Expert: Meg - 1/20/2006

Question
Hello Meg,
It is great to have somebody like you just a click away. I have some major concerns about my weight. A couple years ago i was "heavy" and lost the weight. I now, am wanting to lose that last 5 pounds around the stomach. I am 16years old and it is hard with the trends today to have anything but a "flat" stomach, but it isn't about fitting in to me, it is about feeling comfortable with my body & I do not feel that way. I diet really hard for like 2 weeks, that being eating healthy and I NEVER skipped a day of excersizing and I would get discouraged because I hadn't lost the weight yet and then overeat. I would like to know what type of foods I can eat considering I am 16 , 129 lbs & 5'7" and still lose weight. I do about 60 minutes of cardio excersize daily plus ab workouts and eat healthy, however, my parents said I do not eat enough, but I'm afraid that if I ate more I won't lose any weight!So it seems like I constantly set myself up for failure and it's been taking a toll on my self esteem and causing more and more stress.
I really need your help and guidance,
-Dominique

Answer
Hi Dominique,

I'm sorry that you are feeling so uncomfortable with your body right now.  I agree that there is a whole lot of pressure from the media, society, friends, etc to look "perfect" and although that can be pretty much unattainable and only found with airbrushed models, its hard not to feel like you don't measure up.  It is difficult, I know...and I really feel for you.  

Anyway, first thing-your weight is already good for your height so although you are feeling like your stomach is huge, I would guess that a portion of that is in your own mind's body distortion (sadly, this is very common).  Especially if you have been heavy in the past and then lost weight.  It can be difficult to see your body correctly and definitely add to this discomfort.

Its great that you exercise and try to eat healthfully.  That is always a good thing and hopefully, knowing that you are taking good care of your body can help give you a little confidence.  Its hard to advise you on your diet without more information (feel free to write me back, if you'd like) but your parents *could* be right in that if a person drastically restricts calories, her body will resist losing weight and go into survival/starvation mode.  So, if you are eating too few calories, it can actually be more difficult to lose weight.

In terms of what to eat, it is good to try to eat as consistantly as possible (some nutritionists even recommend 5 mini meals thoughout the day).  This regularity keeps your metabolism going though the day (think of it as fuel in a car...)  Everything works better when there is contantly a bit of energy to be used as opposed to eating a huge meal and then not eating for a long period of time.  So, depending on what you do now, breaking up your meals into 5 times a day (or at least 3  and a snack) might be helpful for you.

In terms of what specific foods are good, a balanced approach is always helpful.  You need to get all of the food groups (protein/carbs/fats/nutrients) and eating a little protein at every meal is another factor that can help even out blood sugar and benefit your metabolism.  Some good examples of this include: an apple with peanut butter, cheese and crackers, a protein bar, a small turkey sandwich, a bean and cheese burrito,or cereal and milk.

In general, the more whole/natural a food is, the better it is going to be for your body.  So, eating a lot of whole grains (wheat bread, brown rice, oatmeal, fruits and veggies,  etc-pretty much anything more in it's natural state and less processed) is also a healthful choice.  That said, its perfectly fine to enjoy an occasional treat as well, so you can make room for that in your diet too.  

Another factor that can be helpful in staying full (and also is just good for your body in general) is trying to ensure that you get enough fiber.  Like protein, fiber can help you feel fuller for a longer amount of time-and its also good for you.  There is fiber in a lot of common foods, for example an apple, wheat bread, some vegetables, cereal, etc.  It can be helpful to start looking at fiber content and trying to up your consumption of that.

Because you are 16 and still growing and not to mention, very active, it is extremely important that you be sure that you do get enough nutrients and calories so that your body can continue to develop healthfully.   I hope that you can find a way to be comfortable with your body without developing more food/body issues as you sound quite intelligent and like you have so much going for you.  It would be sad to see any of that potential wasted on too much obsessing about having a "perfect" body.  And, your weight is already low so you don't have really extra weight per se to lose.  

I know that my saying that and your feeling "okay" are totally different things though and I do understand that you want to try to find a balance.

Good luck to you and I hope that my answer helps (at least a little).  If you have any other questions or if anything in this response wasn't clear, please feel free to write again.

Take care, okay?

Meg