This is personal be nice. :( I am 13yrs old, and 5'7 and I weigh 142lbs. Am I over weight? I've always been self conscious. I look in the mirror and call myself fat. Am I? How can I lose weight?

No, that's not overweight. I wouldn't recommend losing weight either. You can make sure you maintain weight by maintaining a healthy diet and exercising. I think your real problem is a confidence and self esteem issue. Every other magazine has stick thin, airbrushed models and celebrities. Everyone is always saying, eat this, don't eat that. I'm sure the ads change constantly, but as I'm typing this the ad on the side of the page is some weight loss ad with a model that looks anorexic. You have to ignore what the media shows us and learn to love your body as it is.

Aww thanks that really helped :) I just hate going swimming or something I feel so sad that I don't have such a great tan and I'm not all skinny :( I try to ignore the voice inside my head saying I want to be like them but I can't help but wish I were them.

Your're not fat hun... you're 13 yrs old... to young to worry about weight... I hate swimming too... there are other sports out there that you don't have to go half-naked like baseball, soccer or volleyball... anything outdoor sports will still give you tan :) join a sports club in your school... you never know it might become your career when you grow up and help other kids :)

Want to know a secret? Even some of the skinny girls get self conscious. When I was about your age, my best friend was much skinnier than me. And I was pretty thin myself. She was very active though and ate really healthy. Even she would get self conscious though. To most people, it probably didn't seem like it. She put on a smile and faked the confidence. But being close to her, I could always see when she was being self conscious and I would hear it when she started worrying about her weight.

Even now when I go to the beach with my other friends, no one ever wants to take off their shorts because they're all convinced that their thighs are the fattest. But see, when I look at them, I don't see them as fat. They may be able to see their stretch marks or cellulite, just like I see mine. But no one else is looking that closely.

I'd say find a swimsuit you're comfortable in and go enjoy swimming again. Swimming is a healthy activity that will help you maintain your figure anyway.

Aww thanks you guys. :) I just fely bad yesterday and remembered how ever since I was little the doctor told me I was over the weight limit for my age :( I haven't gone in a while but I'm afraid that their going to tell me that again :( so I've always been taller and weigh more than my friends and it would be nice to meet someone as tall or taller than me. That's also why I don't tell people my weight because it just makes me feel fat when all my friends are barly passing the 100 mark and I'm already 40 lbs ahead :(

As a child were you overweight? You're not now. And you're doctor had better not say you are, otherwise they don't deserve to be a doctor.

There's no need for your friends to know your weight. If you're taller than them, then you're likely to weigh more than them too. That's normal. And don't worry, there are plenty of people at least as tall as you and you'll meet plenty of them soon enough. I'm 5'1. A lot of my friends are around 5'8. I like being around my co-workers because a lot of my female co-workers are short like me. :) but I still love my tall friends. I need them to reach things for me. Lol

Just to add... your age doesn't play a large role in what your weight should or shouldn't be. There may be an average, but that just means some people weigh more or less and they can still be perfectly healthy. A healthy weight should take into account height, body structure, calorie intake, level of activity, etc..
How do your clothes fit? Sometimes that is a better indication than the number on the scale.

One last mention... I know the idea of a great tan sounds good.. but it really is a sign of damage to your skin. Better to go with one of the lotions that give you some color if you feel the need to have a bit of a tan. Hard to sometimes understand that at 13 as I know thinking about something that can happen many years from now seems a long way off, but if you protect and take care of your skin now, it will still look great when you are older! You will have fewer wrinkles, soft skin, less chance of skin cancer... which is dramatically on the rise in young people. Look to the well known people with fairer skin... Taylor Swift, Nicole Kidman, Keira Knightly as examples. If you just can't stand the thought of not having a tan... be smart about it, use sunscreen and keep it minimal.

Ok thanks girls. And I don't ry to tan most of the time I tan REALLY easy... which sucks cause I can wear a ton of sunscreen and still tan... I also have another question. I haven't been eting very much at ALL reacently. I don't know y. And I also sleep in till like 11:30am. I know I'm a teen but arnt teens supposed to eat non stop? Its not like I'm not eating cause I think I need to lose weight its just I haven't been eating. Is something wronge with a teen not eating and sleeping ALL day praticly?

Not eating at all is no good. It'll actually slow down your metabolism. Even if you're not hungry, try to make sure you're getting at least a few small healthy meals in a day. Fruits and veggies are good. Lean proteins. Lots of water. Granola, yogurt, dried fruits, all sorts of healthy stuff. What time are you going to bed? If you're staying up late and then sleeping in, I'd say that's normal.

You I stay up till 1 or 2 but its cause I can't fall asleep not that I try to stay up. And I do at but very little. I don't know why and its worring me a little.

If sleeping in is bothering or worrying you, try making yourself get up early one morning, don't take a nap, and you'll likely be tired enough to fall asleep at an earlier time, and then stop sleeping in so late. But, unless you have some reason or desire to be getting up earlier and going to sleep earlier, I don't see a problem with it in the summer.

That's good that you're eating some. I don't know if you like fruit at all, but there's lots of yummy summer fruits right now. I stocked up on peaches, nectarines, and raspberries tonight! They smell so good.

You I love fruit I love food for sure. I love eating but it seems I don't eat like at all anymore. :(

What sort of stuff are you doing to keep busy? Maybe getting out for a walk or run or something physical will boost your appetite.

You I take my dog for a walk everyday and this weekend I went camping for like 3 days... but you that sounds like something that might help. :)