I hate being this skinny, please help

LegacyUser

Hi guys,

I'm a sixteen and a half year old girl. My body hasn't changed (except for getting taller) since I was about nine.

Basically I'm a five foot four size 4-6 with no boobs. And believe me it's not for the want of trying, I eat 3500 calories daily even though it nearly kills me (I try to stick to healthy high calorie food, but on bad days I get so depressed that I force cartons of icecream and custard into myself to try and put on weight.)

I cannot find clothes to fit. Jane Norman size 6 sometimes fits me, usually too big, and it's not my style at all anyways. I used to be able to wear kids clothes aged 9-10, but I shot up a few inches in the last year and now they're all too short on me. The only trousers I can wear are kids jeans, half way up my calfs, with long boots over them, and I hate that look.

I get random people coming up to me in the street lecturing me about being anorexic, and how would I feel if I was living in a 3rd world country and not having the option of eating. My friends moan to me about how skinny I am, and how they wish they were the same - ffs, I don't walk up to them and say "Oh my god you are soooo fat!"

I'm just in a particularly bad mood today coz I wanted to get a bra and even size 28AA was too big on me. It's embarrassing and ridiculous.

There must be something medically wrong with me, but my mother won't pay for me to go to the doctor because she insists my metabolism won't kick in for another few years. But this isn't something that runs in the family! My mother and all my aunts and sisters have always had perfect size 12 bodies with massive boobs. And she won't let me get a job either because she wants me to concentrate on school, so I've no way of finding out what's wrong.

I know this isn't as bad as some of the other problems here, but please, if anyone has any advice, please help me.

Silverfish

I don't know much about this really OP, but maybe you're going about it the wrong way, instead of trying to gain fat, should you be trying to build muscle/tone, by maybe working out and exercising?

Kershaw.D

I have the same problem , iv been trying to put on weight for ages now and I can , there is noting that you can do about it , but my parents are of a proper size , even though you are reali skini now when you hit about 32 you will start getting very fat , sorry
If you go to the doctor s/he can give you meds that will help you put on weight , but id rather not bake them , its up to you

Ann22

You can buy weight gain products in health shops like Holland and Barrett and Nature's Way. If you still don't put it on, you may have to accept that that's the way you are. I was, at age sixteen and 5'3'', under six and a half stone, no matter what I ate. I hated being so thin. For the next few years I struggled to find clothes that complimented me. At 20 after my son was born, I was 8st31bs which was grand. Now at 39, I have to watch everything I eat as I put weight on so easily..it's a pain 'cos I love my food!
You may have no option but to buy size 6 or 8 in trousers, in a light colour by the way, black is very slimming, and if loose in the waist, use a belt. Pennys have a brilliant selection of bras, padded ones too. i know you probably hear it all the time but look at all the really thin models, clothes look better on skinny people.

Slutmonkey57b

I was very skinny for most of my life, and my body is naturally very skinny if I don't work at keeping the weight on.

Don't despair, you CAN put on the weight. The key is eating and getting some exercise. Don't get hung up on trying to stuff huge portions into yourself. Eat 6 regular meals (start off with 3 meals and 3 snacks to get into the habit and timing). You can make this easy on yourself by using tuna sandwiches, weight gain supplements, and pasta & meat salads for the 3 "new" meals. If you're cooking dinner, cook two and put one in the fridge.

You can't put on weight as easily as a man can by doing free weights, but try and get some mass-building exercise done (don't take up running or cycling for example, they'll just make you skinnier.)

Don't try and get results in just a few weeks - if you keep plugging away at it, you'll see results before you know it. Don't obsess over weight either - muscle weighs more than fat remember.

Your mother has a point in that your body hasn't finished changing yet - it could very well be that your body will change overnight at around 18, but as for not letting you see a doctor, I don't know - maybe she's trying not to make a big deal out of it in the hopes you won't obsess over it.

LegacyUser

Hunny when you are older you will be thankful you have the body you do when you see many of your contemporaries losing their youthful bods and developing love handles and droopy boobs. Learn to love the skin you are in girlfren'.

DeVore

I was 5'10" at 12, have been ever since. "Gangly" isnt a strong enough word...
Do exercise and put on some muscle (believe me, you wont look Russian Powerlifter or anything, plus here's a secret, guys like girls who are "fit" )

Go talk to G'em over on the Fitness forum, she's very knowledgable about such things and anyway, you are 16.... you're body is growing in all different directions at different speeds (like mine did!), when I was 25 I started growing shoulders which was nice but until then I was like a wet bag of broomhandles and elastic-bands.

If you are really concerned, talk to a dietician but don't force yourself to eat or get depressed about it, I know everyone gets self conscious about their bodies but really, you havent stopped growing yet and you wont until you are about mid twenties... If you think you are an ugly duckling now (and I'd bet good money you arent!), give the swan a chance to emerge...

DeV.

Monkey61

I know it's a pain in the arse to hear OP but at 16 you just havent finished growing yet. Around the age of 18 girls tend to put on a bit of extra weight anyway as their bodies develop further. I was never particularly skinny, but I'm 25 now and will never again be as thin as I was at 16. Metabolism changes over the years anyway. Most people I know who were almost skeletal at 16 went through dramatic body changes by the time they were 18-20.

The best thing for you now is to be as healthy as possible. Joining a gym would be ideal, but is probably out for you if you don't have the money. There are however loads of mass buildng excercises that you can do at home that will help bulk you up a little bit. Putting on muscle will be a slow process but at least you can feel like you are working towards something. Why don't you pop over to the fitness forum - they really know their stuff and will be able to recommed exercises that you can do at home with a few weights and they will advise you on your diet! Ice cream etc is not going to give you the body you want - protein and good fats are the way to go.

As to the Doctor, I can understand your mother not wanting to waste the money. More than likely he's just going to confirm everyone's assertions that you are still growing and that's all there is to it. He can't change your body shape any more than we can!

Pythia

OP, have your periods started yet?

LegacyUser

Hi OP,

I wouldn't worry too much.

My girlfriend didn't develop much until she was in University.
Seriously, she had no boobs until she was 19/20 and was 5 foot tall.

Then over about a year she grew 6 inches and a pair of C cups.

Now, at 23 she's very over weight - but that's another story!

illiop

I had the same problem when i was younger only my friends didn't compliment me, one girl even told me I made her want to vomit. But i do know that the complimet thing can be annoying too.
I'm 18 now, size 10 sometimes 8, B cup, 5 foot 8. but that may not happen to you and to be honest it didn't happen to me till about last year. to be honest I think the best thing you can do is just forget about it. It may change it may not.

Perhaps you could look into online shops that specialise in smaller sizes or invest in a needle and thread. A lot of my clothes still have to be taken in somewhere.

LegacyUser

I'll echo what everyone else is saying, and say to wait and see.
My sister was almost the exact same as you, except she is 6 inches taller!! The school was constantly worrying that she was anorexic, but if they had seen the food she put away every day! However, she is now 18, nearly 19 and has started to put on some weight. Still only a size 8 but at least she can buy clothes that fit her! She still has a bit of a problem with keeping the weight on, she has to eat an obscene amount and if she gets ill she goes back to being skeletal, but at least food is starting to stick. She also went from an A cup to a D, so i really wouldn't worry, puberty does some very odd things to your body.

Bottle_of_Smoke

I'm sure theres a good chance its a hormone/puberty not being finished issue so I'd know knoeck that 3500 caloriesa day thing on the head immediately. Thats an insane amount.