Young adult girls trying to lose weight

feefie04
feefie04 Posts: 67 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Here's me with another question/thought :)

I was wondering if the younger girls on the site here (between 18 and 25) are aware that their bodies are still maturing hormonally and physically?

GIrls often go through a "second phase" of puberty/hormonal changes (it actually just continues) at that age and can gain healthy and normal bodyfat, hips, boobs, and redistribute their current bodyfat... I see all kinds of young adult girls post on here that are SO upset that they have gained 20 lbs ad how they *can't* get rid of it.

I am not saying they shouldn't get rid of it, but I was wondering if they realize that maybe it was a natural, healthy gain? You grew hips, that's why you can't fit into your jeans anymore, or you gained a cup size, or something... and often people will grow in height or have an onset of acne! (or have the acne go away). It's all evidence of continually fluctuating hormones, until about age 27 (some earlier, some later).

I guess I was just hoping that the poor girls (18-25) who are freaked out by the sudden and relatively minor weight gain (10 to 20 lbs) might need to realize that that may be their adult weight, rather than trying to aim for their high school weight. I think often that can lead into women becoming unhealthy with their weight loss and sacrificing muscle mass for lost pounds.

Just a thought. I think it is good that some people are woken up by the weight gain, and I'm sure they often change their lives for the better, but I just think they should try to take comfort in the fact that the gain isn't always bad, nor is it necessary to lose the pounds... it is only necessary that you are HEALTHY. Always be conscious of your body, but don't try to pigeonhole your body into something that was fine when you were 16, but not remotely healthy when you are now 23 or older.

For some people , it works, but I am guessing the majority of us have changed since we were 16, and there's a physical REASON we don't look the same :) Don't beat yourself up for not keeping that body, because you are constantly changing... just make sure you change for the better :).
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Replies

  • Ruthe8
    Ruthe8 Posts: 423 Member
    "Young adult" generally refers to middle school, I believe. The term you're looking for is "young women". You're an adult, stop calling yourself a girl.
  • feefie04
    feefie04 Posts: 67 Member
    "Young adult" generally refers to middle school, I believe. The term you're looking for is "young women". You're an adult, stop calling yourself a girl.

    OH you're a troll, good to know :)
  • IveLanded
    IveLanded Posts: 797 Member
    I agree with you. The longer I'm on here, the more I see 18 year old girls and even younger girls who just fudge their age to sign up. :( It absolutely breaks my heart, especially because most of them are perfectly normal and beautiful in the first place.

    I wonder if it's harder on girls these days then when I was a teen. I definitely thought I was fat when I was a teenager, even though I wasn't, but I never was pushed so far to do anything about it. I just kind of disliked my body.
  • T34418l3angel
    T34418l3angel Posts: 474 Member
    "Young adult" generally refers to middle school, I believe. The term you're looking for is "young women". You're an adult, stop calling yourself a girl.
    middle schools are 12.... Hardly adults.
    When I think young adult I think over 18 under 21.... Stop trolling.
  • ebonypixie
    ebonypixie Posts: 61 Member
    "Young adult" generally refers to middle school, I believe. The term you're looking for is "young women". You're an adult, stop calling yourself a girl.

    OH you're a troll, good to know :)

    Somebody got out of bed on the wrong side today! Not the first unnecessarily rude post today Ive seen. I agree, as one young woman to the next. I know myself that I still find it hard to let go of my smaller sized jeans but as I see my younger sisters and many friends gain curves and weight it becomes easier for me to accept that we all put on a bit more adult weight as we grow. It doesnt take off all the social pressure to be perfect but I have learned so much nutritionally from watching my weight, even if I havent NEEDED to lose weight. There has been a positive effect of being more tuned in to my body and how to fuel it.
    Unfortunately some girls take it too far and it becomes an obsession, but personally Im happy that Ive been weight concious, because its blossomed into a passion for health, fitness and great food.
  • DeathKitty23
    DeathKitty23 Posts: 64 Member
    "Young adult" generally refers to middle school, I believe. The term you're looking for is "young women". You're an adult, stop calling yourself a girl.

    Totally irrelevant LMAO what is wrong with ppl
  • kooltray87
    kooltray87 Posts: 501 Member
    I agree with you. The longer I'm on here, the more I see 18 year old girls and even younger girls who just fudge their age to sign up. :( It absolutely breaks my heart, especially because most of them are perfectly normal and beautiful in the first place.

    I wonder if it's harder on girls these days then when I was a teen. I definitely thought I was fat when I was a teenager, even though I wasn't, but I never was pushed so far to do anything about it. I just kind of disliked my body.

    I was the same way. I was relatively HUGE from 8-12th grade, but I never realized how much until I looked back at old pics of myself. However standards have changed quite a bit in the last 10 years. Hollywood is CRAZY thin and setting unrealistic standards for the average population. Young girls are watching shows like "pretty little liars" where all the characters are bone thin and look way too old for their age. Parents need to educate their kids on difference between reality and fantasy.
  • feefie04
    feefie04 Posts: 67 Member
    I agree with you. The longer I'm on here, the more I see 18 year old girls and even younger girls who just fudge their age to sign up. :( It absolutely breaks my heart, especially because most of them are perfectly normal and beautiful in the first place.

    I wonder if it's harder on girls these days then when I was a teen. I definitely thought I was fat when I was a teenager, even though I wasn't, but I never was pushed so far to do anything about it. I just kind of disliked my body.

    I think it is harder... weight was never an issue in my household growing up (even though I was generally chubbier than the average for my age) which I think helped me not develop overly-psychotic obsession with my weight. I have ALWAYS been self-conscious, but that is mostly brought upon myself. I was never teased or anything in school.

    These days I think the media is a much larger influence in girls' lives (TV, computers, phones), and with the age of easy photo-shopping I think it is especially blatant. A subtle photo-tuck here, and a photo boob job there, and all of a sudden you are looking at a crazy thin, yet voluptuous model. And that is what we all have to aspire to?? At least before computers they had plastic surgery and camera tricks, instead of absolutely unreal beauty.
  • altacosturabeth
    altacosturabeth Posts: 62 Member
    I think I'm probably one of these girls.

    I'm 17 and about 7 months ago I was 130lbs (at 5'3) so not massive but I could have lost a few pounds. Which I have and I'm now 112lbs. I was never over weight but I would always carry around an extra 10lbs or so that I could have lost if I'd have tried.

    I know I've suffered from body image problems from around the age of 8 at the minimum. And they grew and grew and grew until I suffered really badly from mental health issues. I didn't even want to be around anymore because I just thought everything about me was so ugly that I had no reason to be here.

    So anyway, those 7 months ago I decided that maybe I could lose some weight and all my problems would be solved and I'd be happy. But I was completely wrong. Now I still feel as bad about myself. I probably should have realised that my weight wasn't the biggest thing that needed to change, it was my brain. And I think that's probably the same issue that quite a few other girls around my age are dealing with.

    That probably sounded like I was rambling on in a 'woe is me' manner but I just wanted to share my wee story!
  • feefie04
    feefie04 Posts: 67 Member
    I think I'm probably one of these girls.

    I'm 17 and about 7 months ago I was 130lbs (at 5'3) so not massive but I could have lost a few pounds. Which I have and I'm now 112lbs. I was never over weight but I would always carry around an extra 10lbs or so that I could have lost if I'd have tried.

    I know I've suffered from body image problems from around the age of 8 at the minimum. And they grew and grew and grew until I suffered really badly from mental health issues. I didn't even want to be around anymore because I just thought everything about me was so ugly that I had no reason to be here.

    So anyway, those 7 months ago I decided that maybe I could lose some weight and all my problems would be solved and I'd be happy. But I was completely wrong. Now I still feel as bad about myself. I probably should have realised that my weight wasn't the biggest thing that needed to change, it was my brain. And I think that's probably the same issue that quite a few other girls around my age are dealing with.

    That probably sounded like I was rambling on in a 'woe is me' manner but I just wanted to share my wee story!

    Thank you for sharing your story! It can be even more devastating to lose the weight and realize you are still not happy. I hope you are heading towards your goal of fixing yourself in the other ways you feel are needed.

    Have you ever thought of increasing muscle mass? Those cute, nice butts that girls have? Supported by muscle. The toned arms with that *nice* jiggle, not the gross kind? Supported by muscle. The beautiful, curved legs with shapely thighs? Muscle, muscle muscle.

    Women are very afraid of "looking buff", when in fact you will be surprised how hard you need to work in order to even *get* muscle. And you won't look like you have muscle unless you BF% is in the "unhealthy" range for women (less than 10% I think?)

    I am a huge advocate for lifting heavy in order to look better, because it makes the body you have look younger, leaner, and more sexy. You just have to learn to give up on the scale and eat properly! I have just started, but you can bet I will be trying to lift heavy in order to lower my BF% and make it look good when I get there!

    Edit: And I am 5'2", and was once 125. I still had a high BF% and no muscle tone, and you would be surprised how still "fat" I looked. Add 25 pounds of muscle onto that and I guarantee you it would look a million times better.
  • MVY_
    MVY_ Posts: 253 Member
    Lol. I'm still growing and i'm 22? o.O Young adult refers to young teens......but yes I agree with you. Puberty, hips, breast takes a part in their weight gain.
  • altacosturabeth
    altacosturabeth Posts: 62 Member
    Thank you for sharing your story! It can be even more devastating to lose the weight and realize you are still not happy. I hope you are heading towards your goal of fixing yourself in the other ways you feel are needed.

    Have you ever thought of increasing muscle mass? Those cute, nice butts that girls have? Supported by muscle. The toned arms with that *nice* jiggle, not the gross kind? Supported by muscle. The beautiful, curved legs with shapely thighs? Muscle, muscle muscle.

    Women are very afraid of "looking buff", when in fact you will be surprised how hard you need to work in order to even *get* muscle. And you won't look like you have muscle unless you BF% is in the "unhealthy" range for women (less than 10% I think?)

    I am a huge advocate for lifting heavy in order to look better, because it makes the body you have look younger, leaner, and more sexy. You just have to learn to give up on the scale and eat properly! I have just started, but you can bet I will be trying to lift heavy in order to lower my BF% and make it look good when I get there!

    Edit: And I am 5'2", and was once 125. I still had a high BF% and no muscle tone, and you would be surprised how still "fat" I looked. Add 25 pounds of muscle onto that and I guarantee you it would look a million times better.

    Ahh not the cute little butt! My butt was one of the main things I used to practically tear myself to shreds over. Logically I know it's not as small as I really think it is and it is pretty toned! I was saving up for the surgery where you get fat from one part of your body and put it into your butt -.-

    My arms and my legs are pretty toned (toned meaning they do have muscle and are strong, obviously) and I'm working on the stomach :D

    Again, logically I know there's no problem with myself! I'm not overweight or underweight, and I don't look weak and sickly either. I just need to tell myself that!
  • feefie04
    feefie04 Posts: 67 Member
    Lol. I'm still growing and i'm 22? o.O Young adult refers to young teens......but yes I agree with you. Puberty, hips, breast takes a part in their weight gain.

    Some women are probably remarkably stable, but if the variation in PMS etc is any indication, it is exremely varied in general. Hormones are crazy things, and they continue to fluctuate into your late 20s. Especially if you (not YOU but people in general) have been on crazy diets during your teen years. I gained 2 cup sizes (no band size change) and 10 pounds in a year (when I was 22). I've since gained regular weight, but I attribute the initial to those awesome (sarcasm) womanly hormones, lol!
  • Keltinator
    Keltinator Posts: 265
    I'm one of those girls, I suppose. Here's the thing though: I'm 18 now, but I was an early bloomer. I got my curves, breasts, and my period all in middle school (12-14 years old). By the end of that time I was a size 8 and my body looked like that of a "young adult", and if someone were just to see my body and not my face, they would have thought I was a lot older than I was.

    So after just being a kid and staying at that weight for a year or two, my eating started to spiral out of control, and I gained weight. By the time I was 17, I was a size 12. That wasn't my body filling out and becoming more womanly. That was my body reacting to me stuffing my face on vacations, on weekends, and at night. I feel that even though I could still be developing right now, it is fine for me to try and get back to that size 8 I was. I'm not trying to be a size 2.

    That being said, I understand where you're coming from. Sometimes girls honestly just do freak out about gaining weight and not realizing that they're not getting "fat", but rather getting wonderful curves. It happens a lot, and you have no idea the pressures we face as we get bombarded, literally, by images and messages everywhere that we should look a certain way.
  • brevislux
    brevislux Posts: 1,093 Member
    As long as the goal weight is healthy, I don't see any issue with people wanting to lose just a little bit of weight for aesthetic reasons. If I feel better with myself 6 lbs lighter and it's a healthy weight then why not?
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    "Growing hips" is a bone structure thing, not a body fat thing. And 20 pounds is a lot to gain, even with what you're saying.

    Yes, bodies will change and weight often goes up naturally and in a healthy way. But not quite the way you describe.
  • meg7399
    meg7399 Posts: 672 Member
    I think the big point is teens trying to lose weight and they aren't even finished growing! I was the same weight size till about 24 then I had a growth spurt, in weight, hips and boobs. I couldn't keep it from happening so focusing on very much un-needed weight loss as a teen only to be hit with weight gain in a few years is silly!
  • Bentley2718
    Bentley2718 Posts: 1,689 Member
    "Young adult" generally refers to middle school, I believe. The term you're looking for is "young women". You're an adult, stop calling yourself a girl.

    OH you're a troll, good to know :)

    Actually, I was going to make a similar point. "Adult" and "girl" are incompatible--either a female human is one or the other, but not both.

    Also, while you make a valid point about physical maturation, there are young women who would benefit from losing weight. I was morbidly obese by my early teens, and I highly doubt that using reasonable methods of weight reduction (i.e. healthy diet and exercise) would have negatively impacted my development.
  • meg7399
    meg7399 Posts: 672 Member
    "Growing hips" is a bone structure thing, not a body fat thing. And 20 pounds is a lot to gain, even with what you're saying.

    Yes, bodies will change and weight often goes up naturally and in a healthy way. But not quite the way you describe.
    I easily gained 20ish pounds in my early 20s. Not becoming over weight, just growing! I think the OP was right on.
  • felblossom
    felblossom Posts: 132 Member
    I guess I just barely fit into this thread, but I'll add my 2 cents anyway ;P

    I started gaining weight when I went on the pill at 23. Hormones, obviously. I didn't care much in the beginning, since it seemed only natural. 2½ years later I've gained 45 pounds (that's all the way from normal weight, straight past overweight, and into the obese BMI category) It no longer seems natural, nor healthy, so I'm making changes to my lifestyle and diet.
  • BAMFMeredith
    BAMFMeredith Posts: 2,810 Member
    As long as the goal weight is healthy, I don't see any issue with people wanting to lose just a little bit of weight for aesthetic reasons. If I feel better with myself 6 lbs lighter and it's a healthy weight then why not?

    I agree with this. Yes, my goal size/weight is about what it was when I was 17 or 18. Am I being unrealistic? Nah, I don't think so. It's a perfectly healthy size/weight for someone my height and frame size, so I think my goal is good. In fact, I'm trying on my prom dress at the end of this week to see if it fits again before my 10 year high school reunion (silly challenge my best friend from high school and I decided to take on).

    The 20lbs I gained between ages 17 and 21 had nothing to do with me growing, they had a lot to do with me being in college, eating like crap, and drinking beer all the time. And the 70lbs I gained while I was pregnant...well...cheeseburgers and ice cream.
  • kelseyhere
    kelseyhere Posts: 1,123 Member
    regardless of the term used to describe women between the ages of 18-25, this is an important issue and deserves merit. a 20 pound weight gain very quickly is some cause for concern, but it is very normal for the weight to shift around. i carry weight in my hips and lower body much differently now in my mid- 20s than when i was 16-17.
  • nothingwithoutHim
    nothingwithoutHim Posts: 140 Member
    I agree with you. The longer I'm on here, the more I see 18 year old girls and even younger girls who just fudge their age to sign up. :( It absolutely breaks my heart, especially because most of them are perfectly normal and beautiful in the first place.

    I wonder if it's harder on girls these days then when I was a teen. I definitely thought I was fat when I was a teenager, even though I wasn't, but I never was pushed so far to do anything about it. I just kind of disliked my body.

    Def not trying to be insulting, but maybe trying to get healthy/lose weight in a healthy manner, or just trying to accept someone's own body image would save girls like me from dealing with weight issues our entire lives, or even having to be on MFP when we're older. All I want is to actually accept my body, one day at a time. And when I'm finally "an adult" I can be a good example to my kids, not one who is obsessed with food or weight.

    I've seen both sides, but I would say when in doubt, give the benefit of the doubt. Don't dismiss our age group just because of our age.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    My horrible coworker started encouraging her 17 year old daughter to lose weight and go on fad diets because she grew an hourglass figure that included big hips and boobs. She's not fat, she just has a figure. My coworker is extremely petite.

    I want to punch this woman so bad.
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
    The 20lbs I gained between ages 17 and 21 had nothing to do with me growing, they had a lot to do with me being in college, eating like crap, and drinking beer all the time.

    I bet this is the case with most people who gain in their early 20s but they won't admit it.

    To OP, there's no "second puberty" in the early 20s. People just don't learn or know how to cook properly and don't bother to exercise.
  • sa11yjane
    sa11yjane Posts: 491 Member
    What an encouraging post to young women x
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    My horrible coworker started encouraging her 17 year old daughter to lose weight and go on fad diets because she grew an hourglass figure that included big hips and boobs. She's not fat, she just has a figure. My coworker is extremely petite.

    I want to punch this woman so bad.

    There's a major difference between developing an hourglass figure and getting fat, though. My daughter, and I love her to death, gained quite a bit in her teens and it was not puberty. She got fat. She ate a lot of junk and didn't move much. I didn't encourage any fad diets and I tried to be very gentle about it when I finally said something, but she was 5'4" and in the 180s at 17 years old, all in the belly.

    She's taken it upon herself to eat healthier, watch calories and exercise and has had amazing success. Sometimes young people are just overweight and it has nothing to do with hormones.

    Also, one can have an hourglass figure and still be petite.
  • RitaSantoss
    RitaSantoss Posts: 986 Member
    I'm 18 since March of this year. And I realize that I am still growing in some areas but when it comes to my body, I don't think that what I have is still considered "baby fat", it's just actual fat. I have excess weight for my height and body built. I'm here to finally control my eating habits and hopefully lose weight in a healthy way. I want to be able to maintain good eating habits throughout my life. And I doubt that my height and other body parts will grow more than what they already have.

    And I don't think you should be judging young women, because you don't know them personally and what they might go through, health wise, because of their excess weight. If everyone thought like you then all the young kids (10 and up) wouldn't be put on programmes and summer camps to help them early on to lose the weight and improve their healths.
  • DoomCakes
    DoomCakes Posts: 806 Member
    OP, you have a great point. However, I think what those girls SHOULD focus on is just maintaining a healthy life style. They may never fit into those size 00 jeans again because they have hips. Hips are good, they're a sign of being at a good age for child bearing and add beautiful natural curves. 10-20lbs because your body is changing isn't a problem. But it's nice to see that some girls take that as "hmm, I should worry about my health" instead of "I need my size 2!"
  • Rinkermann
    Rinkermann Posts: 108 Member
    if you are 100lbs overweight then there's no doubt that you need to start losing, but in the smaller margin cases people may have just developed as the OP says.

    Thing is, how would you know? unless you knew your waist/hip/bodyfat etc measurements before, how would you know what change has occurred?

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