topic I'm fat, I know it, and I hate it. in Young people

I'm fat, I know it, and I hate it.

paiigeisgone — Tue, 08 May 2018 10:46:04 GMT

I'm 13 years old, going on 14 this year, and I'm overweight. and I'm not just saying this because i want people to say that i'm not, because i actually am. my parents try not to point it out and make it obvious but you can tell. my mum will always say "stop eating so much, you'll turn into an oompa-loompa" and i know it's just a joke but it hurts. i try eating as healthy and as little as possible to lose weight but every time i try to do this my mum will question everything and get up all in my business. i try to exercises as much as possible (like walking to and from school each day, doing loads of quiet exercises in my room) but i'm still obese. it makes my self-esteem even lower when i see girls from my school post photos of themselves half-naked, and i spend hours on end comparing and wishing i had their perfect bodies. i'm classified as the funny one in my friend group so i don't talk about any of my home life or my feelings, but every time i do try to give hints on how i'm feeling they dont seem to care anyway. i dont tell my parents either because then they talk to me frequently about it and it makes me feel uncomfortable (they're those parents that snoop and try to know everything about me so i dont really trust them at all either). i am so scared about people making fun of me about my weight that i constantly (i mean ALWAYS) wear a zipped up jacket. i wear it so often that i think its unhealthy because it's very hot where i live and it restricts me from doing a lot of activities because i sweat a lot (also i have something called rosacea and it make your skin really red so you can tell if i've been doing any physical activity by just looking at my face) and whenever i forget my jacket on the way to school, my parents wont let me go back and get it and i end up being really insecure for the whole day or i'll go up to the office and try to borrow one (on a very rare occasion when its very, very cold though because the office lady thinks i dont need one and doesnt let me have it).

overall, i just can't stand being this weight. it kills me because i'll never have enough confidence to get a personal trainer or nutritionist and i feel like i'll be this way forever and no one will ever love me because i'm fat and ugly. this was a lot to write because i've never told anyone this and i felt like i should say it all but sorry for bothering you with all this writing.

I'm fat, I know it, and I hate it.

PamelaR — Wed, 09 May 2018 01:04:20 GMT

Hello paiigeisgone

Welcome to Beyond Blue forums. I am very pleased you've found your way here. You sound very upset for a 13 year old. By the way, you are not bothering us at all by writing here. That's what the forums are for. So good on you for being able to write about yourself so clearly.

The media and social media is so full of images of the 'perfect' body. It bears little to reality. There is no 'perfect' body. Everyone comes in different shapes and sizes. But at the age of 13, this is magnified for you because you are starting to become a teenager. So everything matters, especially size.

It doesn't sound like you are able to talk to your mum or dad about how you are feeling. Am I right? Do you have a grandma or aunt you can talk to? It is really important that you do. At 13, you are changing. The story you tell yourself about how ugly and fat you think you are, is just that a story. Possibly something you've heard someone else say to tell you. It does not mean that it is true.

My thoughts are it is very important that you talk with someone about how you are feeling. Whether you go to a school counsellor or contact one of the organisations for kids, e.g. -

eHeadspace 1800 650 890

Kids Helpline 1800 551 800

BB support service 1300 224 636

I'm not a young person, nor do I have children. So I am hoping there are others on the forum who can help you out here.

My thoughts are with you at this difficult stage of life.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards

PamelaR

I'm fat, I know it, and I hate it.

Jack1999 — Sun, 13 May 2018 15:47:41 GMT

Hey, I'm 19 and I completely understand your pain, I'm a guy so the half topless stuff doesn't really apply to me but I get you, I always wear a jumper around, always the same one. I also sweat a bunch and I understand what you mean by it almost being dangerous wearing it especially when it's hot, I'm going through the point in my life right now where I feel like no one will love me but im completely willing to be in a relationship, I understand what it's like with the jokes, my parents say them to me too, it builds up sometimes where I just say stop it but they insist they are joking and play the "well you make jokes about us too so its fine" but they don't understand that the jokes I make about them aren't things that are actually wrong with them. I guess what I'm trying to say is you're not alone, Im going through it all too. If there is any helpful advice I can give you it would be to just try and be yourself even though it might be hard, because you'll suss out all the fake people from the real, and don't be ashamed or scared to get a gym membership. It's daunting at first but the personal trainers don't care about how you look they just want to focus on making you a better you. Hope this helped in some way!

I'm fat, I know it, and I hate it.

romantic_thi3f — Thu, 17 May 2018 01:13:30 GMT

Hi paiigeisgone,

Welcome to the forums and thanks for being here. It sounds like it was a pretty big leap for you to post here so I'm glad that you did it anyway. You showed up. That's not an easy thing to do.

It's nice to meet you too Jack1999!

Reading your post was kind of hard because I was able to relate to it so much - even wearing jackets when it's not needed. Wearing jackets in hot weather is seriously no fun. I can really see how much you are struggling with it.

So with that said, my advice/tips is this - fat does not mean bad. Fat is another word for adipose tissue, and if you are fat (or overweight/obese) you just happen to have more of it than other people. That's it.

Sometimes I wished that I was born in a different era - where fat was considered beautiful instead of ugly, and the desire was to be fat instead of thin. But that's the reality of our society right now - where all of a sudden a bit of weight is supposed to dictate your life, your happiness, whether you'll be loved, how beautiful you are and how worthy you are.

Spoiler alert: it doesn't. Because there's no number on the scale that can show you those things.

Here's an image that kind of resonated with me and I hope it resonates with you too - https://i.pinimg.com/564x/64/39/45/6439457814358b4e2efff52eab5ad11a.jpg

Hope this helps a little,

I'm fat, I know it, and I hate it.

quirkywords — Thu, 17 May 2018 01:28:13 GMT

Paige and waves to Jack,

when I read your post and jacks it really moves me as I have been struggling with weight issue most of my life .

I read some where that you may have some fat but you are not fat. Don't let your weight define you. You are exercising and eating healthily.

i use to wear very flowing clothes , I suppose the jacket of my era. My family said I looked like I was in a tent.

Romantic had many helpful suggestions.

One thing I have realised over the years is that I am my worst shaker and critic. Sure people including family can say unpleasant things but for me I would put myself own harsher and more often than anyone else. Can anyone relate to that.

Over time I decided if I could not accept myself how could others.

Paige you are doing helpful things like walking and eating well.

Thanks for your honesty. You have helped others by writing your post.

Quirky

I'm fat, I know it, and I hate it.

Summer Rose — Sat, 19 May 2018 11:30:46 GMT

Hi Paiigeisgone

I'm sorry that you're feeling so down right now. I can remember feeling the same way when I was your age and I know how much it hurts. I wanted to be like the skinny girls at high school more than anything else in the world but it wasn't going to be. I had a body shape and frame that just wouldn't cooperate.

My mum taught me to focus on being healthy and this is what I've taught my children. If you have a healthy lifestyle the rest will fall into place, as much as is possible.

You're very young, so it might pay to learn a bit more about what "healthy eating" really means. The best person to talk to about this is your GP. At some stage you could think about asking mum to come and talk with the doctor too, given she likely buys the food and does most of the cooking.

I really liked Jack's idea about joining a gym. If that's too daunting maybe your parents would be willing to buy you a treadmill. I did this for my daughter and we put it in the garage, so she can exercise safely at night (she likes to jog and I didn't want her running around the neighborhood in the dark). We later added a punching bag.

Exercise is a great building block for a healthy lifestyle. So is drinking plenty of water and getting adequate sleep.

Focus on your health and there will be many benefits to your life.

Kind thoughts to you

I'm fat, I know it, and I hate it.

CA995 — Sat, 30 Mar 2019 06:45:42 GMT

I am 13 and going on 14 next month. Every time I look in the mirror, see an ugly, overweight girl. I hate myself everyday because of it. Everyday at school I feel like everyone is staring at me and that I don’t belong. I cry myself to sleep and I have never told anyone about it, until now....

I'm fat, I know it, and I hate it.

rhianna_jn — Fri, 12 Apr 2019 15:26:09 GMT

Hi CA995.

I understand exactly how you feel about yourself. When I was your age, I started putting on a little weight and became self-conscious about my body, especially my legs. I’m now 22 and I still hate the way they look.

What I’ve learnt growing up is that people will stare, they will judge you. Unfortunately, that’s just how some people are. But what’s even worse is when we become our biggest critic. The key to you feeling better about yourself is to learn to love the good things about you. I’m sure they’re are plenty!

Try not to focus too much about your physical appearance. Occupy your mind with things that you enjoy doing and most importantly, with people who will support you unconditionally.

I have suffered from depression and anxiety for years and learning to accept yourself is hard and takes time. But with persistence you will learn that the negative opinions of others are irrelevant, and the act of self-love is one of the best things you can do for yourself.

That said, would you enjoy going for a walk everyday? This could help with your weight issues if they’re truly bothering you, but also helps to free the mind and helps you to relax.

If you need to chat, feel free to keep messaging me. I more than happy to help and offer you advice!

Kind regards,

Rhianna 🙂

I'm fat, I know it, and I hate it.

Sky_O — Mon, 22 Apr 2019 02:21:19 GMT

Hi Paiigeisgone,

To put it bluntly, it must suck to feel that way 😞 I have a few suggestions, hope they help!

- Being 'fat' isn't inherently negative at all! The 'perfect, slender body' is just another trend that will end some day, and it's an ideal comprised of a bunch of peoples' opinions. If you're worried about others judging you because of your weight, that means that they're shallow and small-minded. Why would you care about their opinions when they have a brain the size of a pea? They're the ones with the problem, not you.
Don't beat yourself up about it.

- I agree, it would be great if you could go to a gym if you'd like to become fitter. Nobody will care about what you look like in there - if anything, they'll be thinking about what other people think of them!

Keep going strong!

- Sky

I'm fat, I know it, and I hate it.

Jack_w — Sat, 22 May 2021 17:13:17 GMT

I just turned 13 and lately I've been having issues with my body image, I live in one the hottest places in Australia and yet every day I force myself to wear a jacket, just because I judge myself and think everyone else does.

I used to try exercising everyday but nothing worked, then I tried and failed to start a diet, now I've just given up on all that and cry myself to sleep, sometimes just looking up images of "healthy" people trying not to make too much sound afraid my mum will find me sad and think that somethings wrong and then talk to me about how I'm not fat and that I'll grow into it even though I think we both know that what she says is bs and that I'll never look good or have friends.

This is the first time I've ever done anything remotely like this, I just finished reading other posts of other people that are going through the same thing and the nice things that people have written in reply. Also I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for bothering you.

I'm fat, I know it, and I hate it.

Sophie_M — Sat, 22 May 2021 17:36:18 GMT

Hi Jack.w and welcome to the forums. It takes a lot of courage to open up and share how we are feeling. We really appreciate your openness and honesty and your willingness to trust us here. It certainly sounds like things have been very hard for you and that you have been feeling really down about yourself lately and that you are struggling with some unhelpful thoughts around your body. Please know that you are certainly not alone in feeling this way and that with the right help and support, you can feel better. I would recommend you get in touch with Kidshelpline to have a chat about what you have been feeling. They offer 24/7 counselling for those under 25 years and are available by calling 1800 55 1800 or visit https://kidshelpline.com.au/. They can help point you in the right direction as to where help is available. It can also be very helpful to have someone to talk to about how your feeling, so speaking to one of the counsellors there over the phone is a good option. You can also contact headspace between 9am and 1am by calling 1800 650 890 or visit https://www.eheadspace.org.au for online chat. Please know it is never a bother for you to post here! We are very glad you did. We hope that other people will be able to connect with your situation and offer some support. Our support team will be getting in touch with you to check in as well 🙂

I'm fat, I know it, and I hate it.

Guest_206 — Wed, 26 May 2021 12:20:45 GMT

Hi Jack.w,

I just came across your post. I'm really sorry to hear you are feeling this way - body image stuff really sux and the fact that you are wearing a jacket in the heat which must be causing you suffering is really heart breaking. You deserve love and respect and friendships no matter your size.

There are awesome people in the world doing amazing things and they are living their lives in larger bodies. It helps me to follow them on social media platforms to remind me of that.

It's great that you checked in here and hopefully you feel like you can reach out to one of the help lines.

Re: I'm fat, I know it, and I hate it.

Guest_96145290 — Sun, 19 Apr 2026 06:45:57 GMT

hey paiigeisgone , i jst wanted to let u know that when i was reading this i wasnt completaly sure i didnt have anmesia and just forgot i wrote it bc what u wrote describes my life. i just wanted to let u know that i dont know if it will get better but knowing ur experiencing this the same as me makes me feel a litte better and i hope it makes u feel better too.

ps soz for the spelling and grammar

Re: I'm fat, I know it, and I hate it.

Iamsky — Thu, 07 May 2026 11:32:22 GMT

Hi OP

Don't worry about the writing, it doesn't bother anyone. I know how hot it can get and I have a friend who also always wears a jumper. We are a year younger than you (12 going on 13) and we still see all the girls with hourglass bodies. Not all bodies are the same. Your parents should t be making jokes about your eating habits if it makes you uncomfortable. I also know how cruel high school can be. Not from the movies, but my mum was over the average weight. I know so many kids who think they're fat when there not and it pisses me off that they think that. You keep being you, and do what you want. You don't need to lose weight if you don't want to. Don't let anyone say anything about it, and if they do, why should we care what they think? They're just being dumb and mean.

-Sky