Scared. Fat. Embarrassed. 18.

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

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!

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:

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

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.

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

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!

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!

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.

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

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

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!

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!

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.

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