Hi everyone,

I'm Angela. I'm 18 and borderline obese (I'm 170 and a little taller than 5'3"). I've been battling my weight issues since I was about 8 or 9 years old. I'm not extremely overweight and I luckily figured out how to wear clothes that flatter my body but I still have those heart wrenching troubles fitting into the extra large shirts when I go shopping. Anyways, I'll try to keep this short (I have a tendency to type too much even though I'm fairly quiet offline).

I my past 2 trips to the doctor's office has shown that I might have high blood pressure (We're not sure yet if it's just the clinic's equipment or if I just get nervous beforehand). I have a little less than a month until my next follow up and I'll be tracking my BP 2-3 times a week this month to see if I need to be put on medication.

As you can imagine being diagnosed with high blood pressure at any age can be a huge shock as well as a wake up call. That day at the doctor's office (last Friday actually) I decided enough was enough and I'm changing for the better. I'd like to start as soon as I can to make a big change in my lifestyle and get healthier. I still live with my family and they're quite stubborn to make any changes to their lifestyles. I've been trying to convince them for years but even after both of my parents have been diagnosed with high blood pressure and my father's been to the ICU in the hospital for it twice they still don't want to budge. It's a shame to see these things happen to my own family and know I might be losing my parents at a younger age that I'd like but I decided I'm just going to have to go on ahead without them this time and take care of myself before I try to take care of everyone else. Luckily I finally convinced them to invest in a treadmill which they both have been using at least once a week so yay for minor wins.

I'm thinking I will need a good buddy or two to help keep me on track. Most of my friends are in shape already and they're always busy with work that we hardly ever talk anymore. I'm going to try my best to cook for myself everyday and I'll try my best to count calories but I still have issues with portion control. I'm thinking my workout will be an hour or two on the treadmill 3-5 days a week as well as some aerobic exercises on the other days days. I'll probably have a break on Wednesdays and then one day off on the weekends.

My goal weight is 140 and I'm taking off my next quarter at college to really dedicate myself to losing the weight and keeping it off. I'm sure this all sounds good in theory but I need to get off my butt and start working. Any advice would certainly be helpful. Thanks everyone.

Hi and welcome!

Good luck on your weight loss journey!

Hi and welcome to 3FC.

Good luck with your goals.

Hugs
Michelle

Welcome!

You may not be able to change what your family eats- but you can control what you eat

Go exercise- that's a GREAT way to lower your blood pressure Also, don't add salt to anything you eat, if your mom cooks just eat smaller portions or fill up on as many greens as you can. Cut out caffeine- soda is terrible for weight, so cut out your soda (if you drink a lot) intake and you should notice results within a week And above all when you go to your appointment RELAX. If you get all tense it can raise your blood pressure but if you just breathe deep and try to relax the reading should be accurate. At most if you can't relax just go lie down for five minutes (while you are waiting for the doctor) and ask them to take your BP again.

Good luck! If you can go shopping with your mom and put in a lot of healthy foods you can eat and if you have to eat a separate dinner I'd do it. A lot of times when I cook dinner I cook what I can eat then add a dish or two the family will enjoy but I won't eat.