advice

Everybody has some word of advice to offer.  We have all experienced different things, therefore,  believe that we know how to deal/ not deal with certain situations.    Here is my word.....   and I hope, even if I dont change your actions,  that you take two minutes just to think about what Im saying.

And yes,  it is about all of our favorite topic:  FOOD.    (Im not in anyway way in the medical field,  this is just what I have learned,  and what has worked for me... )

Im sixteen years old,  I have my entire life ahead of me.   I have so many opportunities available and I work hard at everything I do.    But the second my little life wasnt 'perfect'  anymore,  it litterally spiraled out of control. 

I believe that it all started with an injury, one that took me out of crosscountry.  (very tramatic)     I was used to eating 3000+  a day because,  well,  I could.   Then it was court between my parents,  deciding where I was going to go to school.  (ended up switching).   

I'll skip alot of the other stuff that happened,  but as you can see,  my life was changing.... very quickly.   I am not one who couldnt really handle the idea of such a radical change in my life.   So I continued eating,  I couldnt exercise, and I became severly depressed.

I started to truely hate myself.   My mom saw this,  and tried to help.   We were going to try to lose weight together.   Neither of us really stuck to it,   even though she lost alot in the first week.    She apparently felt guilty.

I did plenty of research on the internet,  and I did everything in my power to lose weight.    

No matter what I tried,  it always ended in binges,  crying, and self hatred.      This cycle continued for 5 months (this past winter),   I ended up 14 pounds heavier with stretch marks all over my legs.

Then I finally had enough.  I was ready for change.   I started looking up ways for 'self-help' and reading books that changed my outlook on dieting and life.   

I realized that obsessing over food and eating till your sick isnt any way to live.   Its horribly mean, and unhealthy.  IT will eventually consume every fiber of your being.

This is how I changed.   I EXERCISED!!!!!!!   please, please, please just exercise.    It improves you mood,  and outlook towards your diet and life.   I eat anywhere from 1200-1800 calories a day and feel good,  and I have been loosing a pound about every five-seven days.  The main difference is that I've stopped eating all carbs, and have added soooo many fruits and vegetables into my diet.  Really,  it has changed my life... when I was restricting,  I wouldnt have enough energy to exercise.    Now,  I cant believe that I ever stopped.

Hopefully this little story didnt turn into a ramble,  and I really hope that it made a little sence to someone.

Good story

and your only 16!!  You do have quite a life ahead of you.
I am so impressed with your drive and you saw the light so at such a young age.   Yet so many your age and bit older here on CC have not seen this light turn on and if it does, it soon turns off.  They have a lot of excuses why they can not lose weight but they did not see the light you have seen.

So all we can do is keep saying what we believe, worked for us.  And we will get this: "it worked for you but not for anyone else!"  Yet if they tried, really tried it would work for most people who will do the life style changes required.
You will also see many people with weight issues, are not stupid, undereducated or do not know the bad facts about being over weight. Yet they keep killing themselves.  Like an alcoholic or drug addict.  Because they are addicted to the foods we have all around us, nowadays and everything is loaded with fat, sugar or salt.  Our taste buds love this stuff!!  But look at our nation of people who are more obese than in another time in history.  Our children many under 20 and even under 10 are now obese in record numbers.

Why?  Because we have unlimited access to coffee shops, fast food take outs and restaurants everywhere...it seems.  And now they are moving into low population areas across the country which was unheard of even 10 years ago.

It is a mad dash for our $$.  By loading everything with sugar and salt we are soon hooked and will return for more.

Exercise is part of the life style change for sure.  But eating a blanced diet is the part.

Good for you..keep going..keep spreading the word.

Congratulations on being way ahead of the game!  I definitely relate the scales to exercising.  I quit regular exercise and it seems no matter what I eat the scales go up.  I think the moral of that story is ....................Ta DA!!!!!!!!!!  Even slim people need to exercise to truly be healthy, and those of us who tend toward the "not so slim" need it just a bit more.

There was a cartoon character, POGO, who gave great words of wisdom.  "We have met the enemy and they are us"............not Starbucks, Wendy's etc!

Neat to see someone so young who gets it.  Wish I had put it into action many years ago.

Very good story klee!!!
Indeed good to see how you managed to see this so early on, like themassageguy said, there are loads of the older CC-ers that never see this, or even just refuse to see this, because 'they don't like to'.
It is like you said, it changes your mood, very much so, I always feel so pumped after a work out, even on days I was kinda droopy, just a work out will take care of that!

You are so right! It's great how you worded it, just plain and simple.

I always feel better after my morning cardio when before I could hardly drag myself out of bed.