What to do if I have a large stomach

[Ruby]

I am female, 16-years-old, 163cm (5"4'), 54-58kg and I have short legs and a long torso. I haven't grown height wise since I was 13 or 14. When I was 14, I was about 57kg at one point but then I got to 65kg throughout the year for some reason.

When I was 10, my mum wanted me to gain weight because she thought I was a bit skinny. I ate a lot (2 sandwiches for lunch and 3 things for morning tea) but I didn't become much bigger at all. I think that might be why I have a large stomach. I've been a big eater for quite a few years.

When I was 15, I went on a weight loss diet and lost 12kg in about 2 months. I didn't eat a lot. Sometimes I only ate very little so that I could manage to lose at least a kilo in a week.

I have gained a bit of weight since I finished the weight loss diet. I eat pretty healthy and limit junk food but I felt like I could just eat a heck of a lot without feeling full. I eat less now. Sometimes when I'm hungry or not full but I feel that eating more wouldn't be a reasonable amount, I just let it go. For instance, I might need two big bowls of pasta/rice/cereal to feel completely satisfied, but that's too much. If I have 2 cups of cereal with milk, I feel like I could have much more but I think that would be unreasonable. I might gain weight If I eat so so much to the point that I feel sort of full (not stuffed) but that takes a lot. Even after a big or average meal it can sometimes almost feel like I've had nothing.

I am not sure what I should do. I kind of want to decrease my stomach size by eating less/spreading my meals or snacks more but it probably wouldn't make my stomach smaller. Having to eat so much or not feeling satisfied with what I have annoys me.

 

[Ste11aeres]

You say your weight is 54-58 kg, and you are 5"4'. This gives you a BMI of about 21.8.
This is a normal BMI.
Are you sure your stomach actually is large?

By the way, what proportion of your meals are vegetables?

 

[Warwick C]

From what I understand a normal Bmi is 25, this from a physio trainer. The physio is the physio for several rugby and gymnastic teams. She also mentioned it is not the most accurate, As muscle weighs more than what fat does, so strong athletic people would come out as obese, including the gymnists she had under her for competition training.

The stomach are is a hard area to lose wieght from, I understand to loss weight from that area is to focus on leg exercises as that is a much larger muscle group and burns more calories.

You might already be at your natural wieght.

 

[Ruby]

I am not sure if my stomach is actually large but it seems like it since it takes longer to fill it up than most people. There could be other reasons for this. I probably eat about 2-4 serves of vegetables a day although I'm supposed to have 5 but there aren't really that much vegetables in the house which I could easily have as a snack or anything so I usually have other healthy foods. What do I do?

 

[Ereth]

Do you chew your food thoroughly when you eat? Many studies have shown that chewing food well while eating helps trigger the brain's "I'm full!" alarm, so that one may eat less and still feel satisfied.

 

[Ruby]

I don't chew very thoroughly and I eat quite fast.

 

[Ereth]

Well, you might slow down and see if that helps at all. Best wishes.

 

[Ste11aeres]

I think that if you are still hungry, that is your body telling you that you actually do need more food.
I went through a period where I thought I was eating too much, because I looked at all the food I was eating, and I was like "How can I possibly need this much?"
Well, I did need it.


However, if you eat fast, that can throw things out of whack, and confuse your appetite. So slowing down might be good.

 

[Ruby]

I might gain weight though, which I have a bit. I also don't know why I'd need so much if I'm not growing anymore. I was an early bloomer.

 

[Ste11aeres]

You're 16, and this is a bad time to be worrying about your weight. I mean it's psychologically unhealthy. My sister had an eating disorder around that age. :unhappy:

 

[Christy]

Hi Ruby,

There is a difference between weight and size. I’ve given up with the scales, because I’ve been going to the gym and loosing fat but gaining muscle. With the added muscle (which weighs more than fat) I’m losing size but not weight. It is frustrating to be honest, but that’s just how it works! Clothing size is a better measure to go by.

Also, you can be skinny but have “wobbly” bits because you’re thin but not toned, or you can be skinny and very strong because you have muscle. If you’re not concerned with your size but you still don’t like your shape, then I would suggest the way forward is exercise to tone your body. I understand if your core strength (back, stomach and hip muscles) isn't strong enough, then the hips role forward giving the look of a large belly, even though this isn't actually the case. I'd be looking at your posture and what exercises you can do to strengthen and improve that, not limiting your food intake.

As long as you’re not eating junk food to excess (which has minimal nutrients and lots of fat or sugar) (which it sounds like you are not), then the volume you eat I don’t think has too much to do with it. You aren’t gaining weight and you’re not large, so I wouldn’t worry about the food side of it.

Please remember it is very normal for the female body to fill out in the later teen years. I’m afraid it isn’t a matter of avoiding it, it just happens.

 

[Warwick C]

Ruby please listen to the other women here, they have been through what you have and some with eating disorders which we do not wish upon you.
I think christy has given you better way to judge your body size, and it may be your core strength as well, how ever you have to be care that it does not effect your breathing by holding your stomach in too much.

 

[Ruby]

If it is a bad time to worry about weight at a certain age, then isn't it a bad time to worry at any age? I get that when you're a kid you are still growing in most cases and might need more energy than someone fully grown. Overweight kids are more likely to become overweight/obese adults so we might as well learn to eat right before we become adults and put on so much weight. I think it's a good idea to control weight as a kid because that's when you're still learning and it's easier to lose weight when your young because the metabolism is usually faster.

I used to be 65kg which is considered overweight for my height but now I am alright although I should make sure I don't gain more weight because I lost 12 kilos and I don't want to put all of the weight back on. I don't look thin anymore but I look somewhere between chubby and thin which is alright. I think I might be at about my healthiest weight and I don't really want to lose weight if it is unnatural or unhealthy for me to be that thin. I kind of wish I was thinner and less fat but I don't really mind my current weight. Having excess fat doesn't feel too good but neither does having bony hips and ribs which make leaning something on them more painful/uncomfortable.

I live in an environment where weight is to be concerned about if you're chubby or not thin. At my dance club, probably only few of them are chubbier than me and lots of them are thin at my age but they seem to eat a fair bit of junk food whereas I don't eat much junk anymore. We also wear leotards which people who aren't thin may be uncomfortable doing. No one currently in my age group is obese or anything. Some of them might be underweight. Older students in their twenties and thirties aren't generally as thin as the teens.

My mum and sister have been going on about their weight and trying certain things to lose weight. Neither of them are at a healthy weight at the moment and they aren't happy with their weight. My sister is especially negative about her weight so she can therefore be critical or judgemental of my weight, the types of foods I eat and my portion sizes (which are my business, not hers). When I was 62-65kg, I was quite happy with my weight for a while, I didn't really care about it and I didn't see anything wrong about it, but my sister said that I was a bit chubby, my weight wasn't that good and I could lose weight. She thought I was alright but that I could be a better weight. I didn't need to know her opinion but I thought it through for a while. I checked my BMI and then I thought "how on earth am I overweight? I don't look chubby or anything?" I soon realised that I would prefer to be thinner and within the healthy range though so I was considering losing weight. Once my sister asked me whether I'm going to lose weight and then I said "I'm not sure" and then she said that I should. I don't think being 1 or 2 kilograms overweight is that harmful though I could lose weight.

 

[Ruby]

Hi. I have gained a bit of weight but eating a lot adds more calories to your diet which can store as fat. I started getting chubby when I was 12 maybe because my growing and metabolism slowed down which wouldn't allow me to eat as much without gaining weight. I don't think being thin has ever exactly been natural for me anyway.

 

[Warwick C]

Out of couriosity if you don't mind me asking what is you BMI? My BMI is 27.8 and I have been asked to get it down to 25-26 which is I think 8 kg. my target wieght is 76 kg my hieght is 170 cm, when I last checked I was 82.5 kg.

One of the problems with using BMI is that it has gotten manipulated and being inaccurate.

You can send it as a P.M if you want I only want help,and the more I can understand the more I may be able to help you .
I can talk to a trainer, Pyhsio and dietician on your behalf if it helps.

 

[Ruby]

My weight keeps changing which is weird. One day it might be 54 kg and a few days later it could be 58kg. My BMI at 54kg is 20.3 and my BMI at 58kg is 21.8. Anything under 17.8 or over about 24.1 is unhealthy for a 16 year old, so I'm somewhere in between underweight and overweight. I have a long torso and short legs which would make me weigh even more than the average person.

Here's a recent photo of me from about 3 weeks ago. I don't look thin but I'm okay:


This is me when I just about lost all the weight. I have gained a bit. I was 53.6kg:


This is me at about 65kg with an overweight BMI of around 24.5:


The help that I am seeking is what to do about my large stomach and not feeling full enough. What should I do about not feeling full enough even after a large amount of food?

 

[Warwick C]

I think you look Ok to me Ruby, Do you have a swiss ball? that can help to strengthen your core muscles, which can make your stomach look smaller. As to not feeling full I am not sure, it depends on what you call a large amount of food. Apparantly the stomach is only suppose to be the size of your fist, so mabe the full recepters are not getting switched on for you to feel full.

 

[Ruby]

I have a gym ball but I rarely use it and it makes my head feel uncomfortable being upside down. A large amount of food to me is hard to explain but it's much more than most people would eat and they would probably be really full if they had as big meals as I do. A large dinner to me is probably about 2-3 cups of pasta or rice but that's about as much as I would need to feel completely satisfied although I don't use measurements.

Here's an example of what I would consider a normal portion for dinner. I would probably have twice or 2.5 times that amount to make me feel satisfied:

 

[Warwick C]

Just quickly just siting on a swiss ball can help becuse you are using a lot of muscles to sit on it because you are having to balance on it.

 

[Ruby]

I'll sit on it now.