From MarieAnn, Child's Age 13 - 06/15/02 - IP#: 67.82.119.xxx  Click here to reply  
My daughter is 13 almost 14 years old. She is a very active cheerleader dancer and swimmer but when she hits the off season shes gains a little bit of weight (no more than 10 lbs) Anyway Laurie is 5'7" and a half and she weighs about 141 I know she is at a good weight but she doesnt like it. She has very skinny friends who all weigh about 120 at the most and wear size 3 jeans in juniors my daughter wears a size 7. I tried to explain to her that she is not overweight that she doesnt need to diet anymore but she wont listen. She has bough Slimfast with her own money and she can NEVER stop looking at the scale or the mirror. She really wants to lose weight before she enters high school, but most of it is still that baby fat. Please give me some advice i don't know if i should just let her diet or make her stop because i dont want her to ruin herself. Does anyone have any safe diets that could help her? She would like to weigh 120
Reply from Vanessa, Child's Age 17 - 08/12/03  - IP#: 205.188.208.xxx
Definitely have a talk with her. If you let her diet and don't assure her that she's fine the way she is, she will likely continue this negative body image throughout her life. What's more, it could only get worse. I know this because I suffered from anorexia throughout my later teen years, which later morphed into drug abuse. I was a size 7, which is a slim, healthy size, but I always wanted to be a size 1 like the thin cheerleaders I would always see. She is already active, and as long as she is eating healthy well-balanced meals you have every reason to believe this is the way her body is meant to be. Interfering with her natural weight through dieting could mess up her menstrual cycles and cause a whole slew of negative health effects. So good luck, and remember, condoning her self-destructive behavior is just the same as encouraging it.

 
Reply from Meliane- I'm 13, Child's Age 1 - 05/14/03  - IP#: 64.80.240.xxx
I am only 13 and I have a 1 year which I wished I had never had but I did and now it's my responsiblity to take care of her. Just like your daughter I had problems before I had the baby in my weight. I weighed 147 and I then I weighed 122 right after I had the baby. In the begining I was still chubby. Then I just got this workout tape called, Power 90 then I started losing weight and in 3 weeks I had lost 14 lbs. I advice you to buy this tape for your daughter you also get some muscle.

 
Reply from Jed, Child's Age 11 - 07/30/02  - IP#: 64.12.96.xxx
That's perfectly normal, and I don't think she will get picked on ebing a cheer-leader.
 
Reply from Nick, Child's Age 14 - 07/10/02  - IP#: 68.48.0.xxx
Don't worry shes at a fairly normal weight for her height and age...just don't let the problem get out of hand