Teen Obesity, Shame and Depression

well im going on depression because when i was a little girl they made fun of me for having harry arms and know that i want to let them grow there comming out worser and i have so much anger in me that i wished i never listened to those kids that made fun of me and all i do is cry i dont wanna go out i feel like im so ugly and discusting and i just cant stand people and i dont feel sure about myselfe

well im going on depression because when i was a little girl they made fun of me for having harry arms and know that i want to let them grow there comming out worser and i have so much anger in me that i wished i never listened to those kids that made fun of me and all i do is cry i dont wanna go out i feel like im so ugly and discusting and i just cant stand people and i dont feel sure about myselfe

Carrie, excellent post.

Carmella, it is wrong for your father to compare you to your sister. You should talk to him - not when he's doing it - but just say that it hurts you and that you're different people.

Kristen you pretty much have it figured out - the most important thing is stay active. Walk to places, bike, play a sport, whatever keeps you moving. The second is staying away from junk food. Eat normal foods, like chicken, vegetables, milk, fruit, etc.

Lily I am sorry you are feeling bad, but remember that you have the power to change how you feel. People are jackasses and they'll try to make others feel bad about anything - weight, hairy arms (which are normal and most women have them. Even celebrities, though some have the hair removed, but Alyssa Mylano and Sarah Michelle Gellar are two that will often get criticized for that, and they are beautiful women), glasses, braces, anything. It is up to you to not think that you are a lesser person because of their behavior - they are lesser people, insecure and rude. Remember that.

i feel really ugly and i hate wearing bathing suits. all my friends are beautiful. i am constanly made fun of by my brother and i hate it! if u are so low to make fun of a over weight person then u should go to hell

All my friends tell me im skinny... but im not. i am 14 years old and im about 5" and i weigh maybe 113 lbs. i dont get made funof really. but i have a low self esteem for myself and im constanly calling myself fat. see i have a low thyroid and i have to take pills to help me grow... and unfortunetly the doctor said i wont get much taller than 5"2 and when you dont grow you will stay fat... i have crashed dieted too... actually im doing it now and ive been going 2 days eating a rice cake and thatz it... so i need help

Don't blame the teen for obesity. The FDA is out there to make money. Put the shame to these freak'n food ads.

The great thing to do to lose weight healthy is to balance your mono-poly-saturated ratio to 5:1:4, while balancing your omega 3:6 ratio to as near 1:1 as possible. Don't go on vegetarian diets or other fad diets, eat grass-fed red meat (Buffalo is the BEST!), oily fish, low-omega 6 nuts (Wal-nuts and macadamia nuts are preferred nuts), as well as fruits and veggies. Grains should be cut down, sugary sweets and sodas (even diet sodas) eaten only as condimentiments, while hydronated saturated fats and trans-fats (Hydronated and partionally hydronated (ANY) oil, cheap junk oils like canola, soy, cottenseed and corn oils should be viewed like skull and crossbones, and good quality clean butter, olive oil, grapeseed oil, lard, cocoa butter, and palm oil are great alternatives. Lastly, include antioxidents like açaí juice, dark chocolate, blueberries, and cranberries, and eat a fresh coconut or two a week which contains Lauric, Capric, and Caproic acid that guards your arteries from inflamation and raises your HDL cholestrol. Lastly, make sure you get 90 to 120 minutes of exercise. 150 minutes is great for losing weight and reducing blood sugar. For fun while jogging, buy an MP3 player, such as an iRiver or an iPod. Dance Dance revolution is great way, because you play video games which requires body movement. Lastly, when it comes to buying foods, go organic. It's healthier for you and healthier for the enviornment.

I think it's time to put this "obesity misury" to an end. I think it's time for the FDA to realize this truth diet and that it's time to put our human evolution foward. Lastly, don't exploit religions. The universe has created us and we have one goal: Explore. That means, do your own research!

Dear Jan,
Whats the ideal weight for a 19 year old girl height 5"4??
At the moment I am quite overweight.. desperately trying to lose weight.. I am eating right, but i do not exercise and i think that is the reason why i'm not doing so well with weight loss.
I would really like to know the ideal weight for a 19-20 yr old height 5"4? and if i would be able to lose weight eating healthily but not really exercising?

kristen i think thts a bit cheeky ! ppl come on here worried ! and askin if theyre weight is ok not 4 u to say can we help u to show teen not to be over weight !!!! think bot it darling ! thank you jan u have helpd me and now im goin to a modlein meetin thank you ever so much !

hello..
im amy ! im just on here reading these comments and i think tht ppl who want to loose weight should try swimming ! and nightly jogs !or walking a dog once a day caz it reali works !but... if you are on here trying to loose weight for some 1 else dont ! its dnt goin to work ! beacuse u dnt want to do it think about it...

and i bet u would loose weight for some 1 else but they wouldnt lose weight 4 u ! ppl it doesnt matter how u look take no notice what ppl think of u ( what u look like ) because its whats inside tht counts ! stop worryin and live ur life to the max because every min u spend worrying u could me havein fun and laughin ! stop it ppl u only live once ! any 1 think im right ? write back amy !

Danielle, please eat normally. Restricting your intake like that will only make you fatter. The day you eat an apple with that rice cake, you'll get fatter, if you keep that up. You are not fat at 113lb and 5', and you know, being short is not that bad. I'm 5'2". But the surest way for you NOT to grow anymore is to restrict your food intake like you are doing. Please try to talk to someone about how you feel - your doctor, a conselour at school, or a family member you feel comfortable with.

*Z*, it is possible to lose weight without exercising, but it is much easier if you do exercise. If you don't like formal exercise, just stay active by walking or biking to places and you won't even notice you're exercising. I feel what you are saying, I just hate "going for a walk", so I just walk or bike to run my errands. I'd never "go for a walk" with so much stuff to do around the house. Oh yeah, you can do the more aerobic chores around the house too, like sweeping or gardening. That counts as exercise. The guideline for 5'4" is 116 to 145lb.

amy, you're welcome. And you gave excellent advice about staying active and having fun.

Dear Jan,
Thanks for your reply regarding my queries. I have another one... I think my boyfriend is underweight, and as much as he tries.. he just cannot put on any weight!
How much should a boy 18 years and height 5"9 - 5"10 weigh ideally?
My boyfriend is 18 and between 5"9 - 5"10.. and he weighs around 127lb

*Z*, if he wants to put on some mass and gain weight, I think exercising (weight training, stay away from intense aerobic activity) will be key. He could also try taking in more liquid calories - not sodas or anything like that, but shakes (protein, or even fruit and yogurt smoothie type things). With 2 a day, he could easily take in another 500 calories and ta da: weight gain. If he is working out at the time, it will be muscle weight gain, which is good.

Hi. I was watching a show one night, and there was a teenager who was obese. He got made fun of all the time, and this cuased him to shoot someone in school, and at the end he killed himself. This inspired me to do my research paper on obese teens. How they get obese, and the effects.

I was wondering if anyone on here, could tell me a little bit about themselves, and the type of things they went through in school.

thank you in advance.

YOU SHOULDN'T CARE WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK ABOUT YOU NO MATTER WHAT PEOPLE SAY. I GO TO A SCHOOL WHERE PEOPLE GET PICKED ON EVERYDAY. WHEN THEY PICK ON ME BECAUSE OF MY WEIGHT ILL JUST SIT THERE AND SAY SOMETHING LIKE "WHY DO YOU CARE WHAT I LOOK LIKE. YOU DONT RUN ME" PLEASE TAKE MY ADVICE IT TENDS TO WORK

I would just like to say that i really hate myself at the moment, i fear what others think because of my weight, egnoring peoples comments makes me seem as though i dont care but when i get home from school i cant help but cry. I know i fat, i dont need hurtful people to keep on telling me, my best friend told me the other week that im obese, my best friend. I always knew i was fat but never thought i was obese, i'm size 16 and quiet tall. I got so depressed that i just couldnt stop crying.

That week just when i'd got over my friends comment, in school we had to do healthy living, we had to work out our BMI, mine was 34 so yeah according to my teacher and my friends i am obese. It hurts so much to know that you will never be desirable.

I know that if someone came to me with this problem, i would tell them not to worry, that its not what you look like that matters, that they have great attributes, and even though they may weigh more than others it doesnt mean that theyre not beautiful because they are.

But i cant tell my self that, because i dont believe it i feel so horrible and so discusting. I would just like to say that all those bullys out there that have been taunting me and others about there weight that they should just stop and think that they might be ruining someones life, they will never get the self confidence back that they have lost. Its hurtful and in my mind the bullys are the discusting ones, even if they are size tens and have perfect bodys, doesnt make them beautiful.People with weight problems beat them self up enough without others pocking fun too.

I hope too loose weight before summer, and hope that other people do to, but dont feel pressurised into doing something because someone else wants you to, you have to want to do it for your self.

Lotsa Love ABI X X X X X

Hey,
I am 11 years old, 5'3, and i weigh 140lbs, which sux, No guy would like anyone like me. The guyes at my skool only like "skinny s". There is this one at my skool who is like the sise of a pole, and almost all the guyes her. I HER!!! I really wish i could be skinny, and pretty. I do excersise though... 3-6 times a week for 30min atleast, and i do run some.

I do have advice for people on diets...The reason why you dont lose weight for the first couple of weeks your on a diet is because your body is already set at a certain weight it wants to be at. You will gradually lose weight though. I am mad also because my mom wont let me go on a diet!!!

Please write back
Mary

im 14. i feel fat. im trying to go on a diet but since the only nice looking people in my school are on sports i feel ill never be thin. my brothers popular. he tells me about the girls who he goes out with. they are all thin. if no one in my school has ever lost weight than how will i? i havent noticed anyone at my school thinner. i have recently lost 15 pounds. i used to be 145. now im 131. im 5'6" and i have t lose atleast 10 pounds by may. i dont want to tell my family members about my weight because if they ever get mad at me they will make fun of me by taking advantage of my insecurity.and i dont even like complaing about my weight because i like people thinking i dont care what they think. i mainly do except recently i started caring about my weight. do you think i will lose the weight? will i ever be thin? or are most people who are fat stay fat? and while im trying to diet its so hard. i cant tell anyone about my insecurity so i cant tell my dad to stop ordering pizza and taking us out to mcdonalds every night. i dont want to be caught excercising. i want to join a sport but i cant. my schools sports teams are the best in the state and ive only played 2 years of soccer in 4th and 5th grade and stopped playing when i moved so im very bad at it. does any one know any workouts i can do in the privacy of my room that actually work.

I think that if your family won't support you, you seriously need to sit down and talk to them about how what they're doing is making you feel. I'm sure they'd sympathise. But, although weight loss seems impossible, you will achieve results if you stick at a simple low-calorie diet, and exercise regularly - I assure you. If you didn't want others to know, you can always opt for lower calorie versions of 'normal' foods, and exercise of a night in your room, crunches, leg raises, ect. I'm 5 foot 6 also, at 16. 6 months ago I weighed 190lb. Now I'm 140lb. I admit, it was never easy, I was forever impatient lol. But now I've reached my goal, I forever find it hard to stay at it, I always seem to go a little under so have to remember to treat myself now and then. :P
I think everyones weight is individual, bones structures can effect your BMI massively. Also, I think that whatever your weight, if you're comfortable with it, you'll always appear attractive.
~ Whatever your weight or size, if you're toned, your confidence will increase. It'll also make you appear more 'attractive'. ~

Hi,
Along with many of you, I'm overweight. Last month, I was considered obese. I've always been looked down upon because of my weight. Not only am I overweight, but I'm an overweight cheerleader. A lot of people would give up on this, but I've stuck it out. So ya, I always felt shame being in that cheerleading uniform and having all that fat hanging out. Tryouts are this coming week, and this is the first time I'm actually ready to try out. The first time, I look somewhat like the other cheerleaders. The summer going into seventh grade I weighed 162 lbs, 5 feet 6 inches. Yes, that's not so big, but it's still not barbie doll size. Last July, I went to the doctor to get a cheerleading physical, I weighed 195 lbs. I turned sixteen in Feb. on that day I decided to make a decision to seriously lose weight. My boyfriend, who is the same height as me weighs 115 lbs, my best friend, once again the same height as me weighs 100 lbs, all around me people are skinny. I was envious of their looks. In fact, my boyfriend is so skinny, that he can stick his stomach up inside him with his stomach muscles. I took action. I know weigh 170 lbs. How did I lose 25 lbs in a month? I joined my school's track team. Maybe you don't have a chance to do this, but I can still tell you about the workout we do, that really works. First, you need to change your diet. When I feel hungry, I drink water or suck on a piece of hard candy. This doesn't mean that I don't eat, I do, but I eat slowly, and try eating with the opposite hand than what you write with. That makes you eat slower and with smaller bites, which fills you up faster. After you are filled, stop eating, you don't have to eat everything on your plate. Try to eat less meat, especially red meat has a lot of fat in it. If you really like meat, cut off the excess fat. Try eating smaller portions, but don't completely cold turkey yourself, start with taking away a little bit at a time. But never stop eating. We do a workout in track called abs. You begin by laying on your back on the floor (make sure you have at least one blanket under you), start with crunches, then do crunches on both sides, next point your toes towards the air and reach for your toes, next lift your butt up in the air while your toes are still pointed (this one is kinda of hard), finally hold your feet six inches from the ground. Do each one twenty times, or thirty seconds each. You may take a break in between each one for the first run. The second time, you should try to do them continous. You can modify this workout to meet your own needs. Remember the more you keep doing them, the more you'll become accustomed to them. This workout really works on your stomach, I can see the outline of my ribs now, and I'm a lot harder than I was before. Try doing them everyday. Everyday before track practice begins, we run a half mile. It is a lot for the beginning, so try walking a little bit at first, and set a goal where you want to be up to before a certain date. Be determined, stick with it. Lifting weights can also help, but not really for losing weight, lifting weights will turn your fat into muscle and make your body more toned. If you are serious about losing weight, you need to become serious about your diet and exercise. Don't set a goal that is impossible to reach. Don't tell yourself that you will start tmw, start today. Don't think you are going to be able to go from 300 lbs down to 100 lbs in a year. Yes, it might happen, but how likely is it to happen. My goal is to be able to run three miles and join the distance running part of my school's track team. Most importantly, DON'T STOP EATING. My mother and I both stopped eating. My mother had to be hospitalized and wasn't allowed to complete her senoir year of high school, in her actual high school, on her graduation day she walked across the stage, directly after that they took her back to the hospital and she wasn't allowed to have a graduation party. I stopped eating in seventh grade, all this did was mess up my stomach. So now if I eat a lot, my stomach will hurt so bad that I cry. It also gave me more severe menstrual cramps, that I can't even get to go away. Throwing up, will really screw up your esphagus and stomach, so plainly don't do it. It's really not worth it. Another thing, situps will help with menstrual cramps. I hope someone got something out of this. Just stick to whatever you decide, but if you don't take serious action, you will be obese for the rest of your life. I'm sorry but with a family history of heart disease, that truely scares me. STICK WITH WHATEVER YOU DECIDE! EXERCISE AND DIET ARE REALLY THE BEST THING!
Walking's benefits.....
It supports weight loss and weight maintenance.
It reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke.
It fends off diabetes by improving the body's ability to use insulin.
It eases the pain and stiffness of arthritis.
It keeps bones strong, which prevents osteoporosis.
In women, it relieves premenstrual and menopausal discomforts.
It improves sleep.
It builds strength, flexibility, and stamina.
It enhances mental function.
It counteracts anger, depression, and anxiety.

Hey guys like most of you I am over weight yet I am very active in any sport you can think of soccer (keeper) basketball (point guard) volly ball hockey, and soft ball. I am very strong and I have alot of muscle but along with muscle I have alot of fat i am 15 and weight almost as much as my dad i weigh more that my brother (19) I weight 187 pounds. i No that I am healthy because of how althetic I am but for me it is the junk food factor i always buy my lunch at school which is not healthy at all I always buy candy at school and the worst thing is I have A slurpee like everyday i resently (today) descided I needed to loose weight and I have to be able to do many push ups because I am now at a metro leval in soccer so thats my story there are many people out in the world that have the same problems......

i think that making rude comments about kids is wrong. i am 12 and weigh 187 lbs what do i think, law should be set and not pushed under a desk somewheres. these kids who make fun know that its not right.

i weigh 133 pounds and im 12 and im 4ft 11inches am i overweight or not or underweight from sxywelshgirl

Hi my name is Ashley im 5ft 17 and my waight is 140lbs, im totaly concerned about what ive been doing to loose waight i need help ive tryed every thing. i wish i was 125 agin.
Ashley

Ashley, i am in the absolute exact same position as you. don;t feeel bad, ok?

hi im 15 years old and I weigh about 150. I think Im fat even though people compare me to skinny actresses. I afraid of what people think and cant bear embarrassment. More than anything, all I want is to hear the truth and hear it from someone who has never lied to me. that has never happened. when I see food, i know I want to eat it and cant stop myself from wanting it. When I star eating, its very hard for me to stop. I have a psychological problem and I have to be aware before it controls me. Its not easy for me to lose weight, but I will do anything just to feel good about myself.

hi people i dont share the same problem with you but im 19 turning 20 and apparently i look like like a 16 year old i hate it i can eat so much but i still stay at a very bad weight line it pisses me off in a way i can say that its put me down in most aspects i want to achieve and goals ,my height body shape and weight piss me off i have even classified myself as an outcast if anyone has the same problem please help me by tellin me im not alone thank you for listening

i am a fat teenager, and i am constantly put to shame by my mother. I can't help but eat becuase i ilke it. my mother makes me feel really guilty about eating and i occasionally throw it back up through sheer guilt. Hurtful comments are made bby bullies to boost their self-esteem. you don't make mean nad hurtful comments to someone to 'help' them... last year i had severe depression due tpo the pressure my mother put onto me to lose weight. we 'fatties' don't need you to remind us of our shame. we shouldn't even have to ashamed!

hi im 15 and im about 5'8 and weight 224 pounds. i use to be a skinny kid intel about 6th grade when i started gaining weight and i didnt make any real friends so i would stay home all the time and i would never leave and i just ate all the time. By the time i was in 9th grade i was still gaining weight and i still didnt have much friends and stuff just kept on getting worst. now im in 10th grade im now staying the same weight but i still have no friends because i just kinda stopped trying everytime i think someone is my friend i get stapped in the back by them plus last wekk i got food tossed at my face on the bus no one said anything realy about it. it kinda gets me sad to see me on New Years and super bowl when ur realy sopose to be with friends im alone and doing nothing i also sometimes fell so depress that my chest starts to hurt for some reason.

well if anyone has any tips for me to turn my life around that would be nice

Good Luck to everyone else

Hi im lee-i feel like im at an AA meeting-anyway im 18 from south africa and im at university-i recently discovered after a long time of avoiding the scale that i weigh 100kg thats about 230 pounds-im so scared i don't know what 2 do i have never been this heavy before-im depressed and have no self-esteem-food is my drug isn't that pathetic? I can't seem 2 stay on a diet long and i hate it! Im scared im gonna die a lonely old spinster cause i have never even had a boyfriend-u see hear in south africa if u fat no guy will be attracted 2 u cause its all about the body, i have 2 admitt that i am prettier than many of my thin friends but when we go 2 club or whatever i will never get any attention and guys just seem 2 flock around my friends-it makes me feel like a total loser and idiot! I need 2 lose weight if i don't within the next year suicide will be the next option!

Well, I have been fat all my life, and in recent years, I discovered how it has affected me in more ways than I ever imagined. I am really driven and want to be successful, and I have been successful academically. But my being fat is something that makes me so frustrated and depressed sometimes.

When I was young, like when I was in kindergarten, I was a very confident and outgoing person. I didn't have an issue with my weight at that time because you know, when you're a little kid, you can be considered cute when you're actually chubby.

But ever since then, I have been occasionally teased. I wasn't too bothered because I knew I was fat. But being aware of how the society views fat people, how guys never date fat girls, and the news such as how fat people are discriminated against in career all made me become a very shy and self-conscious person. Now when I go to a new place where I am bound to meet a lot of new people, I screen the room first, and when I see that everybody else is fit and pretty, I feel depressed because I feel like nobody is interested in getting to know me. So I avoid talking to people, feeling like if I go up to people I might disgust them. Also when I tried out for a very competitive club, that admitted only about 10% of applicants, and got rejected, I just assumed that I got rejected because I was fat.

Realizing how being fat has negatively affected my life, I decided to lose weight. I know that I'm in for a long run. A few years ago I lost 40 lbs but gained 20 lbs back within a year. So I'm not focusing on producing a tangible result in a short time; I'm trying to think of my goal as leading an overall healthy life. So I try to eat healthier food and work out regularly, but I also try not to get stressed out when I occasionally miss workouts or eat desserts.

It really sucks, but I know that if I cannot change the world, I will just have to adapt to it. Nonetheless, the world should me more of an accepting place.

I'm sorry about this super long post. I just got carried away because I've never had an opportunity to write down my thoughts, save my occasional scribble in a diary.

Thank you!

hi, im 224lbs and im 13 so i just feel so bad when a-hole
boys comes to me and say so-and-so wants to go out with u {they mean u r the ugliest girl i have EVER seen so if u even think about having any dignity u can just flush that down the toilet}.i just feel so ..... angry and sad. so, after that i go home and cry my eyes out i hate everyone {including myself}!!I NEED HELP!!!! anyone who has advice or wants to share their feelings e-mail me
@ kittensarajayne12@hotmail.com

your bidy is your temple worshipe it like there was no tomorow.

I am 13 years old and about to be 14 on the 11th. My boyfriend turned 14 on March 20th and that isn't much of a difference in age, but I weigh more than him. He doesn't know, and I am afraid to tell him because he thinks that I am "skinny". Now I don't agree with him at all and all of my friends say I am skinny. OK I am 13, 5'2", and about 113 pounds. My boyfriend is 14, 5'6"(about) and wieghs like 109. Now I think HE is too skinny, and I just want to weigh lees than him. I have tried everything. Please help me lose weight!

Maggi Your bestfriend just has to gan some weight your perfecly normale i`m also 14 but i`m 5,1 and 120. Dont worry your ok.

sxywelshgirl Your not to over weight just a littole if you already work out then i`ll segest some thing better and tell you that musle weightd more then. Fat so if your trying to be very musculer and you worry about your weight then stop know and just drink 360ml of wather aday when your are hungery for a snake like chips or chocolate have wather. Dont skeep any mealsnot one but watch what your feeding your self. Try not to eat to meany calories a day.

excersise it helps trust me i no""

It will unless your like bench pressing

My name is Cassy and I'm not Obese.

hey i am 15 years old and have just gained over a 100 pounds with in the last 6 months. i now weigh 287 lbs and feel so ugly. i use to love my body and now i hate it and myself. i have to now go too the plus sizes and that makes me feel even more bad. i can't go out and play with my friends any more because i get tired so fast. I run out of breath just walkingt up the stairs in my house, so imagen how i feel walking up four flights at school. my life is hourable i need help!!!

I think that it is more a parents fault for their child gaining weight. They want to sit there and blame the state which it takes up to years for children to become obese. They make it sound like it took 4 days...i think that children should STOP eating unhealthy foods and stop being lazy and just try new things.

-kristen