Very young, hopeful new member

O

Omninick

New member
Hey everyone :) My names Nick and I feel like i'm one of the youngest here already ^^ I'm only 14 but I am planning to make a weight loss program for myself so that I can reach the point where I am considered of normal weight for my height, and then I hope I can tone my body so that some of the weight I put on is actually muscle to make me appear more well built. I have always had trouble with my weight and it really makes me feel bad to think what other people think of me. I went on a short course with a MEND program and lost 9 pounds on the course in a few weeks. The expression and reaction from people when they realized I had lost weight and the comments made brought my spirits so high up and I had a really great feeling from it. However, over the years I have put on A LOT of weight and I hate myself for it, as I was going so well and I could be slim and toned by now if I just stuck on that course. :banghead: I'm hoping very much that the people here will be able to support me as I go with advice and help and I am sure many of you are very kind and respectful of my feelings. I will be creating a diary/journal of my weight loss program and hope that if it works, I will be able to help other young people like me who have difficulty with my weight. I watch programs like Biggest Loser and those programs about 'Extremely Super Obese People' and it really makes me want to change. I feel that I can express my feelings and views here and will not be criticized, as people of my age are incapable of comprehending and comforting my feelings, and so I hope that I can be a inspiration for anybody going on a weight loss journey. However, I am unsure of how to plan a diet for someone my age as the whole situation of extreme growth and differing requirements can through a regular diet plan off course. I am hopeful that anyone here who has had experience with helping a teen my age may be able to give me advice so that my exercise and diet plan shall work effectively and shall not endanger my health. It will be my first new years resolution that I am aiming to stick to and I wish you all luck in your efforts for weight loss and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. :party:
 
Well, welcome to the forum. We do not usually have young people on the forum. The number one thing I will say is to talk to your parents and have them help you. As a minor, there is a line to the level of advice we, as strangers, should be giving you. I mean, here to support you all the way, just letting you know your parents can be the best support.
 
Its always a good idea to give details like your weight, height and age. While you mention your age - I didnt see a mention of your weight and height.

I haven't posted here in a long time so cannot comment on the current membership. I do know that in the past there have been a number of teenagers who have achieved brilliant results by eating healthily and being active. This has been the case whether they have had small amounts of weight to lose, whether they have had a major obesity problem or indeed whether they have really required toning more than anything.

It is certainly a good idea to discuss your weight loss aspirations with your parents and indeed with your doctor.

The MEND program should have given you a lot of good advice - and it is likely that their advice and guidelines will continue to serve you well. Other youngsters here may not have benefited from such a program - so it would be a good idea to let people on the forum know what you are doing and what the program is all about. I believe that "MEND teens" is tailored for 13 to 16 year olds - so I would be tempted to see if I could join that if I were you.

Good luck.
 
Thanks :) I won't be able to go to the MEND classes anymore but I certainly will be tracking everything and summing up what is helpful for people of my age. I have nearly everything planned out but I am soon to go to the doctor and discuss the best plan of action for my specific height and weight. :)
 
If they will not let you go to the MEND classes again - maybe they could send you literature on how to apply it for your new "13 to 16" age group. I would contact them if I were you. The worst that could happen is them not send it to you.
 
well they actually give you these pages each session which help you understand all the characteristics of weight loss as you go, and they break it down and make it easy for you :p They issue them for binders: a child binder which is designed to help kids and maps it out simply and an adult binder: mapping it out so parents understand what is vital and how to manage it in a busy lifestyle. I'll have to check them because they had this whole theme where they said if it was OK or not and how much a portion should be. By picking confirmed foods only and only having 1 portion of them a day, the kids would have plenty exercise, they would indulge their tastebuds in a variety of foods and you would still manage to lose the weight. I'll check 'em tomorrow :)
 
That would be great.
I know that there is lots of knowledge on the forum regarding healthy eating for an adult - but I have less certain knowledge on nutritional targets for a child or teen. There will be aspects of your diet where higher nutritional targets are appropriate as you are still growing.
If the MEND people come back to you - you will be able to post and advise others. :)
 
I shall. Once everything is set up, I won't be needing them at all. I will, however, be uploading any information that works for me as I know teenagers are sometimes reluctant to talk to people as they aren't confident about their weight and are easily effected by criticism and negative reactions. Hopefully, I can make a difference in a field which is very avoided by many people. :)
 
The MEND program looks great. I'll include a link so that people can see what we are talking about. It may be ideal for other youngsters in the UK. They may want to discuss the program with their doctor to see if a referral is appropriate.
 
It certainly is, but the one big problem was maintaining it after. It definitely works and is really useful. One thing I will add is they have such enticing things for youngsters. At the end, for being so successful, I got 2 tickets to a football match for free, which was brilliant ^^
 
They certainly did ^^ After though, my parents kinda forgot about the weight loss thing and reverted back to the original shopping and it became out of control >.<
 
Maintenance is hard for everyone... I failed at maintenance more dramatically than most people......
 
I guess, with that, the fact that I went all the time and they were monitoring me made me maintain it but with no incentive after, it failed. I've seen that with many people Omega, but I guess sometimes fear can help people maintain something better than they could any other time. My mother has to lose enough weight to be able to have an operation to prevent cancer and it scares her that all this time, she could have done something earlier but she hasn't. It's tough for a lot of people, but that's also why I have respect for everyone here. For being able to come out and say that they aren't happy, and that it's time for change. :)
 
Well I maintained ok for a while and was pretty pleased with how things went... Then things got very stressful and worrying in my personal life and I gained weight (about 3 stone)... Thankfully I am still about 9 stone less than my maximum weight (I had lost 12 stone) so things could be a lot worse...

You could suggest to your mother that she might benefit from joining the forum. Korrie has announced a challenge which is starting next week - and I'll bet that your mother would get to her goal weight in double quick time if she joined the challenge... The whole family would benefit if your mother improved her knowledge on nutrition. :) It would also mean that your mother would be more likely to buy healthy food.

I am convinced that losing weight saved my life... The week after I hit my "half my start weight" milestone (when I had gone from 21 stone to 10 and a half stone) I was rushed into hospital and needed an emergency operation... I believe that the operation was a whole lot safer at 10st7 than it would have been at 21st...

I mentioned earlier that the last couple of years have been pretty stressful for me... The biggest stress was that my husband needed to have 5 operations during the year before last... When I tell you that his BMI was over 62 when he had his first operation you can imagine how scary it was... They really do not like doing emergency operations on people weighing over 29 stone...

Tell your mother that there is no benefit in wishing that you had addressed a weight problem earlier. The best that any of us can do is do our best from the place that we are right now...

You cannot do it for your mother - we must each do this for ourselves... we are the people that put the food into our own mouths... I could not address my husband's problems until he was ready to start... As an aside - my husband is now very interested in losing weight and is no longer as heavy as he was...
 
Thanks for that :) I'll have to ask her but she's more keen on actual meeting clubs like slimming world and weight-watchers than the computer. But she still might be up for it... I'll ask. Thanks :D
 
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