14 year old:)

[sexy_bef69]

Im a 14 year old girl and i weigh 10 and a bit stone. Is this overweight? i read stories in magazines and theyre all like 'i weighed 11 stone when i was 14 so i went to the doctor and he told me to lose weight' etc. I dont particularly think i look fat as such, but i know im bigger than my friends. Any advice or help on this front would be amazing thanks xxx

[PaulB]

Hey, it doesn't matter how old you are! How tall are you? That's what will govern what weight you should be and, also, if you don't think you're fat then you are not!!!

[evolution]

The diet industry is big big business and many people make a lot of money from preying upon peoples insecurities. Magazines print many weight loss articles in order to promote this industry. You are 14 and probably at an age where you start to take notice of these things. Always remember that whatever you read in magazines and popular media is often not true. Money is mostly what's behind such false stories. Money to be made. So if you feel that you eat healthily, take regular excercise and are happy with your energy levels then you don't need to lose weight.

[juicy]

weight isn't necessarily fat either, it can be muscle

[cem101]

Please, the worst thing you can do is to start thinkin about dieting unnecessarily at your age, you desperatly need a good supply of nutrients so that you can develop normally, especially things such as Vitamin D and Calcium. PaulB is right, age has nothing to do with how heavy you should be, it's all down to height. If you are worried then I would suggest talking to the school nurse, if you feel comfortable with that, or even your doctor. They'll be able to explain about BMI charts and height weight ratios, and if you do think you'd like to lose a little weight, then they can help you do it safely and healthily. Any health proffessional worth their salt should be able to re-assure you and give you the sensible advice you want to hear. People are so un-necessarily scared about going to their GP clinic, when that is just what they're there for, to make us feel better! whether it's a bruised knee or bruised confidence, they do what they do because they want to help :-) Dont worry though, if you start to obsess about your weeight then it can cause you problems, would you rather be a curvy sexy busty babe? Or a skeleton being fed weight gain shakes in an eating disorder clinic?

[aimee]

As long as you are eating healthily � at least 5 portions of fruit and veg a day, low fat and salt intake, avoiding refined foods etc and doing some exercise, you really should worry about it at all!

[Gumbo]

I just did a quick calculation of your BMI, you don't say how tall you are but unless your really short then your BMI says that you are the perfect weight. Of course your body is going through some changes at the moment so I would'nt be worried about it.

[sophie21]

dont worry i weighed more when i was younger but as i got older i lost weight i am 21 now and weigh 9 stone size 8 you are still young and have lots of time for your body to changex

[Jessika]

i used to think that i was overweight as well, but i came to the conclusion that you are who you are and the best way to come to terms with that is by picking out all the good things in your life, bits you like about yourself, your eyes your hair etc, also you can pick things like the friendships you have with people. Magazines are so commercial and they report on all of this 'overweightedness' and then on the next page they'll do a report about anorexia and bullimia. the worst thing you can do to yourself is become anorexic or bullimic because this is not the answer to the problem you think you have, remember you're only 14 and you have years of growing ahead of you, and at the moment your body will be full of hormones making you think and feel different things but the best thing you can do is be happy about who you are and accept what life gives you, the other good thing you can do is to eat healthily and excercise regularly, i know everyone says this but if you eat 5 portions of fruit and veg a day it really does help! also 3 lots of 30 mins of cardiovascular workout a week (like cycling, swimming and walking) helps, and if you do more, thats great but just dont overdo it and become obsessed, go out and enjoy yourself, have fun and be active thats the best way to stay healthy.

i hope i have helped because i know exactly what you feel like and have been through this whole situation myself, but remember, you come out of the other side of it happier, healthier and more confident about who you are.

[AB Editor]

For all medical questions, we strongly advise you to seek professional advice from your doctor or healthcare professional.  Please do not rely on or wait for advice from Answerbank users.

[lizzierose]

how tall are you? I've weighed betwenn 10 and 11 stone since your age and have always considered myself pretty slim. some people are annoyingly skinny still at that age so don't worry about being slightly bigger than anyone else