Gained and Confused - Help!

mattiewinowitch
mattiewinowitch Posts: 3 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hi everyone- I am an 18 year old who just graduated high school. I care so much about being healthy - some would call it an obsession. I have an overwhelming Fear of being fat and gaining that "freshman 15". Everyone who knows me knows I love to eat. I have a fairly thin build with some assets and a pretty high metabolism rate. I've generally been the same weight since i was 12.. Until now. I can't say anything has changed except I have started excercising more and trying to watch what I eat if exercise isn't an option. Since October, I have gained at least 10 lbs. I am freaking out. The weird thing is, I don't see it in the mirror. I notice some parts of me don't look as "childish"-- i used to have really bad "chicken legs" and barely any boobs, butt, etc. so there are definitely some growths in these areas. But after exercising for the past month or two i feel healthier, I have a longer endurance, I'm more muscular, I finally like what I see in the mirror. But the number on the scale is not corresponding with what I see. as someone who gets anxiety when I think I'm getting unhealthy, this is extremely terrifying. Could someone please explain to me why this weight gain is happening on the scale even though I think I look and feel great?

Replies

  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    What you're describing sounds like you may benefit from talking to your doctor or a therapist. At 18, your body still has the potential for growth. It may just have been a late growth spurt. But whatever is going on, the amount of fear you have about gaining weight is something of a red flag that you may not have a healthy relationship with food and weight. Please consider talking with someone about it.
  • terar21
    terar21 Posts: 523 Member
    I can't really tell you why you've gained weight without more details (well...technically yes but I'm not sure it would be productive in this case).

    Leaving that alone...

    1) bodies naturally change and grow as we can older. Most of us don't resemble our 12 year old body for the rest of our lives...and that's generally a good thing.

    2) If you're happy with your body, the scale shouldn't matter. Weight is literally just a number. The number doesn't correspond with what you're seeing because you've assigned some arbitrary value to a random number that isn't the determining factor of how you actually look. Worrying about a number on the scale rather than the visual of what you like is what drives people to achieve numbers that aren't right for their bodies. I've actually been 15 pounds lighter than I am right now...but this is by far the best I've ever looked IMO. If I worried about that number that I was before, I'd drive myself crazy. And I'd look crazy if I was 15 pounds lighter with the body composition I have right now. I know why I had a smaller scale number before...I lacked muscle.

    I would definitely seek someone to talk about this with because fear and freaking out about this is something you need to solve.

    If you are happy, ignore the scale. Leave it alone. If you gained weight and have a better appearance, it's probably best to forget that past number.
  • Gska17
    Gska17 Posts: 752 Member
    My body has changed a ton from when I was 18 and it's only natural. Some photos:

    Here I am at 20 and probably 115 pounds:
    7vup7cddvpms.jpg

    Here I am around my heaviest (150 pounds) age 34:
    ic2fslw019rl.jpg

    I'm now 35 and am sitting pretty at 129 pounds.

    My point is you'll likely change a bit and it's ok. It can be surprising...I remember. It's good you're already thinking about this! I remember thinking I'd be skinny forever. :D


  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    I study adolescents for a living. First, they are right - you should think about seeing a counselor. It's great to want to be healthy and work towards those goals. It isn't healthy to be obsessed or worry about it when you're already at a good weight. It's a great thing to get settled before you go to college. It's more important to lose unhealthy thoughts than the freshman 5.

    Second, 18 is a typical age when you change from a lanky adolescent body to a mature, lovely adult body. It's the end of the pubertal stage (which takes several years). You'll see changes in your jaw, your ribs, your pelvis in bone structure. You'll see more muscle if you exercise - you are now able to be much better built as an adult than a kid. All those things have weight. Enjoy them.

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