A Teen's Guide to Weight and Body Confidence
What You Need to Know about Weight, Body Shape and More
-- By SparkTeens Coaches
As a teen, your weight and body are changing in a lot of ways that you might not want any part of. You might be worried about gaining too much weight, or just feel awkward of self-conscious about how you look. SparkTeens cares about you and your body, so we developed this guide to help you understand what you can and can't control when it comes to your changing body.We recommend that you take your time reading this guide. You can start by clicking on topics that appeal to you, or by reading the guide in order.
Your Changing Body: What's Normal?
Your Weight
Types of Bodies: How They're Different
Are You at a Healthy Weight?
Building Body Confidence
Strategies to Boost Your Body Image
Your Changing Body: What's Normal?
During adolescence, your body will change. It's normal for your body to begin looking less like a child's and more like that of an adult. One of the biggest developments that teens experience is physical maturity, which changes the body composition of both guys and girls.
You may want your body composition to be different, but your body is programmed from birth to prepare for adulthood and like it or not, this includes weight and shape changes during adolescence. Guys maintain a fairly consistent level of body fat before and after puberty, but will develop two times more muscle mass during adolescence than girls do. The body of an adult man is usually leaner, taller and stronger than that of a woman's. On the other hand, girls will gain body fat during puberty (in the breasts, butt and thighs), and this is a normal and necessary change for physical maturation. An adult woman's body is usually curvier than a man's, and this extra body fat is necessary for everything from menstruation to pregnancy. Check out the physical changes that teens can usually expect:
| Guys Have… | Girls Have… |
| 30 billion fat cells | 30 billion fat cells |
| Smaller fat cells | Larger fat cells |
| More fat cells in their waist |
More fat cells in their lower body |
| "Apple-shaped" bodies | "Pear-shaped" bodies |
| Greater muscle mass | Greater body fat |
| The hormone testosterone | The hormone estrogen |
Most teens will gain weight rapidly as their bodies change. And this weight gain is perfectly fine as long as it's proportional with the increasing levels of muscle, bone and height. Gaining too much or too little fat in comparison to these other things can be unhealthy. It's pretty normal for teens to feel concerned about how they look and question their weight.
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The Weight of the Matter
It's important to remember that weight is a number on the scale—the total mass of your whole body—bones, muscle, water, organs, fat, blood and everything in between. This number alone doesn’t tell you how healthy or fit you are, and it definitely doesn't reflect your value as a person. A "high" weight doesn't mean you are fat or overweight, just as a low weight doesn't mean you are healthy. Knowing how much you weigh is okay, but not crucial. Here are some examples why:
- Weight doesn't tell you whether the amount of body fat you have is too low, just right, or too high.
- When you look at the scale, it doesn't tell you how much of that number is essential tissues like muscle and bone.
- When you gain weight, that doesn't mean you are fat—it can be muscle, bone, an increase in height, or a combination of these factors.
- Athletes, or guys and girls with a lot of muscle, will weigh more than teens with less muscle, but that doesn't mean they are overweight.
- Two people of the same weight can look very different in terms of body shape and wear different clothing sizes.
- A thinner-looking person can weigh more than a fatter-looking person.
- Some teens can eat a lot and have trouble gaining weight while others will gain weight without even trying.
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Types of Bodies
The overall shape of your body is based on genes that you inherited from your parents—the day you were born, your body type was already programmed. There are three common body types—ectomorph, mesomorph and endomorph. Which one sounds most like you?
| Features | Ectomorph | Mesomorph | Endomorph |
| Appearance | Slender & lean | Muscular & athletic | Soft & chubby |
| Shoulders | Lean & narrow | Wide | Medium |
| Body fat | Low | Low to average |
Average to high |
| Bones | Small | Large | Medium |
| Metabolism | Very fast | Medium to fast | Slow |
| Waistline | Straight | Hourglass | Large |
| Gender | Girls & guys | Mostly guys | Mostly girls |
| Weight gain | Trouble gaining | Gain after overeating | Easily gain weight |
| Pitfalls | Weak abs and back | Low endurance | Knee problems |
Most people's bodies are a combination of the three body types mentioned above, and each body type has its own strengths. For example, a sprinter is usually a mixture of mesomorph and ectomorph characteristics; a runway model is predominately an ectomorph; and a swimmer has both endomorph and mesomorph qualities.
No matter what you do, you won't be able to change your body type. This may seem like bad news, but it's important to understand. It should help relieve you from the pressure of endlessly trying to achieve a body for which you are not designed. While you'll always have characteristics of a certain body type, you CAN work on changing your body composition (the amount of fat versus the amount of muscle you hold on your body) by eating healthy and exercising regularly. These practices can help you tone your body and achieve the best weight for your body type.
But remember that there's no such thing as the "perfect" body, so appreciate the body shape that has been given to you and work on your potential to have a fit, firm and healthy body!
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But how do you know if your weight is healthy or normal?
Because teens grow and develop at different times (some start puberty as early as eight years old) and at different rates (it takes several years to reach full maturity), there's no simple way to tell if your weight is appropriate for your height. Every person's healthy weight is different—it depends on height, body shape, muscle mass, and level of physical maturity.
If you're concerned that your weight gain (or lack thereof) is unhealthy or abnormal, then this measure can help.
Calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is a general measure that estimates how appropriate your weight is for your height. It isn't 100% accurate for everyone, including people under five feet tall and people with a lot of muscle mass. A BMI between 18 and 27 is considered "healthy" for teens, so if your BMI is either above or below that range, then it's a good idea to talk to your doctor.
If you're underweight, at a healthy weight, or overweight, SparkTeens can help still help you! Our Nutrition and Fitness programs are designed to help teens reach and maintain their best weight—without turning to extreme diets or workouts.
Teens of all shapes, sizes, and weights should focus their attention on eating and exercising to promote healthy growth. Along with your doctor's advice, you should focus on eating a nutritious diet and exercising regularly—these healthy practices are ideal ways to reach and maintain a healthy weight and feel better about yourself as your grow and mature. It's also important to understand and accept the way your body is changing by developing a positive body image.
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Build Body Confidence
How you feel about your body can have a big impact on how you feel about yourself overall (your self-esteem). “Body Image” is a term that describes a person's perception of his or her own physical appearance.
Someone with a healthy (or positive) body image accepts his or her body as it is, resulting in greater happiness and confidence. Someone with an unhealthy (or negative) body image, on the other hand, sees his or her body as being unattractive or even repulsive. People who feel this way usually want to change their weight or body shape, and they're more likely to experience depression, anxiety and eating disorders. But body image isn't always clear-cut (negative or positive). Many teens fall somewhere on the spectrum—they feel confident about certain parts of their body, and negative about other parts; or they feel good most of the time, but self-conscious at other times. Either way, it's important for you to arm yourself with strategies so you can feel more confident and avoid problems related to food and weight.
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Strategies to Boost Your Body Image
- Stand tall. Good posture, with your head lifted, gaze forward, and shoulders back can improve your appearance and help you feel more confident.
- Celebrate your personality. Instead of always focusing on your appearance, remind yourself about other positive aspects of your personality, such as being a good friend, having a sense of humor, and doing well in certain subjects.
- Exercise. It's good for your health and helps your body stay healthy. People who exercise have better balance, control and coordination and usually feel better about how their bodies look.
- Don't make comparisons. Every person is unique, from hair and eye color to personality and body shape too. You can't expect to be the same height, size, weight or shape as other people. Instead, focus on being the best YOU that you can.
- Compliment yourself. If you notice that you're putting yourself down, change your comments into positive ones until complimenting yourself becomes a habit.
- Put your best foot forward. Instead hiding parts of your body that make you feel self-conscious, accentuate what you DO like with flattering clothes and accessories.
- Dress for your body. Don't buy or hold onto clothes that don't fit your current body—it will only make you feel worse about yourself. Instead, buy clothes that fit and flatter your body type as it is right now. When your clothes fit well, you'll feel better about your appearance.
- Size doesn't matter. Clothing sizes vary considerably from brand to brand. Who cares how large (or small) your size is, as long as your clothes fit well? Go for fit, not size.
- Don't weigh-in. The scale shouldn't determine how you feel about yourself, but it does exactly that for many teens. Avoid the scale and notice how your clothes fit and how you feel in your body instead.
- Be media savvy. Images in magazines, ads, TV shows and movies make it seem like every person is attractive, lean, and perfect. It's a hard standard for anyone to measure up to. Recognize that these images aren't real (or realistic) for most people.
- Take care. Care for your body by eating healthy foods, exercising regularly, staying healthy and maintaining good hygiene.
- Practice moderation. Forget fad diets and exercise extremes. These actions can cause serious problems.
- Listen to your body. When you listen to your body's signals (like hunger, fullness, tiredness and more), you are honoring and respecting your body's needs—a key to a healthy relationship with your body.
- Accept your body now. Don't skip the pool party because you're embarrassed to wear a swimsuit. While you may not be happy with your body now, that's no reason to put your life on hold and miss out on fun and memorable experiences.
- Project confidence. Confident people are viewed as successful, attractive, and friendly. Even if you don't feel like the most confident person in the room, act like you are by making eye contact, standing tall, and projecting your voice.
This article was written, reviewed, and/or approved by Tanya Jolliffe, Nutritionist, Jen Mueller, Certified Personal Trainer, and Nicole Nichols, Certified Fitness Instructor.
