do you guys think setting a less distant goal will help? like instead of 105, 115
~Adara

122 lbs
13 yrs
goal: 105 or less

HI Adara,

You are in eighth grade. Be healthy and happy.

His Joy,
Tricia O.

i know i'm in 8th grade. i'm also overweight.

How tall are you?? People's bodies change a lot through the teenage years, puberty happens. I wouldn't worry about it too much, but if you are, just try to eat better (more fruits and veggies) and cut out pop and sweets.

definitely set a smaller goal. I made the mistake of telling myself to lose the 7lbs straight off. And that didn't work for me at all.

Setting a smaller goal seems more doable because frankly, we all want to lose as much as possible as soon as possible, which is.. impossible lol

So in your case, set as a goal 117 so that when you get to 120lbs, you'll tell yourself, wow, almost there! I can do it! then when you get there, you set another goal of similar caliber (cuz it'll be harder to lose as you get to your goal!)

once you meet your first goal, don't think it's over yet though cuz that'll defeat the purpose! but a bit of cake wouldn't hurt as a treat!

Even though I shouldn't have, I treated myself to a brownie :s but even with that, including my workout, I think I was at something like 1300 calories for the entire day and full of protein so I was okay!

At 13, you have a chance to begin healthy eating habits that will keep you slim and healthy all your life.

I agree you should set a series of smaller weight loss goals on your way to your ideal weight, but I think it's even more important to set goals like drinking water and juice instead of soft drinks, or choosing salads, chicken or fish, and fruits over candy, burgers, and fries.

Finding a way to enjoy healthy, real foods will help you reach your goal weight now and then stay there through your adult life.

When I lost weight I had my big end goal of hitting 149 and then lots of little goals in bewteen and I'd give myself rewards for getting to each point. I chose to use non-food rewards, but that was personal choice. I used a smallish reward for every 5 pounds and a bigger one for every 10 pounds I lost (but I also had a lot more weight that I needed to lose than you).

I also agree with the others though - develop a healthy lifestyle now so that you don't need to worry about it for the rest of your life.

Tanya

Thanks!!!

i'm 5 feet tall [more like short. lol]

Yeah, don't worry about it. Sign up for your school's cross country team or the track team. Heck, any sports team for that matter. It'll help and you'll have a lot of fun.

i can't do any sports (besides taekwondo which i do but it hasnt really helped. when i started i was less than 99 lbs and now i'm 122 ish) because my mom doesnt let me. I do dance in school though, and this summer at camp, i might do softball.

Hi Adara. I'm another shortie - 4'11" here. Those extra pounds really show up on a small frame, don't they?

I have the same advise as the others. Since you're still growing, you need to make good food choices instead of just looking at the number of calories you consume. Lean protein like low-fat dairy, legumes, fish and skinless white poultry, lots of fresh vegetables, some fruit and whole grains, and a little good quality fat like olive oil. And even though it is frustrating to lose weight slowly, that is the healthiest way to do it. So yes, have a series of small, achievable goals.

Good luck.

Make sure that you are taking into account different builds and such when you are deciding that you are overweight. I thought I was fat all through my youth - and perhaps I was a bit. But I look back now and realize that I wasn't anywhere NEAR as fat as I thought. I just am not built like an anorexic boy! (which is what seems to be perenially popular in the media) I'm pretty short too - 5'2" - but I'm also curvy. Be healthy and be who you were born to be. Just make sure you aren't stressing trying to be someone else, y'know?

Hey Adara,

When I was 13-14 (meaning, in 8th grade), I tried Weight Watchers. It really helped me control my portion sizes and create balanced meals. I know that a lot of people say that Weight Watchers isn't good because it doesn't promote a healthy lifestyle, because virtually you can eat junk food so long as you don't go over your points. But, quite the contrary, you wind up finding foods that keep you fuller, and you try to find low point (meaning low calorie and high fiber) foods that keep you full so you can make it through the day. Basically those foods are fruits and veggies! I just think that if you try a program where you are making the decision to eat fruits and veggies instead of junk food, but still allow yourself to have junk food within reason, is a great thing to do especially for being in 8th grade. Personally, when people tell me i need more fruits and veggies and to have a better lifestyle, i just add in those fruits and veggies...but i don't subtract other foods, so in the end i wound up eating a lot more than i would have, calorie wise. If you do weight watchers, you learn how to do the whole moderation thing. Also, for your height, the 20 points would be good for you. A lot of people are taller but weigh less than 150 pounds, and it is hard for them to eat 20 points. For you, it should be good for your current size. Just look into it ; )

Oh, and I also lost 10 pounds, 2 pant sizes, and have kept it off.

If you're wondering why I am on traineo, let's just say that I am glad I did weight watchers when I did, otherwise I would probably be trying to lose 10 pounds in addition to the weight I want to lose currently! ; ) I haven't grown since 6th grade, and asside from the 10 pounds i lost on WW, I haven't lost any other weight, but I have lost baby fat.

Good luck! (oh, and my mom got doctors permission for me to go on WW, you want to look into that, too)
Kat

I asked my mom about weight watchers, and she's like, well you have to have doctors permission. my biggest problem: my mom is a doctor! She works in the same office as my doctor, so its kind of hard. and annoying.

How about therapy?

my mom DEFINITELY wont let me do therapy.
whew. i lost .5 of the 1.5 lbs i gained between saturday and sunday.
it was weird:
Thursday- 125 lbs or 125.5 i dont remember
Saturday-122
Sunday- 123.5
Monday [today]- 123
and i didnt get any snacks from the cafeteria [since last tuesday. because chocolate 1% milk doesnt count, does it???]! i think i'll buy myself something [not food.lol]

Hmm, sounds like your mom is being kind of like a road block. (Edited to clarify: I don't mean that you should not listen to your mom, nor do I mean that she's just another obstacle in your path, and I'm sure she's trying to keep you healthy and happy. However, the approach that some moms take (stuff that's worked for them) may not work for you. Everybody is different and often it takes sitting down and having a serious discussion with ones mom to reach a compromise. You say your mom's a doctor, so I'd bet she has good reasons for saying what she has, but it would probably benefit you to sit down with her and find out what those reasons are.) I know that feeling, I was overweight in high school, and instead of trying to help me find a sport or something I liked doing, she would try to force me to go out for a walk with her (makes it more into torture and therefore it wasn't until I got to university and I had the control where I started to get into better shape).

If you work well on the reward model (I know I do) then you should set little goals like: I won't buy any junk food this week (and probably specify at the time what that includes - ie chocolate milk is okay, chocolate bar is not) and if I succeed, then I can buy myself a book (or whatever it is... the rewards should be enough to motivate you, but not too big. You want to create a healthy habit, not just go through the motions because you know you'll get a reward).

Because you're still quite young (and enjoy it), I would suggest instead of trying to outright eliminate junk food from your diet try to moderate it. Come up with an amount you can have during the week, like 1 chocolate bar. And then, when you crave it, you can decide if you want to have it now, or if you should hold off for the weekend when you're going to a movie with friends.

BTW, I know BMI isn't 100% accurate, but it's a decent estimate for most people, and when I entered your height and weight you were in the normal range.

Oh, and don't worry too much about weight values day-to-day. Your weight will fluctuate a lot over the course of a day, and you may retain water one day which will cause you to appear heavier then the next. I'd suggest looking at the trend over a week (input your weight in your profile each day) and see how you do over the course of the week - generally the same, on an upward trend or downward. Also, make sure you weigh yourself at the same time each day. First thing in the morning after going to the bathroom is a popular time.

Hope this helps.

thanks

yea. i think if i dont buy junk food or overload on junk at snack (just eat something yummy and then carrots) until our tripp to dc next wednesday i might buy a dance mat for my karaoke revolution game-- it will help for exersise. or maybe i'll buy jodi picoults new book- nineteen minutes.

"Hmm, sounds like your mom is being kind of like a road block. " Spoken like someone who perhaps isn't a mom yet...?

Adara, your mom - unless she's a complete psycho - loves you and wants you to be healthy. And as a doctor, I'm assuming she knows a little something about health. I'm not saying she's always going to be right - no one is. But don't get in the habit of completely ignoring her advice. We're a nice group of helpful people here, but none of us are ever gonna be in your corner like your mom. And none of us will have to foot the bill or suffer emotionally like your family will if you goon up your health.

(all of this spoken with friendliness and as a mom of four who is learning how freakin' hard this job is. )

Hi Blest,

I just re-looked over my first paragraph and realized I didn't quite word it correctly and so I can see how it was misunderstood. Anyway, I've gone back and edited it.

(You're right, I'm not a mom, I was speaking based on what I experienced growing up. I do agree with you that mom's what the best for their kids. But sometimes the way they go about trying to achieve those means doesn't work out like they expected or how they hope. Each kid is different, and therefore need to be treated differently. And Adara, I agree with Best, don't ignore your mothers advice, it's better to work with her to find a solution that you can both agree to.)

Very cool clarification Neesha! You rock!