In the past year I have been on that on/off again diet we all do before the real deal. It's taken me a year to lose 20lbs but with out trying. What I have accomplished in this time is changing my eating habits. I never really was trying to eat perfectly healthy but some how little by little my taste buds and feelings towards the food I ate changed. Now it's not a chalenge for me to eat healthy, it is hard for me how ever to eat something unhealthy. It's really been like a step of maturity i've taken. Since i'm only 16, it's hard to eat healthy when all my friends want to go to McDanolds and eat brownie's all the time. But luckly I just don't care for that kind of stuff anymore. I stoped drinking soda because of a throat problem and with time I lost the liking of it. Some people think i'm weird cause I don't like soda, but I would'nt have it any other way! It all started by the fact that i'm addicted to gossip magazines. When I would bye a gossip mag, I would also get one like Women's World or Fitness. And all the things I was learning about foods and the way our body reacts to it made me want to learn more. So everytime I would log in my homepage at msn I would click on the articles about health news. Now I always try to find books about health at the library and am always searching for the next thing to read about in the magazines, being articles or recipes. The knowledge is really what has gotten me to where I am today 20lbs down 35 to go, and great health!

Way to go. Starting at such a young tender age is wonderful. You are learning new things and making changes that will grow with you thru the years. I am proud to hear such a young women take charge of her life. Most of on here know how easy it can slip away. Keep it up.

You're doing great! It took me 20 extra years to learn some of the things you've learned. Making healthy choices with real foods is the way to go. Keep it up.

Way to go, Angilia. The habits you're forming now will help you for the rest of your life. Some people never figure out how to live a healthy life, and you're already on the right track. and you're right, this is probably one of the hardest times to make changes, since most people in their teens seem to want to live off a steady diet of fast food and pop. But if you change now, you'll be the one who looks and feels great in five years while everyone else will be seeing the effects of their late night pizza! Look forward to seeing you around some more!

WTG, keep it up!! You're on your way to living a very long and healthy life!!

I agree with everyone else! You're developing healthy habits NOW and avoiding ALOT of problems later! Most of us on here will tell you that the older you are, the harder it can be to lose. And the harder it is to change those habits. Keep it up and you'll reach your goal and stay there.

The soda thing is funny...once you wean yourself off it's hard to like it. Well, for me. I've weaned myself off a huge soda habit and now when I'm stressed I go for a regular Pepsi and it just isn't the same. It's sorta disappointing in a funny way, but awesome in the long run!

Kim