Would I be too skinny?

[Naamah D.]

I'm debating losing to 110 pounds because I feel fat, unhealthy and ugly. Sometimes I have trouble breathing at night, but I'm also battling a cough and stuffy nose right now so I don't know if it has to do with weight or just being sick.

 

Here is a full body picture of me:

 

I feel most comfortable and physically fit at 180-210 pounds, but I feel like if I weighed 110 I'd stand a better chance at attracting guys. Being a size 4 would make me more aesthetically pleasing.

 

When I wrap my index finger and thumb around my wrist, they don't overlap so I don't know if my bone structure is medium or large. I've been using an app called My Fitness pal that tells me how many calories I need. Replacing everything in my wardrobe would be a pain.

 

I'm at a complete loss.

[fullonparanoid]

My advice?

 

Pay less attention to the number on the scale and more attention to your health and well-being.

 

If you feel as though you might need to lose weight, talk to your family physician and get his/her opinion on how best to approach it.

 

Eat a healthy balanced diet and do not rely upon slashing calories to meet any health goals.

 

Exercise regularly...even if you have plateaued and do not lose more weight with the exercise, you will FEEL better both mentally and physically.

 

Exercise does not have to be running a marathon. Walking a mile or so each evening can do WONDERS for one's health.

 

Full circle...focus on your health, not on your weight, and you will be happier across the board.

 

Cheers!

 

:P

[Delshnya]

                 I wouldn't pay much attention to the amount of pounds, just lose some weight until your feel comfortable with your body. But my advice, don't lose weight to get more attention from the guys. That's a mistake in my opinion, do it for yourself, besides, if someone wants more than a friendship with you, better be for your personality. Other advice, don't do stupid diets, try to eat healthier, but don't get obsessed with it, if you are hungry all the time, your doing it wrong. In my opinion it's better if you practice sports. Going for a walk, or running is highly recommended. In my opinion, go for a walk is extremely boring. You can always play a sport that you like. Other advice, if you are planning on doing exercise, try and drag someone with you, in my opinion, it is more easy with someone, and you'll enjoy it more. Try after Christmas, some people gain weight on Christmas, and want to lose it.

[Naamah D.]

I wouldn't pay much attention to the amount of pounds, just lose some weight until your feel comfortable with your body. But my advice, don't lose weight to get more attention from the guys. That's a mistake in my opinion, do it for yourself, besides, if someone wants more than a friendship with you, better be for your personality. Other advice, don't do stupid diets, try to eat healthier, but don't get obsessed with it, if your hungry all the time, your doing it wrong. In my opinion it's better if you practise sports. Going for a walk, or running is highly recommended. In my opinion, go for a walk is extremely boring. You can always play a sport that you like. Other advice, if you are planning on doing exercise, try and drag someone with you, in my opinion, it is more easy with someone, and you'll enjoy it more. Try after Christmas, some people gain weight on Christmas, and want to lose it.

 

There's a lot of snow and ice where I live, but I have a treadmill.

 

I would love to weigh 180-210 again! That range is where I'm most comfortable and feel my healthiest. I listen to music when I exercise which helps with the boring part. Right now I weigh 230. I'd like to lose to 210 and see if I want to lose more weight and I don't think losing to 110 which is 120 pounds is reasonable.

[Kute]

first of all i want to say that i think youre pretty. and second dont listen to the doctors recommended weight. because my whole life they made me feel bad cause i was "under weight" but I was tall... way taller than average kids my age. WHat could I have honestly done? Its just the way I grew. Those numbers don't mean kacheek cause 2 people could be 150. one could be short one could be tall. and their body types will look completely different. YOu have to do what works for you. Its kind of hard to be serious about weight loss. but if you really set your mind to it, youll do really well. My advice would be to make a commitment to yourself and set a goal. Maybe keep a food diary so you can show yourself how much you eat and what type of things you eat and learn to limit or get rid of the more unhealthy choices.( I eliminated soda when i was in 9th grade and today i don't even enjoy the taste of it) These are just things ive heard that are highly recommended. I kinda hate working out. It annoys me. I like to run though. (I think cardio is the key to shedding lbs. ) i try to use it to my advantage. For example. there is this guide online called couch to 5K. Its a really good beginners guide. Its really kicked my behind... not gunna lie. I use it to train for the goals ive set. Which are fun things. Like run a 5K mud run next month. It doesn't have to be boring. Or like if you don't want to be by yourself, or maybe youre a bit competitive you could sign up with a friend. Thats just some personal advice. Good luck, friend.

[SillySilenia]

If your only reason for losing weight is being more attractive to guys, just don't. Tell me, if you end up dating a guy that does want you when you're 110lbs, but would not have given you a second glance at a weight of 180lbs, would you be happy with that? Would you be happy with a guy who loves you because you're skinny and "more aesthetically pleasing" rather than loves you for the person you are, a guy who wouldn't even have given you a chance if you were even the slightest bit chubby?

 

I can't speak for you, but personally, I wouldn't. Nor do I think such a person would deserve you.

 

As to whether your weight would be too low at 110, beyond your build, your actual length would be pretty important there as well. 110 would, depending on build, possibly be in the healthy range for someone of 5ft4 or below, but most likely underweight for people above that and for at least some people below it.

 

Thanks to health issues, I am constantly hovering on the edge of being underweight, currently slightly on the underweight side, and I'm generally between 120 and 130lbs. (5ft8 here). It sucks. Badly. Not only does it do your energy no good to be underweight, it keeps my resistance against things like the flu, colds, tonsillitis and such--which I am already naturally vulnerable to--rather low. On top of that, every time I lose more than 1-2lbs in a short timespan due to illness or similar, it's a serious strain on my muscles because I have close to no body fat left. When I bump into something, I bruise really quickly because there is basically no fat to prevent my skin and muscles from being flattened against the bone.

 

All in all, if your body feels most healthy and comfortable at 180-210 pounds, then aim for 180-210 pounds. Your body does tend to know best, and people who are shallow enough to exclude people for being chubby tend to also be shallow enough to exclude people for being "killjoys" as a result of being frequently ill or injured. Really, if you can avoid becoming underweight, do so, because not only does it cause a lot of nasty stuff like the above, the damage it can potentially do to your resistance also can make it extremely difficult to get back to a healthy weight. (I've been trying for four years now at the least and I still can't keep my weight stable above 130lbs, even though my preferred weight range, as in what feels best, is 140-160lbs--and even 175-190lbs (high range of healthy weight-overweight) feels a whopping lot more comfortable than 120.)

[Angeló]

just to emphasize on what everyone's saying ... Eating a balanced diet , a little bit of exercise and cutting down on junk food would be sufficient for you to start feeling healthy and your body will shed the extra weight without you starving yourself ... i have also cut down my soda consumption by 70% and i don't feel bloated at all anymore ..

[Ranaki]

Agreeing with every post above me:

If you're doing it for a guy, it's not worth it. Doing it for yourself however, GO FOR IT!

 

You're very pretty and as far as I've seen from your posts, you have a very good personality. Do what makes you happy and feel great about it.

 

When I worked, I was at a flat 100 lbs. When you worked 8-12 hour shifts, ate once a day, and had to walk home for an hour and a half, I don't think there was any need for exercise xD Unemployment happened about 6 years ago and I'm now sitting at 140, but that's me being lazy and sitting in front of the computer 12-48 hours at a time - Still eating one meal a day, but sometimes snacking now and then because of the medicines for migraines, dizziness, and teeth grinding (not a good habit, BTW).

 

But I digress. Get to your comfy weight that makes YOU feel good =3

[siniri]

If your goal is to lose weight/weigh a certain amount, you might get there, but it'll be hard to stay motivated to stay there -- and that goal might lead to different choices that might not make your body as healthy as it could be if your focus were on health.

 

So instead of using the scale as your motivation, make you your motivation. Please forgive me if I'm paraphrasing you incorrectly, but it sounds like you feel uncomfortable and less fit than you want to be right now. So set some fitness goals for yourself rather than weight loss goals. The weight loss will happen.

 

There are so many misconceptions regarding weight loss and health, and so much misinformation out there. Many types of diet and exercise combinations can cause you to lose muscle mass along with fat, slowing down your metabolism and increasing the chances that you regain the weight. They can also affect bone density, increasing your chances for osteoporosis later in life.

 

Here are some resources:

• American College of Sports Medicine's fitness recommendations by type (The vast majority of adults don't meet these minimum recommendations; if you don't, you can slowly increase your exercise to try to meet the standards. Strength-training is vital when trying to lose body fat to make sure you're not losing lean muscle mass as well.)
• Using MFP is a good start, but I think you can adjust your macros there (% of daily calories from fat, carbs, and protein). The ratio can vary based on your activity level, insulin sensitivity, genetics, etc., so ask your doctor to recommend the best ratio for you.
• I took a couple of free nutrition classes at coursera. If you're really interested in healthy living, these can be a fun way to learn more. (You can obtain a certificate of completion if you do well enough, and the courses are from universities around the world.)

Start with some small changes that will make you feel better. Work on those for a month, and then adjust. For example, if you currently do no exercise and aren't tracking what you eat, your goals for December might be:

1. Walk for 30 minutes in the mornings on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
2. Track what you're eating in MFP. (Just tracking can be a lot of work, and during this month, you can learn more about nutrition and spot any trends that might help you create goals for next month.)
3. Eliminate/reduce 1 unhealthy habit (e.g., if you drink a liter of soda every day, replace it with sparkling, seltzer, or regular water except on Saturdays; or maybe you get fast food for lunch every day, and you could make it a goal to pack a lunch 1 -- or 3, if you're feeling ambitious -- times/week).

Keep your goals specific (what are you going to do, when, where, how much, and how often?), measurable ("exercise more" isn't easily measurable, but "exercise 90 minutes a week" is), achievable (don't try to change all the things at once, or jump from no exercise to 2 hours a day), relevant, and time-based (schedule things like workouts or weekly meal shopping/prep, and keep those appointments like you would any other). As you progress on your journey, you can make more specific and/or time-bound goals such as "be able to do 50 push-ups at a time by March 1" or "add 40 pounds to my bench press in the month of January" or "lose 2 inches in my belly during January" or "be able to run 1 mile without stopping by March 1". Or on the nutrition side of things, for January, you could aim for "Eat at least 20g of protein per day" or "Eat 1 vegetable with breakfast and 2 with both lunch and dinner" or "Eat 1700-2000 calories per day." *

 

Take all advice with a grain of salt. Most importantly, figure out what you will enjoy! There are lots of ways to eat healthy and lots of ways to exercise. You're more likely to make this a lifelong change if you enjoy what you're doing. (I can only stand to track my meals for a few days at a time; I use it as an assessment tool to set goals to tweak my diet if it's gotten a bit out of whack -- mostly my goals are things like "eat more beans, bananas, X, Y, and Z to improve my potassium levels." But many people love to track stuff!) Try new things, and drop things that just aren't working for you.

 

Regarding attracting people to you, people tend to be attracted to positive people who have confidence and enjoy life. By focusing on your health doing things you find fun, your positivity, confidence, and enjoyment will all increase.

 

*Note: I pulled these examples out of my head. They are not meant to be actual recommendations for anyone to follow! I am not a fitness or nutrition professional!

[Naamah D.]

Thanks everyone for your advice :)

 

I exercised on the treadmill for 30 minutes today. My goal weight that I entered in My Fitness Pal is 210.

 

I appreciate the compliments, too :)

[nicolelouise]

One last comment about guys. Whatever changes you make to your diet and lifestyle have to be done for yourself; that's a given. But don't assume that all guys find 110 pound women 'aesthetically pleasing'. Some men like their women with a little more meat on their bones. Some men like their women with a lot more meat on their bones. Find a guy who likes you for being you and who will love your body whatever shape it is. Be proud of who you are, be confident in yourself, and you will be able to weather the fluctuations of weight that just seem to come with life. My husband is a self confessed chubby chaser and my weight has fluctuated over the course of our marriage (particularly through two pregnancies). He still loves me.

[wanderwisp]

dont listen to the doctors recommended weight

 

this is not good advice. Doctors know more than anyone how healthy your weight is, which is why they take your weight before appointments. If you tell them the truth about your daily food intake and workouts, they will be able to tell if your weight is healthy or if you should lose more.

 

Definitely consult a doctor if you're thinking about losing weight and explain to them your eating and workout habits. They may or may not advise you to see a nutritionist, and if that's the case, go with an open mind.

 

Like others said, definitely don't change your weight for men because, honestly, at the end of the day the only one your weight matters to is you.

[SillySilenia]

One last comment about guys. Whatever changes you make to your diet and lifestyle have to be done for yourself; that's a given. But don't assume that all guys find 110 pound women 'aesthetically pleasing'. Some men like their women with a little more meat on their bones. Some men like their women with a lot more meat on their bones. Find a guy who likes you for being you and who will love your body whatever shape it is. Be proud of who you are, be confident in yourself, and you will be able to weather the fluctuations of weight that just seem to come with life. My husband is a self confessed chubby chaser and my weight has fluctuated over the course of our marriage (particularly through two pregnancies). He still loves me.

Yup, different men, different tastes. If all men loved/preferred small, 110-pound women, my sister would never stand a chance at having a relationship. Instead, she's just about constantly flirted with--and with her 6'1'', she towers over most guys and she weighs a fair bit more than 110 pounds. As in, around 2.5 times as much. (Don't know her exact weight, but somewhere in the ballpark of 265-275lbs at the least.)

[Venus0523]

Thanks everyone for your advice :)

 

I exercised on the treadmill for 30 minutes today. My goal weight that I entered in My Fitness Pal is 210.

 

I appreciate the compliments, too :)

 

Great start, be proud of yourself!! Moving and doing something each day is a must-do!

 

You've gotten many pieces of good advice, so rather than repeating those, I want to add that when/if you find that you don't follow whatever plan you make - Give yourself a break!! You are human and there will be times you fall off the wagon, don't beat yourself, up, just jump back on.

 

Positive thinking, confidence and health should be your goals :)

 

Also, give yourself little "treats" for little accomplishment - An extra few minutes of Neo, a manicure, bubble bath - Something that makes you feel good!

[extrasuperfantastic]

Good idea using MyFitnessPal - apps can be really helpful with weight loss and health management. If you happen to love MyFitnessPal, that's great and you should keep using it. But I recently found an app called TwoGrand that I LOVE and would suggest as an alternative! You log your food by taking pictures of it instead of spending forever inputting calories. It's got a really awesome, supportive community. I highly recommend it. :)

 

Also, I'm actually close to your current weight and have set similar weight loss goals. We could be buddies and motivate each other... :p :D

[ranga_muffin]

i recently decided to try and lose a bit of weight as I wasn't comfortable with myself. I'm 5"4' and a petite build, so i'm one of those lucky weird people who's meant to be between 110 and 140ish. I'm around 140, but as I said I wasn't comfortable. I tried to research what a healthy weight is for my height and frame (you can also research how to work those out) using bmi/body measurements etc, and then thought about what I wanted and tried to merge them.

 

There are calorie counters online which'll tell you how much to eat to lose weight by a certain time which you can use as a guide, but it can be really stressful sticking to them, so you could use them as a sort of idea to aim for. Don't push it!

 

I also do exercise dvds at home (hate exercising in public, and it's summer in Australia so I wilt like a flower within seconds) of cardio and pilates. Pilates is good for strength training and stretching and just generally feeling good. Cardio is good too once you get the hang of it and stop feeling exhausted.

 

Definitely don't do it for a guy. There'll always be a guy out there who doesn't like your weight, just as much as there'll be a guy who loves it. My point is everyone has different preferences, and if you're happy with your body then that's all that really matters.

[Scoobert_Doo]

I'm not going to reiterate (much) what others have said, as there is lot of good advice and encouragemet. YOU have to do what you feel is good/comfortable for YOU and what works for YOU. Not everything works for everybody (every body). Remember, it's "all about that bass." Using an app is great, and, if you are looking for another way to help encourage your efforts or find ways to manage your health/fitness, you may find sparkpeople.com helpful. As sinri wisely pointed out, take all advice with a grain of salt, even with sparkpeople. They do use ads to sponsor their site. However, it is free to join, plus they have a lot of tools to help, like calorie counters/food diaries and workout trackers. You can also create your own blog and read other peoples blogs. I've read many encouraging/motivating posts. They also have general posts/comments sections. You can think of it as TDN for health. As you mentioned, you feel comfortable in the 180-210, so, as you already mentioned, work towards 210. When you reach that goal, reevaluate, if you feel good and don't have any health issues, then try to maintain. If you feel good/positive with trying to loose more, set your goal at 200, and when you reach 200, reevaluate. "Lather, rinse, repeat" until you reach a place you are comfortable with. Personally, I think some of the BMI ranges are not realistic. Say you made your goal of 180 and you feel healthy and comfortable with that and your doctor gives you a clean bill of health - no issues, no concerns. Now say you have tried everything to get to a BMI of 150, but no matter ho hard you try, you just can reach it. I believe there is a point where a (your) body will stay where it feels it should be. So, if you are healthy and are comfortable/confident with that, and can maintain that, then what does a BMI matter, especially if a doctor says you are healthy? I believe you will find someone who likes/loves you for you, no matter what size you are, as long as you are comfortable/confident with yourself.

[SillySilenia]

I'm not going to reiterate (much) what others have said, as there is lot of good advice and encouragemet. YOU have to do what you feel is good/comfortable for YOU and what works for YOU. Not everything works for everybody (every body). Remember, it's "all about that bass." Using an app is great, and, if you are looking for another way to help encourage your efforts or find ways to manage your health/fitness, you may find sparkpeople.com helpful. As sinri wisely pointed out, take all advice with a grain of salt, even with sparkpeople. They do use ads to sponsor their site. However, it is free to join, plus they have a lot of tools to help, like calorie counters/food diaries and workout trackers. You can also create your own blog and read other peoples blogs. I've read many encouraging/motivating posts. They also have general posts/comments sections. You can think of it as TDN for health. As you mentioned, you feel comfortable in the 180-210, so, as you already mentioned, work towards 210. When you reach that goal, reevaluate, if you feel good and don't have any health issues, then try to maintain. If you feel good/positive with trying to loose more, set your goal at 200, and when you reach 200, reevaluate. "Lather, rinse, repeat" until you reach a place you are comfortable with. Personally, I think some of the BMI ranges are not realistic. Say you made your goal of 180 and you feel healthy and comfortable with that and your doctor gives you a clean bill of health - no issues, no concerns. Now say you have tried everything to get to a BMI of 150, but no matter ho hard you try, you just can reach it. I believe there is a point where a (your) body will stay where it feels it should be. So, if you are healthy and are comfortable/confident with that, and can maintain that, then what does a BMI matter, especially if a doctor says you are healthy? I believe you will find someone who likes/loves you for you, no matter what size you are, as long as you are comfortable/confident with yourself.

BMI is pretty much an average and doesn't take into account body-type, yes. For someone of reasonably good health with a length near the average, a muscle-mass near the average and a build near the average, and preferably of either African or Caucasian descent, it should give roughly the correct range of healthy weight.

 

However, athletes, people with a naturally high muscle percentage (such as my sister, whose muscles take up a far higher percentage of her weight than is common in a woman, and indeed even slightly higher than is average in men--the doctors did several tests to figure out if it was caused by a genetic issue or disease, as can be, but it's just that she naturally builds more muscle than common in females), people with naturally dense bones (again, my sister. It was the combination of this and muscles that made the doctors a bit wary at first), people far above or below common lengths, people with certain diseases in particular autoimmune diseases, people with a naturally "wider" build and people of predominantly Asian descent, the BMI results tend to be off by what can be a fair bit.

 

Best way of determining is to use multiple means of calculating whether one has a healthy weight. If BMI, waist circumference and bodyfat percentage all read as "underweight" or "overweight", you can barring some exceptional circumstances generally assume this to be the case, and if two out of three say something and the other says "just within healthy range but on the under/overweight side", it's also somewhat probable that yes, you are over/underweight.

 

Even then, being slightly overweight isn't all that unhealthy. Obese is unhealthy, yes. Falling, say, five pounds out of the "official" healthy range? Barely if at all. (When it comes to being underweight, it depends more on the causes and the speed at which it happened and a lot of other pesky things like that. It doesn't have to be unhealthy, but it can easily be--and if the cause is malnutrition, it can even have bad effects on your health long before you are officially underweight)

[nightfall8705]

I have to echo Josh (fullonparanoid) in my answer, but I also want to say that weight loss should be a personal decision between yourself and your doctor/dietitian. It's easy to feel fat and ugly because of size equality in Hollywood and fashion magazines, but the real reason behind any weight loss in my opinion should be about health. That old adage is true. If you feel like crap, you'll probably look like it too. When you feel great, you'll look great too! And being healthy is the best thing you can do to feel great, and not only that, exercise increases endorphins that can release more serotonin, and more serotonin means that a person experiences a great mood boost!

 

In time, as your body changes to fit your newer active lifestyle (though diet changes wouldn't hurt either) you will gradually feel and look better, and your self-esteem will rise as well as your confidence.

 

Never lose weight for anybody else but yourself. Not for your parents, not for guys, no one but yourself, because if you're doing it to please someone else, you'll eventually run out of means to please them. Do it for you. Set yourself up little goals along the way, and focus, and you will be less likely to give up in the long haul. Believing in yourself is a powerful catalyst, but don't overdo it.

 

Talk with your doctor/dietitian about what diet changes and exercise regimens are right for you, and go from there, and remember, you can never be ugly without an ugly heart first. You're beautiful as you are, but in the end, health trumps cosmetics. Stay strong and lose weight the right way, and do keep us posted of your progress! I'm on my own weight loss journey and I wish you lots of luck on yours!

[Musical_Shoyru]

If your only reason for losing weight is being more attractive to guys, just don't. Tell me, if you end up dating a guy that does want you when you're 110lbs, but would not have given you a second glance at a weight of 180lbs, would you be happy with that? Would you be happy with a guy who loves you because you're skinny and "more aesthetically pleasing" rather than loves you for the person you are, a guy who wouldn't even have given you a chance if you were even the slightest bit chubby?

 

I can't speak for you, but personally, I wouldn't. Nor do I think such a person would deserve you.

 

As to whether your weight would be too low at 110, beyond your build, your actual length would be pretty important there as well. 110 would, depending on build, possibly be in the healthy range for someone of 5ft4 or below, but most likely underweight for people above that and for at least some people below it.

 

Thanks to health issues, I am constantly hovering on the edge of being underweight, currently slightly on the underweight side, and I'm generally between 120 and 130lbs. (5ft8 here). It sucks. Badly. Not only does it do your energy no good to be underweight, it keeps my resistance against things like the flu, colds, tonsillitis and such--which I am already naturally vulnerable to--rather low. On top of that, every time I lose more than 1-2lbs in a short timespan due to illness or similar, it's a serious strain on my muscles because I have close to no body fat left. When I bump into something, I bruise really quickly because there is basically no fat to prevent my skin and muscles from being flattened against the bone.

 

All in all, if your body feels most healthy and comfortable at 180-210 pounds, then aim for 180-210 pounds. Your body does tend to know best, and people who are shallow enough to exclude people for being chubby tend to also be shallow enough to exclude people for being "killjoys" as a result of being frequently ill or injured. Really, if you can avoid becoming underweight, do so, because not only does it cause a lot of nasty stuff like the above, the damage it can potentially do to your resistance also can make it extremely difficult to get back to a healthy weight. (I've been trying for four years now at the least and I still can't keep my weight stable above 130lbs, even though my preferred weight range, as in what feels best, is 140-160lbs--and even 175-190lbs (high range of healthy weight-overweight) feels a whopping lot more comfortable than 120.)

I'm really glad you said something about that! If I guy doesn't want you now he surely doesn't deserve you when you're SUPER skinny!

[Venus0523]

As a mother and grandmother, I'd like to say how VERY proud I am of ALL of you for your good advice on doing such things for yourself and not for a man or anyone else for that matter. This is a very healthy attitude and I applaud you all for being there for one another when things get rough!

 

Way to go girls!!!

[Aquamentis12]

First off, from the photo I wouldn't have guessed you were in that weight range. But the most important thing, and it's probably been said, to get yourself to a healthy weight. For that, talk with your doctor. Do that first, worry about the guys later. If you're healthy and you feel "well", that's the most important part. Likewise, I could stand to drop some serious poundage myself. And when guys take more notice of you, remember to hold out for a good one. ;) There are too many guys who are jerks in relationships and all. No offense meant to anyone here. Just stating observational facts. ;) Any future boyfriend may just as well curse me for saying it, but definitely hold out for one who treats you well.

 

Just take care of yourself first. Whatever will make you feel better and healthy, until then, finding a guy can drop down on your priority list. ;)

[Naamah D.]

First off, from the photo I wouldn't have guessed you were in that weight range. But the most important thing, and it's probably been said, to get yourself to a healthy weight. For that, talk with your doctor. Do that first, worry about the guys later. If you're healthy and you feel "well", that's the most important part. Likewise, I could stand to drop some serious poundage myself. And when guys take more notice of you, remember to hold out for a good one. ;) There are too many guys who are jerks in relationships and all. No offense meant to anyone here. Just stating observational facts. ;) Any future boyfriend may just as well curse me for saying it, but definitely hold out for one who treats you well.

 

Just take care of yourself first. Whatever will make you feel better and healthy, until then, finding a guy can drop down on your priority list. ;)

 

I told two people my weight before and they've said that they'd never guess that I weigh as much as I do. One of them thought that I weighed 160. I guess different people distribute their weight differently. One woman could weigh 230 pounds and look completely different than another woman who weighs 230 pounds.

 

The thing about guys on the other hand, I think a guy would prefer if I got through college first and am able to hold down a job. If there's anything I look for in relationships it's intelligence.

[TheNeonHyena]

I don't think I need to reiterate the don't lose weight for other people and the make fitness goals not weight goals bits, seems like everyone on here are pretty awesome and were quick to support you in that.

 

What I will say is be careful. Trying to lose weight when you have a less than comfortable body image can be very emotionally trying. I very much suggest avoiding the scale and instead going for feeling healthy because sometimes those numbers start to rule our life. I've seen many a beautiful woman (or guy) hate his body to the point of self harm, including eating disorders, because when they tried losing weight it didn't always work for them. Remember that going slow and changing the lifestyle, not just your body, is not only the healthiest thing you can do right now, it might save your life in the future.

 

Always consult a doctor if making serious changes to your diet. Avoid fad diets, pills and empty promises from companies. I can echo everyone on dropping soda, which can be hard but trust me it can be done. If you drink energy drinks, you need to stop ASAP, they not only mess with your natural circadian rhythm but they jack up your metabolism and are loaded with kidney damaging ingredients.

 

And get a good pair of shoes!

[Naamah D.]

 

Great start, be proud of yourself!! Moving and doing something each day is a must-do!

 

You've gotten many pieces of good advice, so rather than repeating those, I want to add that when/if you find that you don't follow whatever plan you make - Give yourself a break!! You are human and there will be times you fall off the wagon, don't beat yourself, up, just jump back on.

 

Positive thinking, confidence and health should be your goals :)

 

Also, give yourself little "treats" for little accomplishment - An extra few minutes of Neo, a manicure, bubble bath - Something that makes you feel good!

 

Playing Neopets is hard right now. I told a family member about the Vandagyre being released and they said, "You're still playing on that website?" and then started asking me how many times I log in a day and how much I play every day and stuff like that. I feel like I should quit Neopets because other people judge me.

 

I care way too much what other people think, but treating myself is a good thing.