Hello everyone! I posted before on this site and got amazing help! Mais, malheureusement, I don't remember the account details.

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I'll start by saying a little bit about myself. I'm a 16 years old, black female. I'll be getting 17 in April. I currently weigh around 260 pounds. Basically, I'm obese and really unhealthy for my age and height.

For about the first half the year, I dieted and exercised seriously but only losing 20 pounds from my original weight-280lbs.

Before, I felt that as i got older, the pounds would naturally drop off. But then, about a year ago, I started to like this boy. He was slim and only a little taller than me. I knew he didn't like me but I had hopes. It was when a friend of mine posted a picture on facebook with the both of us. It was a wake-up call. His skinny arm forcing itself around my neck, his body was about 3 times smaller than mine. People would tease us and calls us "Raspusha" and "Norbit". It hurt a lot and I'm very happy that he didn't let it bother our friendship but, it was obvious, he got embarrassed at times.

After losing 20 pounds, I got discouraged. I had done so much and only dropped so little.

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Now, I really want to lose weight. I was advised to get weightloss partners so I thought I might become part of this community for support!

Tomorrow, I'll be starting the raw vegan diet. I've already been vegan for a while(for ethical reasons not for weight loss) and I read about the health benefits and rapid weight loss on the raw vegan diet. It's a really hard diet to stick with because I'll be cutting out a lot of the food I ate. I'll be trying 100% raw this week for detoxing and later will try sipping in cooked food here and there.

Anyone else on diet? Anyone has tried it before?

Also, can anyone give me some tips for weight loss or other methods that worked for them?

Thanks!

Hi Tencent! BACK!! You will find lots of support here! As you begin your journey, keep in mind that it took a long time to put on the weight and it's going to take time to take it back off. Really, what is the alternative? No matter how fast or slow it comes off, it needs to come off, and if you quit, it will pile back on. So be gentle with yourself. Allow your body time to get to the weight you know you should be. Good luck!

Hey there! Sounds like a plan (and he sounds like a nice boy) :-)

I've never been on a raw vegan diet, but I have tested some recipes. They are quite nutritious and fibrous, so you really do feel full quite fast. They do take a lot of work to prepare though, so some determination is required. I would get on Pinterest and look for some recipes there. I would also write down everything I eat and drink at least for 2-3 weeks, just so that if it doesn't go too well (or even if it does go very well), you can look back and see what you've been consuming. Also make sure you get enough protein and fats. Olive oil and avocados are great for fats and you could also supplement with hemp protein shakes. I know there's protein in legumes, but I think (I'm not completely sure) certain beans can be dangerous without cooking. Most beans need at least some form of soaking for several hours, so planning is needed as it's not exactly fast food :-)

Also make sure you don't eat just the sweet stuff :-) It feels like every other raw vegan recipe I've come across has been some sort of cake! Also, sodas and other sugary drinks may be technically acceptable on a raw vegan diet, but they're really not healthy and consuming them throughout the day will keep the blood sugar elevated which leads to all kinds of problems. You could be eating the healthiest foods and the sodas would just ruin the whole thing for you.

But you seem like a clever girl, so you probably already know all this and here I am giving you a lecture :-) Sorry about that.

I'm sure you'll do well!

But I don't want to wait ><
I'm tired of being teased and hating what I see in the mirror.

@SparkyBunny

I appreciate the advice! I knew about the fruits and too much sugar- but I totally disregarded it. And forgot all about the balance of nutrients. I've also been wanting to try some raw recipes from this site thisrawsomeveganlife.com But so much work xD

Thank you! As usual, very supportive forum.

Hi!

Couple of things - never let anyone put you down or make fun of you. Glad you have a great friend, but never let anyone make you feel less of a person because you struggle with weight. Weight is solvable, it is lose-able even though at certain points it feels like ****.
We are creatures of habit and pleasure, and in all honesty many of us take the easy way out - me being the first and that is how pounds add on.
I personally believe it has nothing to do with self confidence (coz I know a lot of skinny people with no confidence whatsoever), emotional state or so on. I think it is totally based on habit made at one point in our lives for whatever reason, usually triggered by diets.

My only advice, out of my experience, to really watch out with dieting, make sure you eat enough because you don't want to create a binge problem for yourself in the long run, like I've have. I am not sure if that is how you already gained weight or what the reason was, but make sure to really curb your cravings by disconnecting from the "hunger pains" that you have when you are full. What worked for me (prior to gaining weight again when I got lazy (yes, full on laziness) I actually lost 40lbs in a really healthy way) was to really try to have "fun" in the kitchen. Cook things that I never tried before and just make food more fun than just crappy ol fast food or standard cooking. I took up a hobby of running after I lost some weight and even ran some races. Now I can't run around the block and it freaks me out that I have to go through everything over again. But the fact that you already lost some weight should be a proof that you can and will, you just really have to put your mind to it and treat it as a job.
One difference between me and you is that I am 28 and you are still young to be able to live a life totally unaffected by weight by the time you are 20. Don't rush it, take it slow and just lose steady. I always ate 4-5 times a day, small portions, things I liked but never huge restaurant meals or plates. As the time passed I actually lost weight like crazy.

You can do it, just put everything on the paper and set some goals. 20 lbs is a huge weightloss and respect the effort you already did, cut yourself some slack and now go for the big prize!

J.

Awesome advice from Jelena. It's so true that things can get out of control and then we're stuck in a cycle of diets forever and ever... I'm 37 and am now getting to a point where I don't really want to do that anymore and most certainly don't want to obsess over it.

I know the teasing hurts, and I think a lot of us have carried hurtful words with us for years and years. Which is why it would be good to remember that what we say about others says more about us than it says about them. If I say a hurtful thing about you, it's all about my insecurities and fears and actually has nothing to do with you. You would just be the recipient of my ill manners.

Cooking really is a great skill to have, or I guess in this case it would be "preparing" :-) It'll serve you really well in the future if you put some effort into it. Also, don't try to be too strict with the raw part. I'm sure it's OK to strive for 100% raw vegan for a week, but even if you can't do it, then cut some slack and add some cooked products. 50% raw foods would still be around 50% more than for most people! I'm not trying to discourage you, but people have this weird thing about diets that they create really strict goals for themselves and then at the first sight of difficulties decide that they can't do it at all and just revert back to old ways. Just take baby steps and do the best that you can with what you've got.