[xxbabyphatxx]

hey my names ashley im new here im 17 turning 18 in october...im goin to be a senior in high school at the end of aug. seems like i cant get my but up and in gear to lose weight...ive been a big girl all my life..seems like i get bigger every year..im up to 250 lbs now and i cant stand it...maybe im too lazy i dunno..but i did the whole walking thing for like 2 weeks and then got caught up in my life..goin out..hangin with friends ect. and fell out of the habit and it was working too..not to mention i felt great about myself and what i was doin..but now it seems like i just cant get back in the grove of things..my goal weight is 130 lbs...so i have a lil over 100 to lose and i need help so if you could give me some advice that would be great thnx lots
much love
ashley

ashley.

I think your really intelligent for recognizing issues in your life that you would like to work on. Sometimes the best thing to do is to enlist help. Consult your doctor. Maybe make an appointment or phone call to ask him the best diet that might fit your health needs. Also maybe get an exercise buddy -- a friend who can keep you consistent. Survey if there are also unresolved issues in your life that keep you dependent on food like divorce of parents early in life, living without a father, a distant mother, abuse, feeling different, lack of friends or low self-esteem. These are just examples but sometimes these types of things make us depend on food for comfort, friendship, relief from anxiety, joy, etc. Lastly, see if your parents could start healthy food shopping, cooking, and exercise habits with you. Its good for the whole family and would help you stay motivated. Good luck!

[Rupture]

Hi Ashley-

First off- give yourself credit for even have stuck to the walking thing for two weeks- some people don't even do that much. To focus on what you haven't done is a little self-defeating.

Think about how great it felt when you had your little routine of walking and use that as part of the motivation to start up again.

One you get into that routine again - it will get easier and easier as it just becomes a part of your life. So what if you fell out of that routine? Just start it back up - it isn't like you used up your chances...

It took me three attempts to quit smoking. Each time I would think - UUUGH here we go again - but I'd have some success and it would motivated me.. if I slipped up - so be it - I just dusted myself off anf tried again.

Don't be down on yourself because you might fail a few times-- save that for when you just give up period.

A great motivation is to have a friend go with you - someone who will really stick with you. If you can afford it- get a gym membership and sign up for a class. Get to know the instructor. Get to know someone in class. It's harder to skip class if you feel like you are letting them down by not being there.

If you have a dog- walk him twice a day at least.. He has to poop. You may as well take him out.

Go somewhere FUN. Amusement parks, a museum, the mall - anywhere where you have to trek around. Even if you take a single step - it's better than sitting on the couch doing nothing.

Forget people saying "Think Big" - think TINY. Don't think of having to lose 100 lbs. Think about losing TWO pounds. Then another two. Otherwise losing five pounds will seem like a failure rather than an achievement.

Be creative with food.

Here are a few of my favorite snacks:

1. Frozen cherries. Yep. That simple. Go get some cherries. Throw them in a bag in the freezer. When they are mostly frozen (or even frozen solid) chow down - so simple yet so damn good. I discovered that tasty treat when I was a kid. We would go cherry picking and my mother would freeze a lot of the cherries to use in pies later on. I'd steal a bag and chomp away merrily. The other thing that is great about this is when they start to melt - who cares? All that drips off of them is water - unlike ice cream which leaves a sticky mess.

2. Low Cal/Low Carb/Low Fat
Best .
Shake.
Ever.

With a total of 1 gram of fat, 3 grams of carbs, and about 30 calories - this is easy and good and doesn't taste like %#@&#! like a lot of low-fat/low cal/low carb stuff does. All you do is pour half of a container of Dannon's Low Carb fruit smoothie yogurt drink in a little tupperware container. Toss it in the freezer. (Yes. I will try to freeze pretty much anything... Frozen apple sauce is good...) When the yogurt is frozen put the container in warm water to loosen the sides a little. When that happens - dump the frozen blob into the blender. With a knife (or whatever- I just found a knife works best) kinda hack apart the yogurt into little pieces (sometimes the frozen yogurt will sit atop the blades rather than get into them so you end up blending nothing...), toss in a few ice cubes - maybe two or three and a splash or two of no fat milk. If you are feeling daring - toss in a small slice of peeled granny smith apple. Blend away until it looks good. This will give you a pretty decent sized shake - I'd guess 16 oz? Tasty and you don't feel guilty.

3. Alien Pizza. (Don't ask.) This won't cool you down - but it's another mostly guilt-free yum-yum. Now- let me preface this by saying I am not a huge fan of cottage cheese - the consistancy is icky and as a rule I think it tastes like an old sneaker freshly yanked out of someone's butt- so when I say this will be good- trust me.

Anyhow so you take a 6" corn tortilla (or flour - you won't really taste a difference but you will see a difference in calories and stuff...). Toss it in a pie pan (which hopefully will be just a little smaller than the tortilla... if not- no big deal - this isn't really going to look real neat at the end anyhow... But it tastes great..) spread on some tomato sauce (probably works out to about a quarter cup) and then spread on about two tablespoons of no fat cottage cheese. Bake for about 8 minues at 375 - I suppose you could microwave it but I haven't tried it... When it's done you have this huge cheesy, tomatoy mess that tastes great and is pretty damn filling. Sure it looks like an alien died in the pan - but who cares? Total damage after? If you used the corn tortilla you end up with about 13.5 grams of carbs, 120 calories and less than 1 gram of fat. If you went with the flour tortilla - 29 grams of carbs 190 calories and about 3.5 grams of fat - still not bad when you consider ONE serving of a tombstone pizza (132 g) is 306 calories (124 of those from fat), 14 grams of fat, and 31 grams of carbs... Now seriously- who eats one sliver of pizza? You may as well just double or triple those numbers. Let's put it this way - a whole tombstone pizza is 1497 calories (604 from fat), 67 grams of fat, and 152 carbs. Do the math to guestimate how much you'd eat... Which is another good thing about alien pizza - it's super filling AND it's portion controlled.

Good luck kiddo!

[xxbabyphatxx]

thnx lots for the advice esthersvirtue...food is deffinatly comfort for alot of things that have gone on in my life and alot of the things that are goin on right now...but id like to thnk you for takin the time to respond
much love
ashley

[xxbabyphatxx]

hey Rupture thanx so much for all the advice...and i hate cotage cheese too ...im gonna try freezing a couple things and c how i like it..but thank you so much for taking the time to reply to my message..nice to know sum people care and congrats on kicking the smoking thnx again
much love
ashley

do you think that your parents would let you talk to a therapist. If not, maybe try to talk regularly to your pastor's wife or someone you trust. Resolving emotional issues often helps us grow and gain control of our life.

[Myzen]

Hi baby,

I've put weight on and lost it a few times over the years. For me, exercise never really made the difference, it was always the food that did it.

Also, I could never stick to a regime that someone else was giving me. I think you have to find your own way, and hopefully enjoy it. It might help if you could get really interested in something that's not to do with food and dieting, to take your mind away from that subject altogether.

Good luck!

M

[xxbabyphatxx]

i talk to my mom about alot of things...and i cant c a therapist b/c we dont have the money for that..as far as a pator or anything like that i stoped going to church for personal resons when i was about 12 so thats not an option...so i write poetry and just try to deal with what i can when i can
thnx
much love
ashley

[xxbabyphatxx]

thnx for the advice...i know im still young and still have alot to learn and all that but the 17 years ive been on this earth i still havnt been able to find myself..i like writing...and the exercise works for me its just that i havnt been able to pick the habit back up again...and iwould love to go out for a school sport or somthin..or go swimin w/o havin to worry about what i look like in my bathing siut...so i dunno..im gonna have to figure sumthin out..thats whty im here though cause i havnt been able to figure it out on my own
thnx
much love
ashley