[Miss Petals]

Hello! My name is Rachael (Or you can call me Petals) and I'm a 15 year old girl, who's been overweight ever since she was 6. I'm very tall, standing at 5'9.

Most of my pre-teens, I was always in the 200-250 range on weight. Recently, after going through alot of sickness problems and Middle-High school issues, and LOTS of stress, for the first time in my life, I'm 301 pounds.

After seeing this, I feel horrible and I want a change. It's VERY hard for me to change since my family is low on money, not able to buy the fresh veggies or any diet loss program, gym membership, etc. Both of my parents are overweight, which my dad STILL brings in those little cakes and pudding cups, while my mom on the other hand, drinks alot of coke(Which she says she's not addicted to it when I think she is).

I have a disease. PCOS(Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) and I'm at the verge of Diabetes. I'm needing to lose weight so I can become a mother when I grow up and so I don't get Diabetes.

I've been recently started homeschooling in my 9th grade year, which means not much exercising/walking at home. Most of the time, everyday, I'm on the computer, talking to my boyfriend.

I've not met him yet, but we're VERY close. He live in Michigan and one day, I'll meet him in real life. I'm very thankful to have him, because he loves me for who I am and helps me out through ALOT of the stress I've been through.

Ahh. I'm sorry this post is very long.

What I'm hoping is I can, by joining this community, help me out lose weight and get the support.

[Lovely]

Rachael

I'm also 5'9" and began my weight loss journey at 331 pounds. I can relate. I was always on the higher end of the weight charts, and was quite overweight during middle school and high school. I also have PCOS symptoms though my doctor has determined that it's not something that I "have".

You don't need to spend a lot of money for a program. You can change your life in little ways that will make a big difference in the long run! Try to enlist the help of your parents with these little things. Use your health as the reason you want their help. Don't try to change them, though. You can only change yourself.

Small things you can change:
Drink water. Try to get a certain number of cups in a day. 6-8 is usually a norm. So instead of drinking sugary juices or even diet sodas, drink water! No calories, refreshing and (I've always thought) tasty ^^

Take very short walks. 10 minutes. That's all you need to start. Heck it could be 5 minutes! Ask whomever is homeschooling you if it's possible that in between subjects that you can take quick 5 minute walks around the block as part of a break & to let your mind cool down.

You may not always be able to control what your mother & father bring into the house, but you can control what goes into your mouth. Portion control. One serving instead of two. One plate of food instead of seconds at meals. If there are healthier options, choose them.

And again you don't need a lot of money. If you're used to being on the internet, definitely use a free online calorie counting website (fitday.com, mydailyplate.com etc.), frequently stop in here for support, and enlist the help of your boyfriend. Tell him what you want to plan for your health. If he's any good, he'll understand that you may need to talk to him just a little bit less each evening so you can get a 20 minute walk in for your health!

You may even want to go shopping with your Mom or Dad to point out healthier inexpensive food options that you'd love to eat! Frozen vegetables are always good

You CAN do this, hun. It will be difficult. But with small changes, and a big commitment from you, you WILL succeed.

Best of luck!!!

[kahlua716]

Welcome and good luck!!!