Your love-your-changing-proportions guide.

teens_change_body_perception.jpgAdolescence sends your emotions sky-high and your body morphing in and out of different shapes and sizes. Not exactly the easiest time to try and keep posi about your shapely new self. You must remember you're not the only one with wonky body parts and warpy growth spurts. Even the class hottie has her own woes -- her designer jeans are just good at hiding them. Your booty will catch up to your newly long legs, but until then, don't banish yourself to your bedroom. It's hard (at ANY age) to keep your chin up about your figure, but it's possible to rock your "imperfections" until you see them for what they are: the things that make you perfect.

Balanced Beauty
A few extra ounces during "that time of the month" may make you want to fast for days, but that will only make you sick and feel gross when you do finally decide to feed yourself. Instead, eat healthy. Solid meals all day will give you extra energy and will let you feel free to dig into those uber-comforting milk and cookies at the end of the night.

Pump Up the Volume
Not only will exercise quell your "jiggly" worries, it will also get your blood pumping and make you feel better naturally. But don't overdo it -- too much of anything can be a bad thing and exhaust you. Instead, think about things you do regularly that actually can qualify as exercise. Consider how many laps you do around the mall on any given day!

Dress to Impress
The aggravation you feel from having to buy a size larger pants stings mightily -- but it's temporary. The compliments you'll get from working your well-dressed stuff in some made-for-you pants lasts all day. Dress to fit your size and help flatter your figure. One you're strutting it in a fierce outfit, you'll start to feel amazing -- and all the jaws dropping won't hurt either!


NEXT: Ripped from the Headlines


 
well tyra i have self image problems when i see myself i see me fat but people tell me im average. im 13 5'7 1/2 and i weigh 155 im trying to lose weight with my mom but i feel so horrible about myself like i walk around confident so people cant see how i feel inside but the truth is it takes me hours to pick out clothes in my closet. see my parents dont have alot of money now cause of the econemy so i cant go shopping and buy new clothes as much as i use too. and i dont think i look good. i just dont know how to see myself as how everyone sees me. its hard :/
 
Hey Tyra! I am a big fan of yours and I love how you work to make people feel better about thenselves. I am 13 years old. My height is 5ft 2in and I weigh 126lbs. In my family I am the fattest person and I feel terrible. My grandma loves to give me compliments and tell me I'm pretty and I will be super sexy when I'm older. I'm almost positive she just tells me these things for pitty on me. But that's one thing I hate the most... pitty. When ever I tell my mother I want to go on a diet, she tells me I'm crazy and trys to change the subject as fast as possible. I don't like to admit it but I am envious of my mom, my sisters, my grandma, my friends. I think it's getting out of control and I don't like hating how my body looks. I tried not eating anything for a few days but my father caught me and pretty much forces me to eat now. I skip lunch at school most days and my friends also think I'm crazy. I don't know what to do and I'm just asking for help. Please and Thankyou! Marissa
 
hey TYRA!i just turn 15!i really think i'm over weight!i weight 120 and my height is 4'9.Well i just really hate my fat legs and my tummy.i wanna have a slim tummy and skinny legs.My friends say i look fine, but when i look at myself in the mirror i see a fat girl that don't look good!!!gosh i just really hate my IMAGE!i say i really need some help!..
 
hi tyra, i watch your shows and its great.Im not comfortable with how i look, usually my friends would tell me im looking good but when i watch myself in the mirror its a different story.I dont like my belly, my skin, my legs and my hair.Im from Trinidad if you ever heard of it. My boyfriend will tell me i look prefect and i will disagree with him.I really dont want to hate my body and more i want to love it but i dont know how. Would you help me?
 
HEY TYRA, My names Jazzy and I dont feel good about my body. People tell my i look fine and im not fat, but behind my back i know they say things because people have called me fat before, even some of those people who said i wasnt. My dad seems to make jokes about my wieght too. I cant take it anymore. I've heard the same thing scince the 5th grade and im a freshman now. All i want is an easy, fast, great way to loose weight and make my body tight. I'm tired of hearing those comments about my wieght. And I want to feel good about myself again. Tyra please help me feel good about my body again. My goal in life is to show ALL of America how pretty us mexicans are and make mexican models the new thing. Just like all beautiful races have. Like "whites,asians,and african americans." there are never MEXICANS. thats my dream. HELP ME. I LOVE YOU TYRA!!!
 
Hey, Tyra. Thanks for your encouraging messages on your show. Well I'm 16 years old, going on 17 in May, and I currently weigh 196lbs. I am 5'6...I would have to say my major problem area is my stomach and back...the thing is that this summer I was so thin...I mean, I think I looked gorgeous...I felt gorgeous...but I don't know what happened...maybe my depression worsened or I just got lazy, and I gained so much weight...my lowest weight at 16 years old was 165lbs, and now I weigh 196lbs! Do you have any advice to help me get up and start working out?
 
Hi Tyra! I'm 12 and I absolutely love your show!!!!! I have huge hips and i don't look good in anything!!! I only look good in baggy clothes.... tight jeans pushes all the "fat" up so when i wear a T or a tank top it makes me look fat!!!! I've tried eating healthy and excersising.....but i always end up coming home and grabbing that box of cheez-its to snack on! I would really appriciate it if you had some advice for me...I would appriciate it THANK YOU :)
 
hey tyra . . i am 13 and i weigh 180 and it is really embarassing because all my friends are way skinny and when we go and looks for clothes or something i don't want to go because i know i won't fit in those clothes . . i usually joke about my weight because that is how i overcome it . . . But it is not fun at all and we have to swin at my school and i just don't want to because it is really uncomfortable. thanx, morgan
 
dear tyra, i went through a lot of things in my pass life and childhood and i have faced many things but the thing is i dont know how to start my life over again. how get over the pass
 
heytyra! i'm15yrs.old and i weight more than what i need to weight. ireally wanna lose it or love my body but can't cuz i think i'm fat
 
Hi Tyra! I am 17 years old, im 5"2 and i weigh about 150. I would say that my body is okay, i just have a gut that i've been trying to get rid of for like ever. I always say im fat but my friends think otherwise, we always get into a debate about me saying im fat. Then i have a problem with Eczema,(we argue bout this also) i was diagnosed with it at the age of 12. My skin has cleared up great, except for this one spot on my leg, i've tried everything and nothing seems to help, it just won't go away. Because of this i dont like wearing certain things because im afraid of what people might think if they see the spot....What should i do??
 
DEAR TYRA HI MY NAME IS LUSTEVEANISHA WOODFORD. IM 17 YEARS OLD. I ATTEND A SCHOOL IN SAGINAW, MICHIGAN CALLED SAGINAW HIGH. IM IN THE 12 GRADE. IWAS WRITING YOU THIS LETTER TO OPEN UP MY HEART AND TELL YOU SOMETHINGS ABOUT ME. I ALSO WANTED TO ASK YOU TO HELP ME. THE THINGS THAT I WANTED TO TELL YOU IS THAT I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT SO I CAN BETTER MYSELF . I HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH ASTHMA; I ALSO HAVE BORDERLINE DIABETS AND SLEEP APNEA. I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I BEEN THROUGH BUT THAT'S ONLY THE BEGINNING OF IT. EVERYDAY I WAKE UP HOPING THINGS HAS CHANGED ONLY TO FIND THAT IT THE SAME AS IT WAS YESTERDAY OR WORSE. I TRULY FEEL THAT IF PEOPLE GET TO KNOW ME THEY WILL LOVE ME FOR WHAT'S INSIDE NOT JUDGING ME BY MY SIZE BUT SOME PEOPLE DONT EVEN GIVE EVEN GIVE IT A CHANCE. I HAVE HEARD PEOPLE THAT ARE PLUS SIZE BUT NOT AS BIG AS ME TELL THEIR FRIENDS NOT TO LET THEM GET THIS BIG OR KILL ME IF I EVERY LOOK LIKE THAT, IT RIP'S ME APART INSIDE EVRY TIME I HEAR IT. I HAVE HEARD ALL THE JOKES PEOPLE EVEN TALK ABOUT ME IN MY FACE, I JUST TRY TO FORGET ABOUT IT BUT IT PLAYES OVER IN OVER IN MY HEAD. TYRA I WAS ON THE PATH OF JUST GIVING UP BUT MY PARENTS WOULDN'T LET ME GIVE UP. THEY ARE MY PARENTS AND SUPPORT TEAM. MY PARENTS AND I HAVE TRIED TO FIND A DOCTORS THAT WILL DO A PROCEDURE ON A GIRL MY AGE. TYRA I REALLY NEED HELP. I REALLY BELIEVE ANYBODY MY AGE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH THESE PROBLEMS THAT I HAVE. EVRY DIET
 
Hey tyra, well my name is adriana, i am 13years old,im about to be 14 (1-31). i wanted to say that i really love your show, your strong, pretty, confident, and you know how to dress right. i wish i had those facts about me. tyra its really sad on what i go thrue. im 5'5 i weight 220. thats not good for me. i look in the mirror and just start crying and start to think ""why am i so unconfident? the group that i hang out with at school is good, were just regular and do nothing bad and usually i stand out more cause most of my friends are shorter. when im with them i feel really big and weird. i may not be as big as other girls but im still phat. my aunts and other ppl say eat less or excersize. i hate hearing that, i dont evan eat alot, and when i say that ppl look at me as if there amazed or something. sometimes i just feel like i wana kill myself because im so big. ppl look at my sister and they wistle at her and she has had boi friends b4. i havent evan had my first kiss!!=[ . people say i have the best personality, but i think my body just isnt as perfect....i dont think im good enough for a guy tyra. i usually look up to you,queen latifah and monique imes. i really need help with my confidence and body tyra, please please please help me out. i dont know who else i can talk to, you inspire so many people, please help me!!
 
I'm more writing this for all the girls posting comments about their self image. i'm 5'6" and weigh 150 pounds and i love my body. it took some time for me to though, but if you focus more on what you can change and are willing to change, it is most definitely worth it. everyone has flaws, but they might not show it. it's all a matter of confidence. i know for me that what makes me feel really good about myself is to wear something that is flattering on me and taking the time to look nice. it's much better to take the time to start working now than to sit and do nothing but feel horrible about yourself. believe me, i know. i really hope all you girls will truly see how beautiful you are in time.
 
HEY TYRA,I LOVE YOUR SHOW.MY NAME IS SASCHA I'AM 14YRS OLD AND I WEIGHT 210 POUNDS AND I LOVE MY BODY BUT MY ARMS,STOMACH,THIGHS LOOK LIKE JELLY AND JUST BECAUSE I'AM OVERWEIGHT I REALLY HAVE A LOW SELFESTEEM ABOUT MY SELF.EVERYBODY IN MY FAMILY SAYS THAT I'AM FAT AND ONEDAY I WILL WAKE UP AND I WILL BE ABOUT 400 TO 600 POUNDS YEA I LIKE FOOD BUT IT IS TIME FOR CHANGE. TYRA I HAVE TRYED EVERY THING DIET PILLS,DIET DRINKS,EVEN WEIGHT LOSS DVDS.SOOO TYRA CAN YOU PLEASE HELP ME



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