Dear Dish-It, I Think I'm Fat

Advice About Body Image

Dear Dish-It is here to help with all your hot tops. Be it bullying, sibling rivalry, self-esteem problems, depression or suicide, Dish-It is here for ya. On the fly, she gives great teen dating advice, some deep thoughts on the hot topics like flirting, cheaters, best friends, the straight-up on boys and boyfriends as well as the real deal on girls and girlfriends. Dear Dish-It's got the words to make it work. Need advice on love and life, then just start writin' Dish-It. And now, Dish-It is hanging on the boards, so head on over to see the advice she's dishin' up there!

Dear Dish-It,
I'm 12 years old, 5'1" and 104 pounds and I think I'm fat. Well, I know I am. The problem is, I've got a heart problem so I can't run my hardest in cross country to lose some weight! Please help me!!!!
shortysweetluv

Dear shortysweetluv,
How do you know you're fat? Are you comparing yourself to models or celebrities like Nicole Richie and the Olsen twins? If that's what you're doing, I suggest you stop now cuz they're not good role models when it comes to body image. In fact, they've battled serious eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia! I know you're not fat and here's proof - doctors use the Body Mass Index (BMI) to find out if you're in a healthy weight range for your height. According to the BMI, a girl your age should weigh between 79 and 115 pounds. At 5'1" and 104 pounds, you fall right in the middle, which means you are at a healthy weight. So squash your plan of trying to lose weight and concentrate on staying healthy! You can do this by cutting out unnecessary fats and sugars from your diet, eating more fruits and veggies and drinking more water (at least eight glasses a day). Exercising is also important, but you need to take your heart problem into consideration first. You could cause serious damage by overworking your body, so ask your doctor what sort of sports you can participate in. Your health is much more important than overworking your body or starving yourself just to be skinny.

So gotta burnin' question? Need some love directions? Thinkin' about stuff like teen suicide, depression, sex, low self-esteem, boyfriends, girlfriends, losing old friends, bullying or peer pressure but are too scared to ask the 'rents? Don't be scared to Dish-It. Just remember, if you hang out in chat with other Kidzworld members who know you by your nick, you might wanna use a secret nick when you write in. That way, no one will ever know it's you. Remember though, Dish-It gets tons of letters a day, so she can't answer 'em all. But keep checkin' the column cuz chances are, she'll be answering something very similar to your question soon. Thanks! Got some words of wisdom you wanna share? We'll dish them up too.

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