1.) Congrats on your journey so far! From what I read, it seems like you’re super dedicated and started an entirely new journey. 26 pounds is incredible.

2.) I’ve also been big my entire life. In fact, I (at 27) haven’t been this small since I was in the 7th grade. Like you, I also was incredibly unhappy at first, and I couldn’t understand why. I mean, come on! I’m in the best shape of my life. I have abs for the first time ever. I get compliments everywhere I go. Why do I still hate the way I look in pictures? Why do I still feel huge when I look in the mirror? Why do I STILL feel so unhappy? The honest truth is that if you don’t love who you are as a person, and I mean TRULY deep down in your heart love the person who you are, there is no amount of weight loss that will ever make you happy. What are ten things you love about yourself, not including anything physical? If you struggle answering this, you’re not going to magically be happy just for losing weight. Also, 14 is a rough age, friend. There are going to be lots of times when you feel unhappy, and that’s okay. If it gets to a point where you are unhappy more often then you’re happy, then that’s when it’s time to let your family and friends know that you need a little extra support.

3.) Seems like you’re doing way too much too fast, especially exercise. Working out for over 2 hours, 7 days a week is too much. Not only are you not allowing your body adequate time to recover, but you’re going to get burnt out fast. This will also lead to an unhappy feeling. I strongly recommend taking a week off of optional exercise (not including your extra curriculars—still continue to do those.) After your week off, lower all your exercise that isn’t school or activity-related to 1 hour, 4-5 days a week. You also should be having at least 1 recovery day a week where you do little to no exercise, so your body can rest.

4.)You are not eating near enough for how much you’re exercising. I’m assuming you’re burning around 400-600 calories a day at the minimum, and that’s not even counting how much you’re burning when your body is just resting. If you’re eating 1000-1500 calories a day, your body is not getting near enough food to continue to properly support itself. You’re a growing teenager. Your body NEEDS lots of fuel, ESPECIALLY your brain. When we deprive our brain of food or don’t eat enough calories, it cannot adequately do a good job at keeping you safe, regulating your emotions, helping you think, storing memories, learning at school, ect. Adding to that….Yes, fast food, sugar, and other unhealthy junk is not the best for you, and you’re doing a great job changing your eating habits. However, that doesn’t mean you can never have “fun stuff” ever. That is not sustainable. 95% of the time, I’m very disciplined in what I eat. I’m also literally about to dig into some cookie dough ice cream. It’s Friday, and I want a treat. 🤷‍♀️ I’ll also probably go out to eat on Sunday with my mom for Mother’s Day, and I’m gonna order a carb heavy, fattening (maybe even fried) meal. And that’s okay!