Do you think a preteen shouldn't try to stay healthy?

There is nothing wrong with watching what you eat and exercising, just be healthy about it. You really need to make sure you are getting the right amount of calories in your system. Don't starve yourselve. It is not healthy for you to loose more than a pound a week. Go slow and you are more likely to keep the weight off. This is coming from someone who wishes she would have watched what she ate and exercised a little more as a teenager.

what the girl said above me i agree i just want whats best for you ! i have a little girl my self well 3 teenagers girls and 2 teenage boys ! im a mom and just want you not to stave yourself it would hurt me so bad if i found out you were hurt in any way couse you starved yourself or something ! just have your mom change everything you eat to healthy stuff ! more fruits and veg. ok

what the girl said above me i agree i just want whats best for you !

That's for call me a girl!!:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Didn't think I'd hear that again. :bigsmile:

all i can say is that, speaking from experience , i am very glad you are willing to learn how to be healthy the right way. This site is an awesome place to learn about calories, and how to manage you food, with a wonderful support system, however I also believe strongly that a girl that is growing, such as yourself, should be on maintenance calories, and just aim for healthy portions and choices with exercise to keep healthy and not become overweight.
I feel so strongly about this because
My story is this:
(and im sure that many on this site can share their similar experiences)

i am also predisposed to being overweight, and when i was 14 i decided to stop eating all together. This went on for about six months, i lost waaaaay too much weight (i went from 182-125 in about a half a year on about 200 calories or less a day.) needless to say i was very very sick. While in the hospital i had to have my gall bladder taken out, and i was the youngest one they had ever seen at that hospital for that surgery... anyway,
i continued to eat in an unhealthy manner and went through phases of food and no food... not knowing just how badly i was harming my body!!!

I am now working on the healthy way to lose weight, after one of the worst ana bouncebacks yet.

The struggle sucks! but im glad i have all of yall for therepy's sake!

Abby, keep up counting if thats what works for you, and just keep learning about nutrition and how it works for you. I wish i had a food diary this accessible with calorie counts when i was younger, then maybe i would have never gone to the extreme that i did, resulting in a lower metabolism today!

I think that it is wise for all people of all ages to be health concious, limiting refined sugars and bad fats and adding more fruits, veggies, and exercise.
However I strongly believe and suggest that young adults and pre-teens who have overwhelming concerns should seek out personal and professional advice before begining a strict diet and exercise program. Start with your regular doctor as well as a nutritonist. You are still have a growing body and mind and there are very serious and permanant damages that could result from crash dieting and obsessive exercise. I have been there and done that and I only wish my parents would have recognized my unhealthy obsession, and that I would have had the chance to be educated by a professional on the benefits, risks, and realisitc expectations concerning weight, exercise, dieting etc. I certainly wish I would have known then what I know now, because those poor choices I made at a young age have and still affect my body and the way I think about myself image and food, exercise choices.
I'm not telling you that you are wrong to be aware of your health and weight, I just really think you need a few meetings with a doctor and a nutritionist, and maybe even a personal trainer so that yout have professional advice and can gain more knowledge to becaome a healthier person.

hon i didnt realize just how young you are!!!


its great for you to want to be healthy, but you should seek help from your parents if you think you really need to lose weight for some reason... you definitely dont look fat!

Dont let this get out of control, because I am telling you, you would only regret it! get at least 1200 calories a day or more, but never EVER any less at your age especially!

I've been reading your threads, too, and, as a mom, I am very concerned about you. There is a distinction between staying healthy and becoming pre-occupied with weight loss (the post that caused me the greatest concern was the one about how disappointed you were to have lost only 4 pounds in one week instead of 6).

I definitely agree that your view of your body, your nutritional needs, and your exercise should have adult involvement. This is not because you can't figure things out on your own. I'm sure you can. But the difference for a preteen is that your needs (because you are growing and your brain and bones and muscles are developing) are different than an adults.

I also think that if you have a physical condition (a gene???), then your need for monitoring and supervision is even greater.

Please, please talk to someone "real" like a parent, doctor, teacher and ask for "real" help instead of cyber-help which really can't assess your specific needs.