 How do I learn to choose and appreciate healthy foods, especially when my parents buy junk food or take us out to eat a lot? |
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=> how did you learn to eat healthy
=> ill be 12 in 2 weeks and i weigh lets say a little bit over 170. i hav 2 little bros and my mom gets them all these snacks that r bad 4 u and i eat them and i cant stop can i hav som tips on how to stop!!!! please!?!?!?!?
=> How do I lose weight, because I don't plan my meals, but I stil excersize as often as I can. What can I do? (btw, I want to lose 24 pounds =/ )
=> how do i eat better even though i dont like most healthy foods?
=> i try so hard to lose weight............but its just so hard......i cant stop eating bad foods and my mom and dada always take me out to eat they wont stop.............i also dont like vegetables
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It can be tough growing up in a household that doesn’t provide the healthiest of food choices. Or perhaps your parents do offer healthy foods, but you don’t like them.
First, if junk food and fast food are a normal part of the menu that your parents’ provide, consider talking with them about making changes to help you lose weight. Your parents may not have learned how to eat healthy themselves while growing up. Or perhaps they feel squeezed for time and thus end up taking the family out for fast food or to other restaurants. Regardless of the reasons for your parents’ habits, be prepared to present ideas for changes such as suggestions for the grocery shopping list or offering to make side dishes for dinner if you are older. Check out Lucy's Healthy Eating tips and What's Cookin' for ideas.
If your parents already offer healthy foods, but you just don’t like them, there could be several things going on. Perhaps there is lots of junk food present in the house and you just find it too tempting or desirable compared to the healthy foods. Consider asking your parents to reduce the amount of junk foods or hiding them. Or, maybe the healthy food isn’t being prepared in a way that you would appreciate. For example, many kids may not like plain, steamed broccoli or cabbage as a side dish, but put it in soup, a casserole, or a stir-fry, and those vegetables can be hard to turn away. “Number Salad” is a fun recipe idea for kids to make. Did you know there is even a sweet potato chocolate cake? If you are really ambitious and already have experience cooking in the kitchen, click here for the recipe. Lucy really likes chocolate and this cake is a winner in her book. Sometimes learning to like vegetables and other healthy foods is just a matter of finding some recipes or preparation methods to make it a meal that one can appreciate and look forward to repeating.
Finally, remember no matter how healthy one eats, portion control is still important. We tend to pig out more on the junk foods or when eating out. Portion control tends to be easier when eating healthier foods.
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| I want to lose weight specifically in my thighs! |
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=> im kinda overweight but i lost like 4 or 5 pounds. My hardest spot to lose weight is my thighs. what my question is, is what was the best way for you to lose weight in your thighs?
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You can not “spot” reduce weight in specific areas of your body. Many girls would like to get rid of fat in the thighs, buttocks, and stomach because those body areas are where fat tends to accumulate. In males, fat mostly goes to the mid-section. However, if you lose weight, some fat will come off of those high fat areas anyway.
Many people may refer to “toning” as a way to improve appearance in certain parts of the body. Toning is another word for building muscle mass, which is obtained by doing weight bearing exercises. Increasing muscle mass and definition can improve the appearance of the body. However, muscle definition is difficult to see unless the body fat has been reduced to within the healthy range. |
| How can I get the motivation and energy to lose weight? |
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=> hey, i need help finding the energy and motovation to loss weight. Can you help?
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Many people know how to lose weight through exercise and healthy eating, but still find it challenging to make any progress towards weight loss. Finding the motivation for losing weight can be tough work!
The Motivation March can help you focus on specific goals to get you started in losing weight. Each week, pick one or two things to change in your life that you think will help shed some pounds (or stones). For example, cutting the number of sodas you drink in half or walking 10 minutes in your neighborhood each day. Ask yourself how confident you are in making the change. Go through a pro/con list for these changes. Then, keep track of your work. Reward yourself when you are successful (just not with food)!
In addition, support from friends, parents, or online motivational mates can also go a long ways towards building self esteem and the desire to lose weight. Consider posting on the bulletin boards or using our chat rooms if you find it helpful to share your struggles and knowledge with others. Monitoring your progress through your very own weight chart and allowing your results to appear on the weigh-in page should also provide the added incentive to keep making changes in your life to reach a healthy weight. We hope these tips help! |
| My parents split. I got depressed and started eating more. How can I stop this? |
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=> okay see when my parents split i got depressed and started eating i didnt want to but everytime i dont eat what i want when i want im really grumpy i mean ive been losing weight nut its like that yo yo diet i do good then b/c i lose weight i seem to pack it pack on like one week im 210 then the next im 190 its weird i love who i am and what i look like i just want to feel healtheir and happy again like i used to be how can i control my eating without being depressed and a total jerk to everyone around me?
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It sounds like you may be eating to numb the feelings of depression. Eating for feelings instead of hunger happens a lot. This is called “comfort eating” where people use food in an attempt to cover up such feelings as boredom, stress, depression, anxiety, anger, loneliness, frustration, and nervousness. While food does provide some pleasant feelings, (especially sweet or salty foods), it is a short-term fix that does not address the underlying problem. Instead, as you acknowledge, comfort eating is making you too heavy and damaging your health.
We think you might find the 10 steps in “Giving Away and Grieving Your Friend Food” helpful in breaking this habit and changing your relationship with food for the better. Especially important is step #8, where you write down a few ideas of things you can do INSTEAD of eating to help make you feel better when you are depressed. Here is a list of ideas for things to do instead of eating . You might also like the Comfort Eating bulletin board where other kids and teens post their struggles and successes in overcoming their urge to comfort eat. You are not alone and this board may help provide extra support with a network of other kids experiencing the same challenges with food. |
| How much should I weigh? |
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=> 1) Hi Lucy, Im 15 years old, 5'5" and weigh around 130 lbs. i think this is over weight. If so, by how much?
=> 2) I am 12, 5foot 6 and 11stone 8. my dad said that my weight is prerfict for my hight but my mum said that i am verry over weight,what do you think
=> 3) How much should a 13 year old girl weigh if she's 5ft 2
=> 4) I weigh 135lbs. And I'm 1 amlost 12 is that good
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1) You are within the healthy weight range. 
2) Your mom is right; you are obese. As a girl, the healthy weight range for your height and age is 92 pounds (6 stone 8 pounds) to 139 pounds (9 stone 13 pounds), give or take several pounds at either end of the range depending on whether you just turned 12, or soon to turn 13.
3) At 13 years, 0 months, the healthy weight range for a 5' 2" girl is 84 to 123 pounds (38 to 56 kilograms). At 13 years, 11 months, the healthy weight range for a 5' 2" girl is 86 to 127 pounds (39 to 58 kilograms).
4) I don’t know. It depends on your height. Please visit our weight calculator to find out. |
| I'm so tired of the teasing. What can I do? |
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=> Hi Lucy. I have a question about my weight im 13 and i weigh 160 am i over wiehgt and feel like i am i just teased every single day of my life
=> please help me lose weight i have moved school so many times because of bulling about my weight. can you give me some tipson how to lose weight i would apreashate it
=> I'm 125 pounds,11 years old and am 4 feet 7 inches.I have 100% body fat. people tease me.what should i do
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Bullying and teasing are common problems for kids who are overweight. Here are some strategies that may minimize or stop the taunting so that you don’t feel pressured to change schools, be home-schooled, or otherwise alter your schedule just because of the teasing.
Notice other people who are being teased and ask them to join you in activities. Not only is there the opportunity to make new friends, but safety in numbers may quiet down the bully.
Join a club or sport so that others may have the opportunity to get to know you better and to increase your friendship circle.
If you know a friend of someone who is teasing you, ask them if they can convince the person who is teasing you to stop.
Write down something everyday that you are proud of accomplishing or a positive event. This way, good feelings can help drown out the bad ones you may experience from teasing.
If the same type of teasing happens repeatedly, try practicing a response in front of the mirror, or ask a trusted adult how to respond if you don’t feel comfortable with your ideas.
Try the “Greta Garbo” method, which does not require you to make any verbal response to the bully. See the “How to Deal with Bullies” tip to learn more about this particular technique.
As you can see from the multiple questions above, you are not alone! And remember, teasing is not your fault. It comes from the insecurities of the person trying to pick on you. Ultimately, you will probably be a stronger person for having to endure the experience, but repeated teasing and bullying needs to be stopped.
Please explore our Healthy Weight School to learn the basics about “How Do I Lose Weight?” |
| Is it okay to stop eating for an entire day? |
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=> I dont know exactly how much i weigh but.......i want to loose weight and i dont know how im thinking about not eating for a whole entire day but i dont know if thats safe or not......i see all of these girls that are tall and SKINNY my parents say that im thin and skinny but i dont feel the same way. What should i do??????? =(
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First, you should figure out whether you are overweight or not by finding a scale and visiting our weight calculator or seeing your doctor. But don’t guess as to whether you are overweight or not by visually comparing yourself to a select group of “skinny girls”. If you find that you are truly overweight, then consider making changes to your diet and exercise levels. Have a look at the many Lucy tips for losing weight.
Not eating for a certain period of time, such as an entire day, is also called fasting. Fasting for special days of the year has been practiced in many different religions for thousands of years, but these religions often exclude children from this practice. While short-term fasting in adults may have some health benefits such as a reduced risk of diabetes and insulin dependence, this is not recommended for kids who are still growing. Religions also do NOT make weight loss a goal of fasting.
Here is what not eating for one entire day will do for you as a kid:
Pros: None
Cons: - Crankiness and irritability
- Increased risk for binging at the end of your fast, possibly leading to weight gain
- No noticeable change in weight
- Deprivation of nutrients important for a growing body
Lucy hopes you will not attempt to use fasting as a means to lose weight.
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| I’ve injured my knee/ankle and now I have a hard time exercising. What should I do? |
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=> i'm 14 and i'm a freshman. i've been overweight for as long i can remember. last time i checked i believe it was like 227. i injured my right knee and my left ankle last summer and they never really heeled right. that is what stops me the most from exercising. i'm afraid if i over do it. i'll for sure pay for it afterwards. bacause even just walking on the treadmill for 30 minutes makes my knee sore for a couple of days. and my ankle hurts pretty much when i try to jog or something small like that. i just really want to lose the weight so i can live life happily without having people judge me for my weight rather than my personality. and i can branch out and be who i feel inside instead of being that quiet girl in the corner who no one knows nor cares about. any tips would help. please and thank you ooh so much(:
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Being overweight can really put a lot of stress on joints such as the knees. Listen to your body if you do feel pain after exercise. Jogging and running can be especially hard on knees, even for normal weight people. Consult with your doctor or a physical therapist for specific exercises, but if 30 minutes of walking causes soreness for more than a day, try shorter time increments such as walking 5 -10 minutes at a time. Other ways to reduce stress on the knees/ankles but still getting a work-out include walking in a swimming pool, using hiking sticks if walking for any considerable distance outside, doing exercises while sitting down in a chair (look for videos on this at the library), upside down bicycle motions with the legs, and the use of fitness equipment that has low/no-impact on joints such as elliptical trainers and row machines. Gym attendants can usually show you how these exercise machines work.
While you are starting to use work-outs that do not perpetuate the pain in your joints, also consider what you can do on the food aspect of weight loss. Try to identify reasons for your over-eating and take steps to reduce your intake by visiting our Healthy Weight School. Even though you’ve been overweight most of your life, if you are ready to make the change, you can become a healthier YOU! |
| I’m having trouble finding clothes that fit me. |
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=> we should talk about clothes and how hard it is to find them
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 You’re right. There is a need for more information about clothes for overweight kids. For that reason, we recently created a bulletin board specifically for clothing and fashion on this website. In the future, you can find the link for this Clothing & Fashion Board under both the pre-teen and teen bulletin board icons. Already kids are posting questions and receiving answers about fashion tips and where to shop. Join the conversation! |
| I’m obsessed with food. Help! |
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=> ok so how do you over come a food obession??
=> I know if I don't stop thinking of food it could get serious I'm not really overweight but I'm scared I might get overweight.Do you know were I could get healthy eating charts I could use to help me do better before it gets serious.
=> i am 26 a know a lil to older but i came across ur web site and like it.
my questions is i weight 310 pounds i really want to loose weight but it so hard i find my self going to diet teacher but i can’t stop eating when i should.
how can i help my self from over eating even when i cant stop?
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For some people, food can be like a drug to which they become addicted, particularly junk food. Quitting junk food can be tough. Identify the kinds of food that you find yourself pigging out on. Do you tend to eat salty items and easily go through a whole bag of chips? Or perhaps you have a sweet tooth and often snack on ice cream, cookies, and chocolate. Chose one or two of your problem foods and make plans to cut them completely out of your diet. Visit Lucy’s tip on Saying Goodbye to the Food Drug. You may experience some feelings of withdrawal (irritable, antsy, skin crawling) for several weeks, so click here for ideas on alternative Foods to Help You Fight Through Cravings. |
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