Help - 14 and need to lose weight.
Hey. I'm 14 and need to lose weight. My folks keep telling me that I need to quit growing before I diet because it's bad for my health and might stunt my growth, but being this overweight is making me really unhappy. I feel terrible all the time and I have no energy.
Is it true that it could affect my growth? I don't wsn to go on any mad diets or anything, just learn about eating properly and lose some weight.
I'd appreciate any help that you can give. Thanks in advance.
Eating sensibly is not going to stunt your growth, in fact the opposite is true. If anything, making sue that what you eat is healthy, nutritious and good for you will help your body achieve it's full potential.
If you have a family doctor, it might be an idea to ask your Mom to take you to see him/her so you can discuss this. A doctor will be able to give your parents impartal advice on whether your weight is an issue and maybe even give you a plan to work to.
Believe me, if you ARE actually overweight, a visit to the doctor is going to be the best thing to do to reassure your parents.
Don't worry about him saying that you shouldn'y diet. No doctor is going to tell you that you shouldn't lose weight IF your weight is a problem.
Also, excercise produces human growth hormone which obviously helps you to grow, not the opposite. It doesn't mean that you'll get taller than you would if you didn't exercise, but it does mean that you'll reach your maximum potential height.
Have you thought about not dieting, but exercising more instead? Parents get funny about diets because they worry that it's going to lead to eating disorders, but I don't know of any parents who get upset about their kids taking up a sport or exercise.
I agree with the people telling you to talk to your Doctor though - s/he will give you an honest opinion and help your parents understand that trying to look after yourself isn't a bad thing.
Well done you for taking steps to address this though. :)