Scared. Fat. Embarrassed. 18.

tarahrah

Hey guys! My aunt was the person to introduce me to my fitness pal about a week ago. She actually mentioned it to my mom via facebook and my mom asked me about it. Sure I considered it, but I didnt know if I'd actually try. Then today in Oklahoma practice (the musical. ) some of us girls had to be lifted on guys' shoulders. I was the only girl that couldnt get all the way up onto my partner's shoulder. And this guy isnt a shrimp. He's pretty athletic. Our choreographer even had me switch partners to the strongest guy. And still failed. I was so embarrassed. Here I am, surrounded by all of these petite little girls who can eat anything in the world. And me. I gained fifty pounds in four years. impressive I know. Well I'm ready to get rid of those pounds. And I could use some serious motivation.
I've tried losing weight, yes. But it is so difficult. It's hard counting calories and stuff with school cafeteria food and then with my schedule and not being the "head of the house hold", it is difficult to eat right and exercise.

Basically, I just need help. And a lot of it.

wanitalilly

You CAN do it!! Don't give up!

joleciamichelle

Just stick with it-consistency is key in this business and the support and advice on this site is great!

carrieloveshk

Working out as much as you can (even if it's twice a week) is very important. I really hope you can achieve your goal. You can do it! Work hard, and don't give up.

safran01

I've also gained 50 pounds in 4 years, Thank you college!! It's really a struggle, I've been on here for 5 days. I totally know how you're feeling. Good Luck!

CricketKate

Welcome! The best advice I can give is do your best (lame, I know). Get some friends here. Everyone is very supportive. :flowerforyou:

Natolee72

AWWWWWWW!!!! You can do this!!! Just remember it's one day at a time and start by setting mini goals for yourself and just go from there!! Good Luck!!! :flowerforyou:

hannahmayr30

You can do it and you'll find great support on this website!

ErinBeth7

Yes perseverance and patience even through the hardest of days and weeks is what loses weight. Make sure to keep up with this site daily. The encouragement and food tracking really does help a lot!!!! GOOD LUCK

emmaleigh47

You are a beautiful young woman, who is obviously talented since your in Oklahoma!
Stay strong, make good choices, and get regular activity and it will happy for you!!

BrickHouse2011

the first step you have already taken, by joing MFP, so Congrats!!!! Now just take it one day at a time. COunting calories is hard but you will soon realize that you will be more aware of what you eat when you see it written down. So just start slow and take it one day at a time and you will be fine.

mattsdad1961

You can do this! The calorie counter has helped me alot. Just be honest with yourself and track everything. You will find yourself becoming more educated about what are better choices AND the effects of all choices. I really enjoy music and know that my performance will improve as I get more healthy. Better breathing...better posture...more stamina. It will allow you to focus and concentrate more easily. I wish I had access to a valuable resource like this when I was 18! There are so many on the boards who will cheer you on. Go for it!

jsheph1

Your days of being scared and embarassed are over. You've found the solution. Welcome to your new life!

mrsjsmitty

You can do it, its definately not instant, I've learned that. Find someone in your life that can do it with you or find an exercise class with others in your same position. I have not exercised in 7 years and found a boot camp class that I love and now I'm so into it. I now want to try harder. I find myself finally excited about working out. I finally think about what I eat. This cite is fantastic for calorie counting. I am on every day and log everything good and bad. It is worth the effort, to be healthy and to feel great about yourself. Ask your family if you can shop with them to pick out healthy items, maybe they will get into healthy eating too.

MegViking

I know just how you feel, chica. Just put 23 over 18. (Although I was the same way at 18, too.) The good news is you can do it. All you have to do is actually want it bad enough to stick with it, and you sound like you do. Plus the other stories on here are inspirational. If you're a geek like me, you might also try nerdfitness.com -- a lot of great people hang out on both sites.

As far as counting cafeteria food calories goes, what are the chances you could convince your folks to let you pack your lunch every day? It's probably cheaper than a school lunch, in the long run, or just as cheap if you make your sandwiches yourself and bring fruit. Plus you can count your calories exactly. If not, ask your lunch lady what brand of food they're using to prepare the school lunches. Chances are they'll tell you, and if they do, the internet has its caloric content out there somewhere. Then you can enter it into MFP under your foods and voila, you've made your own database. I know it sounds like a little bit of work, but usually research and some creativity will get you around just about anything.

Anyway, good luck and I look forward to seeing you progress on the site!

750legpress

Welcome, Welcome! And there is so much support here, they are just wonderful.

If you have an Android phone, put the app for MFP on it and use it....it's really helped me a LOT! (in fact, went to dinner with my trainer tonight and logged my food right in front of him)

And sit down with the "head of the household" and have a heart to heart talk..explain what you are trying to do and why...ask for their help in achieving your goals. Who knows, maybe your determination to live a healthier lifestyle will encourage them to do the same.

If you have a friend who wants to lose weight and get healthy, enlist their help as well..you can keep one another on track...be a support system for one another.

I'll send you a friend request on MFP....we can all be your friends here!!!

mommacool

You can't go wrong with fresh fruit and vegetables, or even frozen. Try to get your meat grilled or baked. Limit butter and oils. Stay away from fried anything or baked good and cookies. And exercise! And drink lots of water to fill you up!

My daughter (almost 16) does not always have control, just like you said. She just lost 12 pounds by just being more careful about what she eats, and joining the gym and going 3 times a week. She does not log what she eats, she just started making better choices whenever she could.GOOD LUCK!

JenniferBeaver

Hang in there. Eat lots of fresh veggies and fruit. Can you pack some for school?? Easy to put in a backpack! Also make sure you are eating enough protein (milk, eggs, meat etc.). That will fill you up. Watch out for fast food and pizza. Can add up quicklly. You can also try to get some more exercise but dont' go nuts. Let your family know this is important to you and to help stock up on healthy foods at home if they aren't there already. Good luck!

MakingAChoice

My 16 year old daughter has a similar problem. I told her to keep track of what she eats at school and just remember to put it into your food log. Even if you have to write it on a piece of paper for later. After logging for awhile you will see a trend as to what foods are the highest calorie foods in your log. Try finding lower calorie replacements for those foods. Look for whole grain foods (tough at school), if they have the option. Salads can get boring everyday, but they are certainly an option some days. If nothing else you can buy the normal lunch and only eat 1/2 of it.

If you are strict about tracking the foods you eat you will see results. Working out whenever you can is great too, I know it is tough when you have school activities and such to do. Also try to remember to carry good snacks in your pack so you do not have to get garbage food from the vending machines on campus.

harley0269

Welcome to MFP, & congrats on your new healthy lifestyle!
having difficulty logging when not home?
i hear lots of people say they have an app on their phones so they can log their food from anywhere.
maybe this is an option for you.
good luck!!

LJCannon

I LOVE Oklahoma!, the Musicall and the state, LOL!!
Even if you can't get to a gym, you can focus on Moving more--walking or riding a bike instead of driving, and eating more vegetables & fruit and smaller portions of everything. Make small changes that you will be able to live with forever.


Jeannie, from Oklahoma

urdaprincess

LJCannon is correct. I was going to say the same. Walking is the simpliest form of exercise start there. Also if you can, pick up Prevention Magazine....they have some simple exercises in there. Also if you like dancing, download some music you like and dance for at least 30 min. that way it is fun, relaxing, and something you can do without it being such a chore. Good Luck!!!! Don't give up or beat yourself up if you slip up.

liscar

Make a short term goal.....promise yourself to log ALL your calories for one month and see how you do. You'll love it, you'll lose weight, you'll get motivated, and you'll create a habit

urdaprincess

Also I really like this website because you can kind of work a plan of action based on the foods you eat. Seeing the goals will help you see where and what to make adjustments on.

ciaobella47

Welcome!

By being here, you've taken the first step (building a support system). So you're already doing great! Come to the message board often. Just reading about what people are going through is motivational.

It can be tough to get in the habit of logging calories but it does get easier, really, it'll become second nature to check and log everything. As far as cafeteria food- do a search for your school districts webpage. You should be able to find a nutrition chart for all food provided by the school. They are required to provide it. If you can't find it you can even email the district to ask for a copy or link.

One of the 'less difficult' ways of fitting in exercise while in school is to take a class (aside from p.e.) that keeps you moving. Dance...or swimming... But I know that's easier said than done. In high school a friend and I would stay half an hour after school every day to use the weight room. That made a big difference!

Wish you all the best!

jerseyshorenurse

Sounds like you have your aunt's support. That's great! Use it! Eat a healthy balanced diet, work some sort of activity into every day of the week--fitness walking for an hour can work WONDERS--and just keep at it! You didn't gain the weight overnight, and you won't lose it overnight either, so try not to get discouraged, and screw embarrassed! You're more in the norm than you think, high school just sucks for making you feel bad about yourself. The only reason you feel like 'the only one' is that so many other girls have given in and are hiding backstage. I'm sure that was an awful moment for you, and a real slap in the face, but don't let it phase you one bit. Just keep on moving along and improving. Progress, not perfection--what I always say ) Welcome to the bunch. I'm new here too, but I'm much (Much!) older, and I'm here to maintain all the weight I once lost and don't want to get back again. What I can't get back, but wish I could, were all the things I avoided doing when I was overweight. Take the stage, girl. Be great at any weight!

girlinahat

And sit down with the "head of the household" and have a heart to heart talk..explain what you are trying to do and why...ask for their help in achieving your goals. Who knows, maybe your determination to live a healthier lifestyle will encourage them to do the same.

I second this. Healthy food doesn't have to be boring, in fact it's frequently more exciting as it doens' have any of the rubbish that processed foods put in to make you believe they are actually 'food' when they are not.

Enlist the whole family, explain that you want to get healthy - you don't even need to say you want to go on a diet, just change your eating habits, and you will need their help. By making your own lunch and avoiding the cafeteria you can actually KNOW what goes into your food and make good choices.

Put it this way - you think you are embarrassed, but so many other girls wouldn't even have dreamed of standing on a stage in front of loads of people - focus on the fact that you could do that much, and anything else you do after that will be a (healthy) piece of cake!

janesmith1

All I can tell is that This Works. Nothing else works. THIS works.

Why? IDK, possibly because it's really a user-friendly support network and it's simple to use unlike Spark People which was...*overwhelming* to say the least and a PIA (pain in the...a..) to use, with way too much on it.

This interface is SIMPLE. This is like a weight loss fb - simple, nothing extra, join in threads you want to join in - many are "group threads".....and that works.

So much about this site works. User friendly is always #1, support on the boards #2...it just works. I've lost 12 pounds since I joined. Counting calories works to lose weight....exercise is just the Reddi Whip (it only has like 5 cals per tsp) topping on top....

curleesam

Although you are embarrassed now just think of when u lose those 50lbs you will look back on that day and realise that everything happens for a reason. The reason that happened was to prompt you to do something about it which you already have so congratulations and good luck! I hope that didn't sound too mean, I just mean that this event is a turning point for you and u will look back on it one day and realise how much good it did for you.

loupammac

You're in the right place I'm sorry you had to feel like a "failure" in front of everyone. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. Everyone here is so supportive and no doubt you'll be flooded with friend requests of people who want to support you. Perhaps you could try talking to your parents about how you'd like to eat more fruit and vegetables or packing your own lunch. Could you use your allowance (if you have one) to buy healthy food from the grocery store? Can you walk / ride to and from school? Do a workout dvd in your room? You'll get there don't you worry!

Beegale

Welcome to the MPF family! The only thing you're going to find here is encouragement and support. No judgement. No rights, no wrongs. The thing you'll find out very quickly is that EVERYBODY here has their own story, their own version of the things you are feeling about yourself and every person on this site is taking positive action to change that. I would wish you luck on your weight loss journey (not diet ).....but luck doesn't come into it, you just have to believe it and do it.

xx