[Iwant2bethin]

Contrary to how I was feeling in the morning...

Another reason why I eat to the point where I'm sick is school work. On my English mid term I had a 63%. I'm afraid my English mark is going to go even more down hill. My teacher said the only way I can improve my mark is to read more...the thing is I do read...grr. How do I keep my weight and my marks seperate.

I'm feeling so stressed right now.

Yes I binged today in the evening...I don't want to go back to old ways...

[Gladdy]

I saw a few minutes of "Oprah" yesterday and her guest was Stacy Halprin, who lost more than 350 pounds. She is a very interesting and insightful woman. One of the things she shared was a "weight loss secret." She said the secret was once you binge, go to the next meal as if the binge had never happened.

I took that to mean that one binge no longer gives us license to continue binging; that lame excuse, "I blew it anyway" is tired and old and we're getting rid of it. The binge is just something that happened and now we're back on track and focused on what we need to do to lose weight.

As for your English grade, are there tutors at your school? Or perhaps there is a fellow student who will be willing to tutor you?

Your midterm grade, in a way, is like your binge. Now you have to move forward and keep focused on your goal, like the grade didn't happen. Of course the grade remains, but you have to get your mind off of it and onto what steps you need to take to get a good grade.

I agree with you that "reading more" is not very helpful. Perhaps your teacher could elaborate as to what steps you should be taking.

Good Luck!

[LisaMarie71]

What happened on the midterm? What specific stuff did you have trouble with? When your teacher says you need to "read more," does she mean the material that she covers in class or reading in general to improve your vocabulary?

I'm only asking because I'm a high school English teacher and I may be able to help if you give me some specifics. I may be able to point you in the right direction, anyway.

[Romeos Girly]

Stress eating is one of my toughest barriers too, but maybe you can turn this problem into a good opportunity. A lot of people learn better when they are moving. Try making outlines or flash cards of what you need to learn, then go walking while you memorize them. Or take your book to the gym and read on a stationary bike or treadmill. That might be a strategy to help your weight loss and your grades!

[Kery]

Hard to tell what the problem with 'reading more' etc. could be, since the English I learn is as a foreign language, so the methods used are probably different. But our teachers tell us the same -- reading more helps tons... only depending on what the student's problem is, because 'reading more' has never helped me to explain what makes modality X epistemic, unless it was a grammar book, that is.

What kind of questions did you have to answer during your test? Are these grammar-related questions? Vocabulary to find? Short texts to analyze and comment? Depending on this, what you have to 'read more' will be quite different, and you won't be able to use it the same way every time. Nor will it necessary help as much as it could in another context.

As for keeping weight and marks separated, I must admit I don't know, since I don't do it myself... although I do it the other way (every morning I 'convince' myself that if I eat healthy foods, my brain will work better and I'll do better at school. XD Which is true, so it does help). Do you stress-eat while doing your homework, perhaps? In that case, would it be possible for you to go study to a place where food is forbidden, or at least not easily available? (Like public libraries here, where we're not allowed to bring food, coffee etc.)

The flash cards idea sounds pretty good. It is useful all the same, and you can't grab food when your hands are full of them, I suppose.

[Iwant2bethin]

: Thanks everyone for your advice it's very helpful. Hopefully today I will not binge. I'm going to try the flah card idea and eating a normal meal after I binge.You guys and gals on this forum are my lifesavers.

My English mark story:

My teacher's in my other classes never complain about my writing.I'm not sure what goes wrong in English. Our midterm exam was based on the movie Rocky I (I'm serious) we had to write about how this movie relates to the "American Dream." I though I did well on the mid term exam but I got a 4/12 on the writing and 3/5 for the media segment(I know terrible).On the other work we had in that class I've been getting 60's and 50's(*bleh*).

I'm afraid to ask my teacher what he meant by "read more" because he's intimidating. Once I went up to him and told him that I wasn't doing to well and he told me the smae thing "read more" and " let's see how you do on the other thing and then come back to me." It's not what he said that bothered me but it was his tone. You just get a feeling from him that he does not really care...and it does not help that he yells at our class from time to time.

I have a test today on a book called "The Great Gatsby" and...(OH GOD!!)I know next week when we start the book by Shakespear it's all going to fall apart.

As kery said about eating healthy foods I relly do need to...lol...I hope it will do wonders for my brain and marks. When I study I can never study in public place because it's usually hard for me to concentrate. From time to time I overeat when I'm overwhelmed by my school work. Maybe I can substitute healthier foods.

Hazel

[JayEll]

Well, since it's midterms, I guess it's too late for you to transfer out of his class and into one taught by someone else. So, maybe you should try again--go to his office hours--or communicate via computer, if you have that option--and tell him your concerns and that you want to know how you could have improved your test score. It is up to you to get an answer from him, even if he is offputting and difficult.

As for the food situation--yes, there are better snacks to be had. I know it's hard when you're in school, but see if you can find a way to plan your eating--as in, breakfast, lunch, dinner, with snacks. A meal doesn't have to ALWAYS be at the same exact time, that is, breakfast could be at 7 a.m. or 10 a.m., but be sure to eat that meal. And so on. Make a list of good snacks to have and keep them handy. Get rid of the high-calorie, high-carb, high-fat snacks so that you won't be tempted.

Good luck! You have a tough road here, but you'll get through it.

Jay

[LisaMarie71]

Is your teacher taking a lot of points off for grammar and spelling, or is it something else? If you're having trouble with writing, you need to pinpoint what your specific problem is and then attack it. It could be grammar and sentence structure. Unfortunately, most schools do not teach grammar very well anymore, if they do at all, and kids are left to figure it out on their own. You may want to consult a good grammar manual for the basics, and really work on committing those rules to memory and applying them when you write. It's often too easy to write like we talk, and that isn't always good writing! My students often write the way they talk, and I try very hard to explain to them that it simply doesn't work in a formal essay. Read your sentences aloud to yourself and see if they flow grammatically. Make sure you have punctuation to indicate any pauses or a separation between clauses. Don't rely just on spell-check on your computer to catch any errors because it's not always accurate or useful, especially when it comes to grammatical errors.

Your teacher obviously shouldn't yell at his class, but was it random yelling or were they being a bit ridiculous? Sorry, I'm a teacher so I can see how another teacher might reach his breaking point! Not all teachers are good at showing how much they care about their students, but most of them do care or they probably would look for a job that's less demanding on their time and that pays more! That's not true for everyone, of course -- I know some teachers who are SERIOUS slackers and it drives me insane.

Anyway, I'm rambling because this is my field....but let me know if there's anything I can do to help.

[maegdaeien]

Mmmm The Great Gatsby-- I love Fitzgerald and everything he's written.

I think it would really help your eating habits if you get your other habits under control. With this upcoming book, read it very carefully. Check out Sparknotes to see what other people have to say about it that you may have missed (but NOT as an alternative to actually reading it!). You can even check out the movie, as there are several versions. Once you're feeling more confident and happy with school, there will be fewer things to distress you into overeating.

[Iwant2bethin]

Lisa Marie71:Unfortunately, my teacher does take a lot of marks off for spelling and grammar...*grr*. It's very hard for me to notice what is wrong with my writing even when I read it out loud. My teacher has told me sometimes I write things but I don't use examples to back up my responces and I don't elaborate enough...(It's just so hard). I did notice I write the way I talk but I'm not exacly sure how to seperate it from my writing.sometimes when students come in late he yells at them or when they ask certain questions or make mistakes he laugh at them and mocks them. (he can be awful). I wish my English teacher was cool like you...because mine is intimidating!

maegdaeien: The Great Gatsby- my friends who've finished reading it and understand it also LOVE IT!!! But I'm having trouble understanding it...OMG...I completely forgotten about Spark notes!(thankyou!!!). lol I hope I can understand the book like you and get to love his books to. I hope spark Notes and the movies will help me to understand that book...(hopefully I'll find one for Shakepeare...King Lyre). *sigh*

I'm going to keep on working harder and mybe take more time to think before I write...* I o that helps*...OMG...I can't wait for the day when I am happy and confident with school! *sigh*

Hazel

[GatorgalstuckinGA]

here's a trick to see if your writing sounds correct..if you haven't learned this trick. Seperate each sentance and then read it. I usually start with the last line and work my way up. This way, you are actually reading each sentence by itself. It helps to seperate the sentences and make them more clear. Also, i'm guessing this is a college credit and not high school. Its a bit late to pull out, but honestly, it sounds like you need a writing/grammar class. Please don't take that the wrong way. Throughout high school i thought i knew english. I was always in advance placement English classes (the nerd classes) in my high school. Then when i went to take my community college entrance exam, they told me i needed to take the remedial writing/grammar class. I WAS FLABBERGASTED. How could i have gone through all these lit classes and not know basic writing and grammer. Well i will tell you something, I didn't know as much. I took the writing/grammar class and learned a world of info. This may be your issue. Also, you may be rushing too much when you are writing. Therefore not asking/thinking about all the info in the book. If your teacher is saying read more...what he may be meaning is you are reading, but not getting the true idea of the book. English lit has so much metaphores etc. How does the book relate to what the question is. Ask who why what etc.
And btw...i loved the great gatsby. don't cringe at the classics...there are some great books out there with lots of powerful meanings. Sometimes cliff notes are good to read (AS A SUPPLEMENT). What i recommend is reading one chapter of the book, then reading the supplementals so you can see where the symbolisms etc exist in that chapter. Sometimes you have to reread a chapter. Its about slowing down and not trying to rush. And honestly..maybe see if you prof has a teachers aid. If not, go to him. Who cares if you feel silly. He is there to help. He's paid to teach...that's what teachers are for....to learn

As for food...one day at a time...look at it this way...you may not be able to control your classes and test...but you can always control WHAT YOU EAT! Good luck and hang in there.

[LisaMarie71]

Gatorgal gave you some great advice. I'm sorry that your teacher isn't supportive--that does make things tough. He really HAS to take points off for grammar and spelling, in order to encourage his students to work on improving those things. Believe me, I've tried and tried to figure out how I managed to learn that stuff in high school and how nearly all my students are a bit clueless about it no matter how many different ways I try to teach it. He may be at a loss as to how to teach grammar as well. It's one of those things you really have to sit down and work on by yourself. Gatorgal's advice to look at each sentence separately is really smart. Make sure each sentence IS a sentence and is not just a fragment. Make sure it's not a run-on as well. Find a good basic grammar manual that will help you understand those things, and use it to work on common usage problems as well. Get a clever friend to proofread your papers before you hand them in, and have them explain the errors rather than simply marking them.

[punchi]

For me is easier diet when i`m under stress, i don`t know why, maybe because it makes me bussy. At the end of the month i will start my post degree program and that will help.

I`m 26 years old so i finished high school 9 years ago but i still remember how it was. I wase not fat at the time but i was bullied all the time, i hate it, really hate it, but the best of it that is over sooner that what you think and then you can start to be yourself without hundreds of idiots arround you. As for grades luckily i was a good student so it wasen`t a worry but in university it afected me and then i started to gain weight so i know your feelings
So be strong and it will pass, i know you can do it, life is more than high school

[rubberlegs]

I was able to test out of remedial English, but a business English class really helped. It's not all "business", but it does go back to the basics. We used a workbook that perhaps you could use on your own if you don't want to take a whole class. I do recommend taking some sort of class, though.