From Sarah, Age 16 - 12/19/02 - IP#: 66.188.235.xxx  Click here to reply  
Ht. 5'5", Start: 136 lb, Today: 178 lb (BMI %tile: 95), Goal: 136 lb - I feel so ashamed of myself! I've always been in pretty good health. 5 foot 5, around 130 or 140 pounds. Well at the beginning of the school year I was chosen to go live with a family in Germany. I was so happy! When I left I weighed 136 pounds, which is pretty much average. Well while I was there I figured I could let myself go a bit. Wow they have some great stuff there. Tons of chocolate, very good. I really didn't think I had changed much, having bought clothes there and stuff like that. Well when I got back (2 weeks ago) my friends were like, wow. And I really didn't get what was wrong and why people acted different. Then I decided to wear one of my old favorite outfits. These really cute jeans and a green T with glitter all over. Guess what. The jeans came no where near fitting me. I now saw how huge my stomach had gotten and how small my cloths suddenly were. I went and weighed myself....oh my god. 178. I had gained over 40 pounds! I had only been gone for a little bit over 3 months! I was so shocked. The next day at school we were weighed and measured for gym and the nurse was just like, oh my. Probably seeing my old weights compared to me now. I feel so ashamed! I really want to get back to my old weight! Help!
Reply from Brittney, Age 15 - 12/21/02  - IP#: 67.251.176.xxx
Hi. We're in similar situations. I am kind of muscular, so when I was in competitive soccer 2 years ago, I was atheltic and slim and toned at 150 or so. Then I quit soccer for personal reasons, and over the next two years I climbed up to 190 lbs. 190!!! Now I am 176, and my goal is to get back to 150. Here's what I do. I eat lowfat - 20-25 grams of fat per day, and I spread it out so I can eat 3 meals and 1 snack per day. I also work out every day. I started at a 15 min jog for 2 weeks, then a 20 min jog for a week, and currently am at a 30 min aerobic workout. I lift medium sized dumbbells sometimes to tone also. You can do it; believe me. I tried for so long to lose weight and kept giving up. But now I'm gonna make it. I've lost 14 lbs, and I'm going for 30. You can too.