Am I on the right track?

rosabella412

I am 5 ft. 4 and 18 years old, and have always been chunky (like size 14). I went through puberty really early and just gained so much weight when I was around 9, and my mother put me in soccer-didn't lose one single pound. After being bullied and just treated inferior by society, I really want nothing more than to be thin. I used to be 189 (my highest) when I was 14, but then I started making new habits. When I was 15 and 16, I ate half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch. For the past 2 years, I've only been eating yogurt (activia vanilla) and maybe a cheese stick (80 calories). I do eat breakfast though- around 400 cals. Then when I get home I try not to eat past 4 p.m., so I'll eat maybe 400-500 more calories. Right now I am 155 lbs, bf %: 31.1, 40.1% skeletal muscle, and 6.4 bone mass, and 1416 BMR. I've lost weight really gradually over the years, but for college, I really wanna be around 120 lbs by August or September. I'm trying to exercise more (Abs everyday, HITT 3x a week, and popsugar workouts) . I sort of had (probs still do) a food addiction after my father left when I was really young. I love white anything. But I completely cut out grains (except for quinoa, but I still don't eat it often). I try to do 50 g carb, 60-90 g protein, and 60-70 g of fat for about 1200 calories. I also heard maybe 1200 isn't a lot, but buying healthier food is harder to pig out on it, since it costs more. So now I'm not really getting the extra "bad" calories I would from my say quarter pounder at McDonald's. Plus my mom thinks I eat too much as I do already. I try to eat a lot of veggies though to get my nutrients. I eat spinach everyday, love liver. Nonetheless, what do you guys think could help me out some? Comments, suggestions? Sometimes I just feel like what's the point. My friends never had to worry about their weight. Everything just always worked out, and they ate worse than me even before I started my journey. Sighs. I truly hate being an endomorph.

RelCanonical

There's a lot to take in here.

Don't listen to your mother, you're taking in bare minimum calories here. I lose easily on 1,200 and I'm three inches shorter than you and weigh a little less. How are you tracking the accuracy of your calorie counts?

No such thing as good or bad calories, just foods that are nutritionally dense and those that mostly just have calories and not much in the way of micronutrients. Both are going to cause weight loss if you are in a deficit.

Body types are so insignificant that they don't really matter, it just gauges overall body shape, and doesn't factor into weight. They are thin because they are not eating in a calorie surplus. You don't see them 24/7, so you can't gauge what they have to do to stay that way.

ahoy_m8

I’m sorry you have had a hard time with it. I was an emotional eating wreck as a teen and consequently was also chunky. I hear you on having friends that don’t seem to struggle, but then, you never know what someone else is going through. I have a friend that says if we all put our challenges out on a table for everyone to see, most of us would take our own back over what others are dealing with. But take heart, things will sort out. I lost the freshman 15 when all my peers were gaining it that first year in college. And I have maintained my college weight about 30 years (pregnancy notwithstanding). This doesn’t have to follow you through life.

Honestly, it sounds like you’re doing everything right. You only have 30lb to go. 26 weeks is doable. Your calories sound low to me but you don’t mention how you’re measuring so maybe your intake is a little higher (most of us undercount). If your BMR is 1416, and if your workouts put you in “lightly active”, your maintenance calories are ~1950. So you can lose 1lb/wk on more like 1450, with accurate counting. Your carbs sound super low and your protein kinda low, but everyone has different preferences.

Nutrition rule of thumb:
Protein- 0.8g * goal weight OR MORE
Fat- 0.35g * present weight OR MORE
Carbohydrates- there’s no minimum but your brain needs 50g plus 25-30g fiber for women. As long as you’re getting the protein & fat minimums, there’s no problem eating the rest of your calories in carbs. It really just comes down to what you like.

I truly wish the best for you, rosabella. And don’t worry about endomorphs/endomorphs... it’s not really a thing.

JCoop9

You may want to consider talking to someone about the emotional aspect of all of this for you. While you definitely can lose the weight, the toll your past experiences has taken may rob you of the joy in the accomplishment.

Lillymoo01

I'd suggest making an appointment with a dietician and counsellor so that you can deal with your emotions, develop a healthier relationship with food and learn more about adequate nutrition.

smolmaus

rosabella412 wrote: »

Sometimes I just feel like what's the point. My friends never had to worry about their weight. Everything just always worked out, and they ate worse than me even before I started my journey.

You're right to be thinking "What is the point?"

Is the point to feel more acceptable? To get your mother off your back? To manage your food addiction/ broken relationship with food? Being "thin" won't fix any of these things. Pinning your hopes for happiness on weight loss is a recipe for disaster because you end up the same person with the same problems, just with one less thing to blame.

I agree with others that a counselor should be your first port of call. And learning to ignore your mother. You can lose weight in a healthy and sensible way but your current mindset is going to make it much harder for you than it has to be.