Im A Teenager Who Really Wants To Lose 8o Pounds

I Am Courtney. I Am 17 Years Old And Iv'e Never Been Happy With My Self & I Suffer From Depression. I Really Wanna Start Living My Life This Year And Actually Be Happy. I Believe If I Lose Weight , I Will have Confidence In Myself And Smile Without Trying. I Am 197 . I Wanna Be Atleast 150 Before Prom Which Is In March/April. I Hope I Can Do It.

Hey there, congrats on making some major decisions and working on getting fit. However, MFP is actually an 18 and older site.

http://www.sparkteens.com/ is a wonderful site and specifically geared towards your age group.

I Am Courtney. I Am 17 Years Old And Iv'e Never Been Happy With My Self & I Suffer From Depression. I Really Wanna Start Living My Life This Year And Actually Be Happy. I Believe If I Lose Weight , I Will have Confidence In Myself And Smile Without Trying. I Am 197 . I Wanna Be Atleast 150 Before Prom Which Is In March/April. I Hope I Can Do It.

If this is the case, you really need to see a doctor/therapist before you do anything else.

If it's clinical depression, I would agree about the doctor before cutting calories very much at least. However, changing the types of foods you eat and adding physical activity are both proven to have a positive impact on mood and exercise actually creates chemicals in your brain that battle depression.

Hi, Courtney! Good luck and be sure to get positive support--here or with family and friends! Losing weight can help you feel better about yourself...but doing it by eating healthy foods and cutting out bad ones will make you feel better physically. Also, try not to focus so much on negative thoughts about your body. I am 54 and need to lose about 25 pounds to be my ideal weight. I was just recently at the beach and worried about my old, fat body; but looking around I saw so many people that were comfortable enough in their bodies to wear two-piece suits and bikinis and I was so impressed and encouraged! A healthy diet and some exercises to tone your muscles will make you feel better as well as look better. Don't get discouraged if the loss tapers off or if you get crazy one day and eat bad food. When you fall off the wagon, just get back on. Recording your food and exercise everyday will help keep you focused and help you see what you are doing right and where you need to improve. Keep us posted on your progress!

I don't care what age you are to want to be healthy as long as you do it right. No starving yourself, no bulimia crap, just plain healthy. You are close enough to 18 for me. And I understand where you are. I grew up obese and all I ever wanted was to be skinny so I could feel good about myself and be confident. I wish I had found this site when I was a teen. You have my full support if you want it. You just have to be safe and do it right. I agree talking with your doctor is a good thing for ANYONE before they start a life style change like this. I also need to lose weight I gained back. We can support each other if you'd like. I wish you the best of luck.