Hi
Thank you for your letter. What youve said doesnt sound stupid at all. Im glad you decided to write in, as I can hear this is something thats been bothering you.
Its normal to worry about the way you look. A lot of people worry about their appearance, even though they might not show it. It can be really difficult if you feel that you look different to your friends, but we all come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Your body can also change a lot through puberty and this can happen at different times for different people.
From your letter, I got the impression that you feel particularly unhappy when comparing yourself to your friends who are really skinny at the moment. Im wondering if this is something that youve felt able to talk to your friends about? It can be natural for us to compare our body to people around us. Its also really common for people to feel less confident about certain things to do with their appearance, whatever their weight. We all have a different idea about what is ideal and there are a whole range of body shapes that people find beautiful.
Although many of us might compare ourselves to others, it can often be really unhelpful. Different bodies will usually have a different response to things like exercise and diet. Theres a great website called Teenage Health Freak that gives some more advice on body shapes.
Im not medically trained, so I cant give you any specific information about healthy eating and exercise. What I would say is that youve told me you eat a bit more than some of your friends and it sounds like you might need to, as your body is working hard because you do a lot of swimming. I imagine training 5 times a week requires a lot of energy and its important your body gets enough fuel to stay healthy and give you the energy needed to train at this level.
It could be helpful to look at some information on how you look on the Explore section of ChildLine. You can also talk about this more directly with a ChildLine counsellor by calling 0800 1111 for free, logging on for a 1-2-1 chat or sending an email. No matter what youre going through, you dont have to go through it alone.
I hope this letter has been helpful. Good luck with your swimming.
Take care
Sam
You can talk privately to a counsellor online or call 0800 1111 for free.
You can ask me about anything you want, there's nothing too big or small. I read every single letter but I can only answer a few each week. My replies are published here on my page.
