not like its the first time ive heard it cuz its been going on since elementary school which is why im SO sick of it. I know I cant completely stop it but I hate always being the main subject f people's conversations if they get bored. Being overweight contributes a lot to it. I never wear 2 piece bathing suits. I dont drink soda very often except special occasions (vacations, parties, etc..) unlike most teens do. Ive been trying to change my diet up a little lately like putting banana in my cereal (yea that sounds pathetic...but yea), stuff like that but i admit i always sneak a few cookies a day and i gotta stop that habit but what im looking for is a way to fit in exercise and foods i should eat for a healthy diet except.. im a picky eater. i need suggestions on what to put into my routine and how to fit it in my time and get into the habit of it. I dont do any sports either. And I havent had my period yet... PLEASE HELP All I ever hear from people is "Eat healthy, drink lots of water, exercise, etc.." all the time. I get what it means, but no one ever says how to accomplish it or get it into your routine, they just say do it.

Sara, abs showing is NOT the same as a six-pack. A flat stomach with muscle definition? Sure, anyone who is not overfat will have that. But a six-pack would require bodyfat percentages of around 14% in a woman, maybe 12%, and that is not healthy. Anything under 17-18% is actually dangerous.

Also, hundreds of crunches are not an effective way to exercise your abs.

At 5'4" and 120lb, you are quite thin already. Maybe the reason you can't get into a smaller size is your build. Bone doesn't change with weight loss. 6 might be your real natural size.

Anna, you are not really overweight but teenagers just tend to look at people, to stare, for any old given reason. If they think you look good, they do it, if they think you look bad, they do it too. Being popular vs. unpopular has nothing to do with weight, though. It would be so simple if you could lose weight and just turn popular like people do in those teen movies. I am speaking from experience cause I was pretty skinny as a teenager, and I was always incredibly unpopular too. But people don't hate you like you think either. They just aren't interested in getting to know you, for whatever reason.

Now, think about it: do you *really* want these pathetic people who devote their lives to gossiping about others to like you, to be your friend? For them to like you, it would mean you are as bad a person as they are. I think you should be proud they don't like you, they see you are not the same type of people that they are. I know, it sounds like those inspirational things older people say, but trust me when I say that the popular people now will have a very hard time at college and during the rest of their lives. I went to my 10-year reunion a while ago and the "popular people" had lousy jobs and were still hanging out with one another doing the same things they did back then. That is what spending high school creating gossip, instead of paying attention to class, does to a person.

Also keep in mind that when someone gossips about you or calls you a name, it doesn't say anything about *you*. All it says is that they are insecure people who have to do that type of thing to try to feel better about themselves.

Now on to the diet/exercise part. Exercise. Pick something you can do everyday. If it is an outside thing, like walking after school, have a back up plan in case the weather is lousy, like "walking for 40m after school, and if it is raining, I'll play DDR or dance around in my room for 40m instead). Do this 5x a week. You can also try to get more activity in while doing other stuff, like walking to school too if you live close enough, biking to run errands, and if you do chores at home, then volunteer for the active ones, like raking the leaves or sweeping the house, instead of washing dishes or folding laundry.

Food. Try to eat natural stuff. Stuff that comes from a farm, not from a factory. The more you avoid manufactured foods, the healthier you'll be. That means the manufactured foods that are sold as "healthy foods" too. So what I'm saying is, instead of Special K - eat unsweetened oats. Instead of low-fat turkey lunch meat - eat real turkey. It sounds simple but it is also hard, considering most foods nowadays are processed ones. So you'll be trying to eat fruit, vegetables, whole grain, meat, eggs, dairy, fish, chicken, turkey, seeds, nuts. Eat as much as you need not to be hungry, but not enough that you are stuffed either. Try to eat 5x a day, instead of in 3 big meals (pack your snacks).

And now my prescription for school: make some friends. No, not the popular people who are gossiping. The other people. The ones you've been ignoring. The freaks and the geeks and the kid with the back brace and anyone else that is also excluded. You'll be glad you did. I used to feel just like you, like "oh school is hell, why even bother?" but I'm glad I did make friends. Not only did they make time go by faster (you need someone to laugh together when the "popular people" do ridiculous things, for starters. And trust me, they *will* do ridiculous things, all the time.) but a lot of them are still my friends now, 14 years after High School. An interesting shift in the power balance at school will also happen when you do make friends. There is strenght in numbers, and the popular kids know that. Once you are no longer poor lonely victims, but friends, they'll be a little afraid. They'll make sure to start talking behind your back, and keep it there, cause they will be afraid.

Thanks for the help, I'm going to try to get started on a routine. By the way, in case you didn't know, I have friends but not many. I have 2 I've known a while and are my best, true friends. and 2 others that D most of the time have good times with them. Only thing is i just don't like some of their attitudes sometimes but hey, that's how some friends are, just gotta deal with it. Right now I'm eating unsweetened raisins and going to find a physical activity to do right now, probably go outside or DDR like u suggested. It's not much but its a start.