How young is too young?

lakebreeze1

I think young people are beginning to worry too much about their weight. Some young people that don't even have a weight problem worries about it. You need to enjoy your young life without that kind of worry. If a teenager gets the proper exercise and chooses healthy meals, I don't think most teens would have a weight problem. Your matabolism is so good at that age. I don't think anyone, young or old, should let themselves get too large because it isn't healthy. It is so hard to lose weight and is the hardest thing I have ever tried to do. I didn't make those healthy choices, LOL, however, I do now. Eat fruit instead of sugar and maybe you will never have a weight problem. I don't believe in letting our weight become an obsession. It is all about getting healthy and making the right food choices and most of the time our weight will fall in place to where it should be.

AshJasper

I think young people are beginning to worry too much about their weight. Some young people that don't even have a weight problem worries about it. You need to enjoy your young life without that kind of worry. If a teenager gets the proper exercise and chooses healthy meals, I don't think most teens would have a weight problem. Your matabolism is so good at that age. I don't think anyone, young or old, should let themselves get too large because it isn't healthy. It is so hard to lose weight and is the hardest thing I have ever tried to do. I didn't make those healthy choices, LOL, however, I do now. Eat fruit instead of sugar and I don't think at your age you will ever have to worry about it. I don't believe in letting our weight become an obsession. It is all about getting healthy and making the right food choices and most of the time our weight will fall in place to where it should be.

^^ this

ashnm88

They say young people can eat whatever they want and be fine, but not always the case. Healthy eating and moderation are key for any again.

Kenzietea2

I don't think there is such thing as too young to understand healthy foods, but to be worrying about weight and what your body looks like, there is an age that is 'too young'... I just don't know what that age is. All I know when I was in high school and was a size 4/6, and thinking I was fat, that's not a healthy mindset.

dbrightwell1270

I think there may be an underlying question here that is how young is too young to be obsessing about your weight and body image, which I would say is very very different from how young is too young to be worried about being healthy and doing what it takes to be healthy. I would say any age is too young to be obsessive about weight and body image. I don't think you an ever be too young to focus on eating right, exercising and achieving muscle balance. If you do those things, the scale will take care of itself.

Aliciaaah

My mom signed me and my brother up for LA Weight Loss (similar to weight watchers, I think) when I was 17 and he was 14. She's always pressured me to lose weight. I always wanted to lose weight but never wanted to try, and she never helped. When I was about 14 she told me if I lost 20 lbs she would buy me crop tops and get my bellybutton pierced. Looking back, I was never even that big! When she signed me up for LA weight loss I clocked in at 179. I would KILL to be that now, at 214.

I don't know if there is an age that's too young, as long as the focus is on being healthy, not being skinny. And as long as it's what they want, without any pressure. It's a good quality to be conscientious.

Rhea30

You both have very interesting points. I'm just curious on different people's views on if it's unhealthy for young people to be really concerned about their weight (and by young I mean in high school). Sometimes I'm just afraid I'm becoming to obsessive with it and that I'm too hard on myself.

Its not unhealthy to be concern with weight unless you are doing things which are unhealthy for your weight. It is always good to be concern with your health no matter what age and that is what you should focus on is just being healthy. If you're being healthy then you're weight will most likely reflect that.

Weezieishness

I think that any child or teenager worrying about weight and size is unhealthy. As long as they are still living with parents/caregivers, then it is their responsibility to make sure the kids/teenagers eat healthy and exercise, and that they know how and why to eat healthily so that they will when not at home too.

I'm not saying if they become overweight it's the parents fault as such, but it is their responsibility to help them do something about it without affecting their self-esteem and body image.

I started becoming overweight when I was 9 years old. At the time my Mum was constantly going from diet to diet, trying different things every couple of weeks and then giving up. I was growing, and when I outgrew some of my clothes my Mother scolded and nagged me that I was getting fat and needed to diet, but gave me no help in choosing better foods or in trying to exercise more. As a result, I just became obsessed with weight, thought I was extremely obese and ugly even though I was still a healthy weight at that point, and tried to 'diet' by not eating my lunch at school, getting extremely hungry and tired, and even binging, which made me gain weight and eventually I actually was overweight. I had no idea about nutrition or health at that age.

Rhea30

They say young people can eat whatever they want and be fine, but not always the case. Healthy eating and moderation are key for any again.

I wish I was one of those young people when I was young!

recriger

This is where I want to say things like "kids shouldn't have to think about those things.". Of course i hate the word "should". I prefer the 3 step thought process.

What do you want it to be?
What can you do to achieve that?
What have you done to achieve that?

Of course that doesn't address the question. In todays world where we aren't as active, and our kids aren't as active, we need the nutritional knowledge. I remember the 4 food group lectures way back in grade school, so I know we were taught something about how to eat right. So i would hope that it is still adressed today. So yes, I don' t think there is a minimum age to learn how to track what you eat any more. the problem becomes, as someone mentioned earlier, who is going to watch and tell a kid if they have gone too far? i used to work in a highschool. Fairly wealthy neighborhood. It was the kind of place where the houses were 400-500 grand, but if you ever went inside they would have camping furniture.

Anyway, I remember one instance where one of the teachers aides (para), a great lady in her mid sixties, took a young lady aside to talk to her about being WAY too skinny. I mean knees wider than her thighs skinny, and still working out every night. Well the next day she was walked out of the building. Luckily she was near retiring anyway. The girls parents threatened the principal with a lawsuit over the conversation. A "how dare she" kind of thing.

That is what makes the entire subject very difficult. I've heard a lot of "someone should say something.". Well who wants to get mixed up in a lawsuit for trying to help. In some ways we have come to that.

jcstanton

You both have very interesting points. I'm just curious on different people's views on if it's unhealthy for young people to be really concerned about their weight (and by young I mean in high school). Sometimes I'm just afraid I'm becoming to obsessive with it and that I'm too hard on myself.

Developing healthy habits at your age is certainly a good thing, but I wouldn't put much emphasis on being concerned specifically about weight unless a health professional tells you directly that there is a valid reason to be concerned with it. First, if you haven't had a wellness checkup or physical with your doctor recently, that would be a good place to start. Good health starts from the inside out. You can have a discussion with your doctor about any concerns you may have, and he/she may be able to give you a better idea of whether or not those concerns are justified. In general, I would say it would be better for a teenager to exercise portion control, rather than count calories, though. And by portion control, I don't mean you have to weigh and measure every single thing you eat. There are guidelines you can use to "eyeball" a correct portion. It's not good to get into a habit of over indulging at meals, but you don't want to under nourish your body either. Make sure you have a realistic, healthy perception of what a correct portion looks like. Choosing healthy foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats over junk food and fast food is also important for good health. Also, 30-45 minutes of vigorous exercise per day is a good habit to get into...even as a teenager. You could start by going for a walk/run in your neighborhood or a local park. If you have an interest in sports, go out for one of the sports teams at your high school. All of that being said, if you're concerned that you are developing an unhealthy obsession with your weight and/or food, PLEASE, talk to a parent or guidance counselor. Seek help now before it becomes a full on eating disorder. The fact that you are even asking this question, tells me that you have a good head on your shoulders. Most teenagers wouldn't even recognize that there might be a problem with the way they perceive their bodies. If you find yourself comparing your body/weight/shape/size to that of the girls around you or the media images that you are faced with.....STOP DOING THAT. There is no such thing as a "perfect" body. Every body is different. No matter how hard you try, you will never look exactly like someone else. It's all about being the healthiest YOU you can be.

garnet1483

I think it depends on the person. I was very concerned with my weight from about the age of 8, and unfortunately, it escalated into an ED by the time I was 14. It was an obsession, and it wasn't healthy, and I didn't realize it. I think, if you have thoughts about your weight, but you're concerned about your age and being able to handle the situation, that you should be open about it with your doctor, school nurse, and/or parents. They'll be able to help you look at your weight objectively, and manage any weight loss you want or need to attempt in a healthy way. The important thing, from my experience, is to stay positive about yourself, no matter what. You as a person are not tied to you as a number on a scale. It sounds like you're very thoughtful, and that's good. It's fine to watch your weight and watch your calories, but make sure you're doing it in a healthy way.

970Mikaela1

I have a seven year old daughter that will imitate and eat the same things i do. My goal for her is to help her learn healthy habits that will last her a life time. gotta say tho one of the funniest things ive ever seen is her trying to do push ups with me! her arms are pretty little and i can beat her doing pushups but shes going to have a six pack way before i do if i ever do) cuz at seven she whips out situps like they are nothing!!!!!

bobie1978

I have always watched what my daughter eats.. I don't deprive her of anything but don't allow her to over do it either. Since I have poor eating habits and always have and they are hard to change as you get older. I don't think its never to early to start showing healthy eating habits.

karinaes

any age is too young to be obsessing over weight. never too young to worry about the health, however.

you may have to be careful on the "obsessing" too much about your weight.
my university houses a private high school and it seems like most those girls have eating disorders
i'm not saying that because of the way they look necessarily, but i've overheard at least 3 different conversations of different group of those high school girls ...all talking about how they freak out if they weigh over 100 lb.

Rompa_87

I come from a Psych background and couldn't really say any specific age is too young to worry about calories.

Personally, if you are counting calories AT ANY AGE to the point where it becomes dysfunctional then it's bad. If you cannot enjoy a meal out with friends at a restaurant because you do not know how the food is prepared or if even the rare piece of chocolate sends you into guilt mode then you have taken it too far.

If you are on a super restricted low calorie diet (those crazy under 1200cal, or even 1200cal imo) then you have taken it too far. If you feel distressed for taking days off to recover when you are sick or injured then you have taken it too far.

Like most people have posted here you can never be too young to set healthly lifestyle goals. For example, eating mostly natural whole foods with the rare junk food snack or meal out is a good lifestyle choice and realistic. As is exercising most days of the week if getting fitter or stronger is your goal. However, if you get constantly run down, sick or injured and do not take time off then you are no longer living healthy.

Bikini27

I've been aware of my weight and my issues since I was a very little girl.

Wanting to be healthy and being aware of what you are putting into your body should not have an age limit.

If it becomes an obsession in any way, at any age, a person should seek a counselor or a trained professional to learn how to be healthy without obsessing and hurting themselves.

peachNpunkin

I think that if we start our children off eating a healthy lifestyle right out of the shoot, they won't have to do what we are having to do when they become adults.

I don't know that there is an actual age limit in all reality. I have a friend who has an 8 year old daughter who weighs 130 pounds. Is she too young to start counting calories? I think that if she has the support of her parents (who are the reason she is the wt that she is in my opinion) it could be done safely, under a doctor's supervision of course.

I think it depends on the situation.

LaurenAOK

You both have very interesting points. I'm just curious on different people's views on if it's unhealthy for young people to be really concerned about their weight (and by young I mean in high school). Sometimes I'm just afraid I'm becoming to obsessive with it and that I'm too hard on myself.

I think it definitely depends on maturity level more than age, so for some high schoolers it may be appropriate to count calories. That being said, if you are concerned about yourself that could be a red flag. If food and calorie counting starts to make you feel depressed or you are developing self-esteem issues, please seek help. Unfortunately high school is a very common time for eating disorders to develop.

Overall, I'd say it's great to think about health and want to lead a healthy lifestyle at any age. Children should be taught to exercise and eat appropriate portion sizes - and to make healthy food choices. However, getting really involved and counting calories does have the danger of causing an obsession, even for adults. Again, please be careful and monitor yourself.

hellraisedfire

I think at any age it's important. just because you're an obese 3 year old doesn't mean you can't experience adverse effects. but like many people are saying, if it's becoming an obsession that's probably an issue. I've also talked to a cardiologist who said there's studies on people who reverse heart damage by being extremely heathy but some of these people in the study committed suicide. so I think that's a really, REALLY good indicator that moderation of foods we like are GOOD for us!