What do you think?

Do you think I should be considering any kind of body surgery at my age (I'm 16).
Or should I just try and diet harder and work out harder (two things I can't seem to do).
I'm not sure where to post this, New.
So I've decided to post it here! Oh! && I was also wondering if anyone would care to
tell me how to make a signature.?

Hi Candy

Signature, I did not find that out myself yet, so I'll read along.

To answer your question: I think 16 is too young to have the surgery. What do you weight and what have you tryed? I am almost 30 yrs old and have been thinking about this for years, and STILL want to give it a last final go before I call the surgeon's office.
There must be things you can try first, surgery must be your LAST resort. Too many complications!!!

Diet is NOT the answer though, also 7 days a week working out isn't either. You are better off learning how to eat healthy and snack in moderation, and do some exercise. Maybe a plan like Weigh****chers can teach you this. I have been there at age 16 and wanted one thing: To be thin and as quickly as possible! I tried all sorts of stuff and diets, which made me grown even bigger up to the 340 pounds I am now!
Please, try to be patient when you go on a health plan (rather than diet) because the weight can't come off very quickly, that is a recipe for failure. Small babysteps will get you there, but I suggest you find a club, doctor, dietician or trainer who can coach you and guide you through this.

GOOD LUCK girl!
Carina

Candy,

The good news for you is that if you lose the weight and tone up now you will look a million bucks!  Young skin will snap back into place far more easily when you start to shrink.

Have a look at my profile- I have lots of tips about how I lost weight.

At 16 your body hasn't finished growing yet- and you could still get taller even up unitl your early 20's!!!!  So for that reason you shouldn't even consider surgery yet.

Em

Candy, At 16, you should NOT be considering surgery.  You are young, still growing, and surgery should be the absolute last resort when you are much, much older.  I would like to give you some suggestions.  Start looking at what you are eating every day.  If you drink regular pop, it should be switched to either diet or water.  You'd be surprised at how many calories goes into one regular 12oz can of Coke.  Do you eat a lot of fast food?  That's something to look at.  I found once I cut that out it helped a lot.  The big thing is to make tiny changes at a time and to NOT consider this a diet.  Consider it a healthier way to eat and live.  That does help to put things in perspective. If you would like to post what you eat, we could give you feedback and suggestions. Also, you might want to talk to your mom about getting an appointment with a nutritionist.  Talking to one might help you come up with a good eating plan. Melinda

Lucky, SMART girl to think of this now.  You can make such a difference by making sure you exercise most days for at least an hour - by the way...do something you truly enjoy - and then: try choosing mostly fruit & veggies with lean meats and some whole grains, and some lowfat dairy. When your friends eat the fries with cheese sauce, you take one bite and eat  a grilled chicken patty on a whole grain roll, no mayo. Diet coke or non fat milk. fresh fruit on the side. Don't "diet', eat real food in the portion sizes that will keep your weight down. I SO wish I had just eaten normally as a teen.  I thought my natural born size 14 body should be a size 2...like "everyone" else.  I started "dieting" back then...and I am sure it was the start of wrecking my metabolism. I thought to lose I should smoke cigs all day long, starve.  I would then get confused when i would snap and eat a side of beef. DUH...your growing body needs food.  BE afraid of eating out a lot...Do NOT be afraid of eating good, low fat food that you make or your parents make. If they do not cook -  YOU learn how to do it.  you will be so glad you did. Cooking and Eating good whole food is a learned, dying art...people go out to eat way too much.  Your tatses will change when you stop eating fast food...it really does.  try it one month and see. You will notice a gigantic differnce in the way that greasy stuff sits on your tongue and in your gut.  best of luck...try this, you will see!

You are so cute!!!  I have an 18 year old son...any interest?? Just kidding. To answer your question, hell no.  You should not be considering any type of weight loss surgery at this time.  You haven't had enough time to fail at doing it to assume you can't do it!   Get some books on nutrition.   Learn as much as you can about it while you are young.  If I knew then what I know now I may never have struggled for so long.

You have a special challenge ahead of you in that you are faced with fast food and bad choices every single day of the week, every day of your life.   That's hard for kids these days. Stay here for support, ask millions of questions and we will help you.  Just don't go cutting up on yourself right now, okay?

In user settings there's a place to add a siggy and then you have to make sure to check enable signature. 16 is a really tough time to be struggling with extra weight-I remember.  Weight loss surgery only deals with the physical aspects of eating which means if you are already struggling with eating disorders (emotional eating, anorexia, binging, etc) it will not deal with the mental side of things.  There have been individuals who have had the surgery that did not deal with the mental part of the process and wound up severely depressed and really regretting the surgery.  Since you've already dealt with eating issues before, it would probably be a good idea to find some type of structured program where you can deal with your relationship with food.  It doesn't have to be a "commercial weight loss" program.  You could find a psychologist that you are comfortable with who is willing to work with you.  They will probably have you journal your food, activity and emotions.  You may have already done some of this, but you need to get past the regain phase which is the toughest part.  I've regained 3 times but I think this time might be it.  It will only work for you if you are ready and can make it work for you for a lifetime.  It's really not about a "diet" with a beginning and an end, but a healthy diet for a lifetime.  To me, that means anything in moderation, focusing on healthful foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, dairy and healthy fats. Only you, your family and your doctor would know if the surgery is right for you.  My opinion is that if  you don't have any severe health problems due to weight then you should really try to work on it non-surgically.

At age 16 I thought I was the fattest girl on earth.  I wore a size 16.  In the 20 years since high school I have dieted my way up to a size 34 at my biggest.

My wish for you is that you will somehow learn to love yourself enough today to take care of YOU.  To feed yourself good things that will help you not only look better but feel better too.  Eating a diet rich in lean meats and veggies and whole grains will cause weight loss, increased energy and better mental well-being.

I know things are tough for you  - physically and mentally.  My ex husband was bi-polar (uncontrolled and un-diagnosed at the time).  I read on your profile that you are bi-polar as well.  Eating a healthy diet has been shown to lesson symptoms.  Sugar is the enemy of you mind and your waistline! You are a beautiful creature.  Treat yourself as such and you will blossom.  Surgery is the last option... give yourself time.  For now your body is still dealing with hormone changes, and will be for another 10 years or so.  Make concrete changes, one day at a time.  Start by drinking water - LOTS of it.  Then make a change one meal a day.  Make eating a healthy, lean, high protien breakfast a habit... once you have that conquered move on to lunch or dinner.  within a few months you will see HUGE changes in your life.  I promise.

Thanks so much for all the replies! I don't know what to say!
But I'm gonna try new things, its just so hard.