hi my name is mandy and i am about to turn 15 in about three months. i also am starting highschool at a totally brand new place where i know absolutely no one. i am 5'8" and i am 180 lbs. i have been overweight since my parents divorced about 9 years ago so i have always been big. i have like no metabolism and no means of exercise. its not that i am not willing i literally cant. my mom worries so i cant leave the house unless she is home but she works all day and in the house we have nothing to do so, in boredom i eat and sit around all day. what makes it worse is that, because i am only 15, i have almost no say in what she buys and makes. it is hard to talk about because every since i started school i have been teased and i just repress it so even the words diet or exercise are hard to say, same with my mom since she was the exact same way. i need advice, help, and support. like i said i start highschool in a month so i cant do much in school. please help. email me at <edited by admin>
thank you!

I know how you feel (: I'm 17, turning 18 in a few months and my family is the same way. They eat nothing but crap food, nobody works out (my dad will do it for two days and then stop for months), and everyone is 'too busy' to fix it. When I was 12, I was 85 pounds. When I was 13, I was 150. It was a big jump, and I used to beat myself up over it. Then I realized the muscle gain and puberty had something to do with it as well. You have to keep in mind that your chest (not so much me) and butt (muchhhh more me) weigh more than you think. So keep that in mind as you lose or gain weight (: You're still growing. That being said, DON'T STOP EATING. But don't eat junk food either. Give her a list of the foods you'd like, and learn how to cook. That may have been the most important part of weightloss for me. I love tofu, salmon, and thin-chicken breasts covered in herbs and wheat bread crumbs (homeade). Eat five times a day, but make them little meals. I like having sandwhiches (wheat bread, turkey, lettuce), but I workout a lot, so I assume it makes me hungrier. You can have a handful of chips a day, or a chocolate or two. But don't over do it. Also, my mother doesn't let me have a scale. So, I've learned how important measurements are. You can weigh 105 pounds and have a bigger waist than a person who weighs 130 pounds (I confirmed this first hand yesterday when we were comparing measurements Good day for me). Working out is also very important. And it's important to make it a lifestyle. Run. Run run run. Crunches don't do crap if you have fat on top (trust me -.-; I've tried). Run in the morning before she leaves, or run at night when she gets home, if you don't want to be seen. Get up and move around a lot. Clean the house, dance to music, do jumping jacks every 10 minutes. Do something other than sitting there. In fact, sleep if you have to. It burns more calories than just sitting. One last thing; drink water. It's free, and it's the best thing you can do for yourself. You'll feel full more often, eat less, and then rid your body of toxins.
Good luck, love. I've been in your shoes; I promise it'll get better (:

Hi, Mandy. First off - you really need to remove your email address from your post. It opens too many doors. Please do that right away by editing your original post.

Now, for some motherly advice. I'm 60 and weigh just about what you do. you are a little taller than I am, but we must be about the same size. I know how much you want to lose weight because I do, too. You can do this without joining a gym.

Since you can't jog around the block, try dancing to some really up-tempo music in your room. Get really goofy and swing your arms and kick your feet. Bring your arms down and knees up. In other words, dance like a nerd. Get your heart rate up. This is what Zumba and Hip Hop classes are all about, really.

Help your mom with the heavy work around the house and yard. Great for strength training. Use a couple books as weights and do arm exercises.

Drink at least 24 ounces of water every morning, afternoon, and evening.

Eat small portions of the foods you know in your heart are not healthy - fatty and fried food, for example. Take the skin off fried chicken, for example. Stay away from candy and sugar. Limit potatoes, rice, pasta, and bread.

Eat tons of veggies and fruits.

Stay completely away from soda. Drink water if you're thirsty. Drink a tiny glass of soda for a treat.

Ask your mom if she will sit down with you and talk over some healthier choices you'd like to make in your diet.

Mandy, my heart goes out to you. You can do this with our help in here.

I emailed you - email me back and ask your mom to read what we have to say. Maybe she will see just how important this is to you. Good luck.

Lin

Welcome to 3FC!

My first concern, also, is your e-mail address. Anyone in the world could pick that up and start e-mailing you. Not just friendly people who regularly read the site, but "those" types of strange people... Protect yourself. Come back to the forums if you want to read things, do not use your e-mail on forums.

It sounds like you're at the point in your life when it's time to stop making excuses for other people's actions.

You cannot control what your mother buys. BUT! You -can- go food shopping with her and suggest different, healthier things. You -can- offer to make dinner a couple of nights a week so that you both end up with healthier meals. You -can- choose to eat only half of what is on your plate.

You might not be let out of the house alone. BUT! You -can- ask your mother to go for walks with you. You -can- use stairs in your house for exercise. You -can- get a cheap workout DVD and use it once a day. You -can- join an activity at school. You -can- look up some exercises online that require little room (like yoga moves or stretches). You -can- turn on some music in your room and dance around by yourself.

Chin up! Don't look for excuses. Look for ways around these (very tiny) obstacles.

Stop saying "diet and exercise". Think "Eat healthier. Move more."

Best of wishes!

Hi Mandy! I feel your pain, though I am a lot older, but I've been there too. I was teased so much in high school. And like pingufugu said, it will get better!
As a mom of a now 20 year old girl, please talk to your mom! My daughter and I always talked, except the one time she was getting bullied at school, real bad bullying too , and I couldn't help her if I didn't know. But once I knew then we made the situation much better.
Kind of the same with what you are going through, if you try talking to your mom then she'll know what is going on and maybe work with you on making it better.
But as pingufugu said, exercise is VERY important!
use work out videos and dvd's at home. This is what I do. Makes it much easier not to have to go somewhere. Or go outside in your yard play with a ball. WHEN YOUR MOTHER IS HOME AND ITS OKAY TOO.
This website is really great, lots of fun, inspirational people on here.
Good luck to you! Hang in there, it really does get much better.

OH GOOD ONE~yes! Do not post your email on blogs---EVER!