It all started when we were sitting in P.E. class at my school in the sixth grade, apparently schools started doing health classes to teach about nutrition and what you eat and the start of these things called "calories." I'm Emerson, a 13 year old boy who is currently fluctuating between 79-81 pounds at a height of 4'11 at the moment; before that day I used to be happy and ate what I liked to eat and ate like candy every week or so, ate what I wanted. Now, just from about a week of health class, and learning about these calories I started getting scared. What if I do get fat, what if I do get overweight? I am already active, I participate in soccer, long distance running and track throughout the year. It's been about a year and a half since the health class and since that day, I've been learning more and more about calories and all this nutriton stuff and getting even more scared about what I eat, and if I'm doing the right thing. I'm tired of hearing I can eat what I want, (I run 4 miles every other day at my local park, it's really beautiful with the shining lake in the middle. I also do soccer two days a week.) or that I can't eat what I want and I should restrict what I want to eat and I shouldn't have this food group too much or restrict that one. I, myself am not a person who is anorexic, I log my calories at about 1800 calories a day almost everyday. I may go up to 2000 depending on the more active days, or down to 1500. Sometimes I think calories are running my life and it's getting kind of taking over it. I turn down things people offer me at birthday parties, social events and I've become the person who is like, "Oh, he doesn't eat candy or cake, can I have yours?" during giveaways at school. I always wish I could eat it but from the day where we learned that eating junk food was not good for you, I haven't eaten a single candy bar, a piece of cake in about a year and a half. I feel a little depressed every time I turn one down but a little better because I am being healthy but...Ah, just wanted to get that out. Now to the question...
My question is, what should be my intake of refined carbohydrates such as rice and cereal (my main staples if I have grain..etc) and fruit? If the refined carbohydrates have a high GI, should I just replace them (since people tell you eat whole grain, just for the fiber it gives) with some more beans throughout my days (I eat beans as a staple, black beans, pinto beans, lentils. I like to eat all my food plain, no salsa whatever.) Also, been wondering about fruit too because what is moderation with fruit anyways? With their high sugar content & your body can't tell the difference (but, people have been saying refined sugars are worse than natural so I get confused...) should I only eat like a banana or an apple once or twice a day?
Sorry to get that rant onto you guys, just wanted to get it all out. :] Thanks for any help, it'd be appreciated.
I hope this is a joke - your language usage is not at all like a 13-year-old. Just in case, in answer to your questions, you need some starch in your diet - about 55% of your calories should come from carbohydrates. So if you cut out refined carbohydrates, replace them with unrefined things like brown rice, wholegrain cereal, oats, wholegrain bread, etc. Remember that your body needs a bit of sugar for quick energy when you exercise. So fruit is not bad - you can happily have 4 or 5 a day if you want.
In answer to your rant, remember that a healthy lifestyle allows you to have small amounts of 'junk' food. No food is forbidden. Learn to listen to what your body is telling you it needs. Stop calorie counting completely. Go cold turkey - do it all in one go. The first week will be scary. Maybe the second, too. But your body will soon start telling you what it needs - you'll find yourself craving omelette after exercising, or craving fruit to wake you up in the morning. Hide the scale for at least a month. It's so much more fun to just be a kid, and not have to worry about what you're eating.
Original Post by malaika99:
I hope this is a joke - your language usage is not at all like a 13-year-old. Just in case, in answer to your questions, you need some starch in your diet - about 55% of your calories should come from carbohydrates. So if you cut out refined carbohydrates, replace them with unrefined things like brown rice, wholegrain cereal, oats, wholegrain bread, etc. Remember that your body needs a bit of sugar for quick energy when you exercise. So fruit is not bad - you can happily have 4 or 5 a day if you want.
In answer to your rant, remember that a healthy lifestyle allows you to have small amounts of 'junk' food. No food is forbidden. Learn to listen to what your body is telling you it needs. Stop calorie counting completely. Go cold turkey - do it all in one go. The first week will be scary. Maybe the second, too. But your body will soon start telling you what it needs - you'll find yourself craving omelette after exercising, or craving fruit to wake you up in the morning. Hide the scale for at least a month. It's so much more fun to just be a kid, and not have to worry about what you're eating.
Hehe, thank you for your reply; I am currently on the computer a lot during the days since it is summer and I practice my grammar and much else, I'm used to typing professionally (or so I think. ;-)). I do have a bag of brown rice my family is finishing up and they'll be happy I'll be finishing it up most likely, my family is mostly Chinese and their main staple would happen to be the ever-so-smelling jasmine rice; I have been including oats into my diet, those regular flavored, instant pack oatmeal you can get pretty cheap at Albertsons. I'll take note of the sugar from the fruit, I guess I might have some fruit during the day anyways; I had some watermelon today but I was just curious about the sugar content and how much I should be having.
I guess that having junk food every once in a while (or at least, eating out in my case, my mother doesn't buy much junk food anyways :-)) will be fine for me. I'm afraid I can't stop calorie counting though, for some reason I've gotten so addicted or obsessed with calorie counting I just can't get it out of my head; when I do try to get it out, the day I do try to get it out, it just comes right back in the next day or during the day because I keep thinking I'll get fat or something. It's been getting to be part of my lifestyle and getting kind of big in it. :[ I guess I'll try to loosen up a bit; I thank you for your post. Thank you for your effort to post nicely and politely, I really appreciate it. :] I'll take these tips to mind and hopefully into heart. Have a wonderful summer day, hopefully it won't be as thunder-stormy as in Tacoma, Washington as it has been today. :[ It was horrrible.
Original Post by jester602:
I'm afraid I can't stop calorie counting though, for some reason I've gotten so addicted or obsessed with calorie counting I just can't get it out of my head; when I do try to get it out, the day I do try to get it out, it just comes right back in the next day or during the day because I keep thinking I'll get fat or something. It's been getting to be part of my lifestyle and getting kind of big in it. :[ I guess I'll try to loosen up a bit; I thank you for your post.
The fact that you're afraid that if you stop counting calories you'll get fat is a bit alarming to me. At 13, your body still has a lot of growing to do! Right now, you're only 4'11 and 79-81 pounds, you're inevitably going to gain more weight. Junk food once in a while is nothing to be afraid of; the obsession with calorie-counting is what is more discerning at this point.
Sorry if this comes off as mean; I don't mean to. I've just seen way too many people fall into horrible situations because of things such as this and I'd hate to see it happen to more.
How long have you been counting calories?
are you serious? if you are 13 and eating only 2000 max, you are going to stunt your growth. you seem very intelligent, so i'm surprised you didn't realize this. your bmi is 16.2. you must eat at LEAST 2600 calories. yeah you might put on a little bit of weight at first, but everyone does when they're your age, and then your body will adjust. you have to put on weight to grow. not just height-wise, either. your brain is trying to develop and you're giving it the amount of calories an adult needs to maintain their weight, not the amount a growing boy needs.
as far as your nutrition goes, don't think about it. seriously. you can eat absolutely whatever you want. i'd advise you to see a counselor, you could have obsessive-compulsive disorder--i have a mild case (it's really more extreme perfectionism) which contributed to my having an eating disorder, so it could be the same with you.
Original Post by malaika99:
How long have you been counting calories?
Since the sixth grade, so about for two years.
Original Post by gadzooks:
Original Post by jester602:
I'm afraid I can't stop calorie counting though, for some reason I've gotten so addicted or obsessed with calorie counting I just can't get it out of my head; when I do try to get it out, the day I do try to get it out, it just comes right back in the next day or during the day because I keep thinking I'll get fat or something. It's been getting to be part of my lifestyle and getting kind of big in it. :[ I guess I'll try to loosen up a bit; I thank you for your post.
The fact that you're afraid that if you stop counting calories you'll get fat is a bit alarming to me. At 13, your body still has a lot of growing to do! Right now, you're only 4'11 and 79-81 pounds, you're inevitably going to gain more weight. Junk food once in a while is nothing to be afraid of; the obsession with calorie-counting is what is more discerning at this point.
Sorry if this comes off as mean; I don't mean to. I've just seen way too many people fall into horrible situations because of things such as this and I'd hate to see it happen to more.
I think it just had to start with how realizing how many people around me were getting overweight and I just got a little thing inserted into my mind and it won't get out. =/ I realize I still have growing to do and such, I am not trying to limit my calories and such it's just that I dunno. :[ It's just..Dx
Original Post by ewwxroflzz:
are you serious? if you are 13 and eating only 2000 max, you are going to stunt your growth. you seem very intelligent, so i'm surprised you didn't realize this. your bmi is 16.2. you must eat at LEAST 2600 calories. yeah you might put on a little bit of weight at first, but everyone does when they're your age, and then your body will adjust. you have to put on weight to grow. not just height-wise, either. your brain is trying to develop and you're giving it the amount of calories an adult needs to maintain their weight, not the amount a growing boy needs.
as far as your nutrition goes, don't think about it. seriously. you can eat absolutely whatever you want. i'd advise you to see a counselor, you could have obsessive-compulsive disorder--i have a mild case (it's really more extreme perfectionism) which contributed to my having an eating disorder, so it could be the same with you.
Thank you, I'll try to keep in mind D: I'm starting to get a little looser and looser about my calorie counting and my nutrition after some of these posts and yours too; I'm trying to fix some of my "habits" and I'm trying to loosen up. It's just sticking with me and I'm trying to get it out. Thank you so much for your support; I'm trying to fix it best as I'm able to.
If it's possible, you may want to consider seeing a dietician or nutritionist, so you can get an idea from a professional how much and what types of food you should be eating. It might better put it into perspective for you. It's good that you're thinking about being healthy but at your age and size, you really shouldn't be worrying about all this so much. As you're only 13, and it sounds as if you'll be growing (height wise) alot in the next few years, what you really need to be concerned about is making sure you're getting enough calories while you're growing, as the previous poster said. Weight gain is inevitable and absolutely necessary at your age. You can't get taller and stay 80 pounds...it wouldn't be healthy.
Try to think about food in terms of health value/nutrition, not calories. For example, fresh foods more often than processed, whole wheat instead of white, etc. And once again, a healthy lifestyle is partly to do with nothing being off limits...everything in moderation. You're 13. If you want candy or pizza, by all means HAVE IT! Just as long as it isn't an everyday thing.
Hope I helped some. Good luck! 
you're welcome, good luck (:
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