Advice for my 15 year old niece

helloitssophie

Hello, This post has no relevance to my weight loss, however my niece is 15 years old and she has very distorted views on body image. She currently weighs 143lbs however thinks that her average weight should be 100lbs? Is it only me who thinks that is a very unhealthy weight? Does anyone know an average weight for a 15 year old who's 5ft 5?

Alexandra289

You could explain BMI to her - 100 pounds for her height would be very underweight but she's a healthy BMI at her weight. I remember having very distorted impressions of weight like that and it's only now really that I'm starting to realise that people are such a variety of weights and sizes and it's not the case that everyone but me is super skinny! Hopefully she'll have a more realistic image as she gets older.

shadow2soul

According to a teen bmi chart, 100lbs is the low end of healthy. Now even though it is within a healthy range, depending on her body frame & amount of muscle, this weight might not be very realistic.

I was pretty happy with a weight of 115 - 120lbs when I was around 13 years old. When I entered high school, I started weight training (I wanted abs :P....my high school offered it as a class) and my weight went up. I'm 5'4.5" and probably have a medium to large frame. I have a picture on my profile from a year after I graduated high school, I was 125 - 135lbs and I could still fit into the same clothes I wore when I was 115lbs.

lisahewitt22

143, for her height and age is a pretty healthy weight, but if she's dead set on losing weight 115-125 pounds would be loads better . 100 is just unhealthy.

PippaJo_

She may be taking her cues from either fashion mags (ugh), or friends who may well be close to that weight, either unhealthily, or they're shorter, or they're simply built differently from her - or they're even lying about their weight, you never know. (I see so many teens who do appear to be 'naturally' at this kind of low weight....but I think it's because they either aren't quite done growing yet, or puberty hasn't fully kicked in with a 2X4 and hips, you know? They can rarely maintain that exact weight/shape into their 20's.)


Try suggesting that it's not about a number on a scale - it's about having a strong, functional body, and you can't do that without some muscle, which will naturally weigh more. Tell her that her 100-lb friends are probably not all that strong, and wouldn't she rather be able to *do* something with her body?

laserturkey

100 pounds is WAAAAY too low for someone her height. There are therapists who specialize in eating disorders; the one my daughter saw was pretty helpful (until my daughter's borderline personality issues led her to quit going).

mamax5

Sounds like my sister When I was 15 I weighed 180 and needed to lose about 20 lbs. It depends on her build. She might be just fine as she is or she would be just right at 125. I have no idea how to explain it to her. I haven't been able to reach her. She is 17 now but she has been like that for a long time. I wish I could be of some help.

kimosabe1

I am 5'5" and my doctor told me that my healthy weight goal is 130 pounds.......

lizcr13

At 5'5 she would be underweight. Like the posts above me said I think explaining BMI to her if she doesn't know about it would be a good idea. Maybe try to explain the consequences of being underweight and how much more beneficial just making healthy choices can be. I think it's common for girls her age to be self conscious and feel pressured to fit a body image, but if she knows she would be underweight and does have a very distorted image she is at risk for developing an eating disorder.

When explaining the consequences try ones that may get through to her better. Teens don't think about long term effects or care more about the now (I'm 18 and still do this! although not as bad as at 15). Talking about how this can lead to fatigue, thinning hair, protruding bones, anemia, weak nails, and dry skin ect. may concern her more than osteoporosis and low blood pressure right now.

Sometimes teens get the misconception that you can't look lean or have a thinner figure while at a healthy weight, and that being underweight is attractive. Keep an eye out for any signs of an eating disorder developing and encourage healthy behaviors. She is lucky to have a great aunt who is looking out for her

laurynwithawhy

I would tell her NOT to get caught up on a number. 100 pound sound good, but she probably has no clue what that would actually look like on her. If she really really wants to lose, tell her to focus on a jean size, like a size 5. That way, she can still be healthy and won't develop a warped body image or damage herself trying to get to an unattainable weight.

Also, maybe have her test her body fat. Depending on how much muscle she has, her lean body mass might be well over 100 pounds (therefore making 100 pound weight goal completely impossible).

AbsoluteNG

She most likely will not listen to you if she already has her mind set. What you could do is introduce her to bodybuilding.com. They have a section dedicated to teens and lots of women there are gorgeous. She'll see beautiful women and follow there advice.