Hi Jasmine,
I know how tough it can be to try to eat differently than the rest of the family, especially if you have to eat what someone else prepares.
Could you ask your mother, or whoever usually prepares the meals, if they would save back a serving of the vegetables before they add butter or margarine, and then you could season your own vegetables with whatever seasoning you like. I use a drizzling of oyster sauce a lot of times.
You could fix yourself a chef salad sometimes by using romaine or some of the darker green lettuces because they're more nutritious, and adding some carrots and small pieces of other vegetables, a sliced cooked egg, some shredded fat free cheese, maybe some smoked turkey, and a fat free dressing.
When the family sits down to eat, you may be showing the rest a good example by not having lots of starches, just have some of whatever meat you're having, lots of vegetables, maybe a small potato once in a while with fat free sour cream, or even a small amount of regular sour cream.
I think it's dangerous to cut out a whole food group, but that's just my personal opinion, based on medical facts.
I think if you stay away from saturated fats, as opposed to staying away from all fats, you're much healthier because your body does need SOME fats. Also, use complex carbohydrates, like bran cereals and whole wheat breads instead of white bread and macaroni, or use whole wheat spaghetti, but stay away from refined sugars like candy, sweet rolls, soda pop unless it's sugar free, and that type of stuff.
Also, be sure to drink LOTS of water every day. Don't gulp down a whole glass at once. Just start when you get up in the morning and sip on water all day. If you think it would improve the taste of it, add a slice of lemon to a glass. I personally have a bottle of water with me at all times. You will go to the bathroom a lot at first, but after a week or so, your body adjusts and you won't have to go so frequently. It helps your weight loss, and it also curbs your appetite. I've been told that if you have a half ounce of water for every pound of body weight, then you're drinking the right amount of water for your body. That amount would decrease as you lose weight.
Talk to a Dr and ask him/her how to go about losing this weight.
Find out how many calories you need to be eating a healthy diet, but still be able to lose weight. Maybe even have him/her run some blood tests to see if you might have an underactive thyroid, or check for pcos if your menstrual periods are irregular, and whatever tests the Dr deems necessary.
Then get yourself a calorie book, or go to a site on the internet called FitDay;
http://www.fitday.com
and keep a diary there of everything you eat. It has the calorie and nutrition facts for all foods, and even has a place for you to enter nutrition facts from the containers of foods you have that are not on FitDay.
Keep track of your calories, and JUST AS IMPORTANT, you need to get exercise on a regular basis to help in the weight loss, but also to remain healthy. Start out small, maybe walking for a mile or two a day. You can even break it up into two or three sessions.
Do some resistance workouts, like learning how to work with hand weights, or some exercise bands, or run, (short distances at first, and only after asking your Dr if it's ok to run). I don't know if you have a part time job or not, but if you do, you might get yourself a bike if you don't already have one and start riding bike every day. There are lots of forms of exercise, just don't try to do it all at once. Add a little each week.
It's wonderful if you have your families support, but if for some reason you don't, then maybe a good friend, and of course we welcome you here always.
Please come back and let us know how you are doing. I will watch for your posts, and if you would like to post on a thread I am on regularly, you are more than welcome. I know you're seventeen, and the thread I post on is called 'over fifty and getting healthy', but, any age is welcome there. We just want you to get healthy.
Good luck to you and hopefully we'll see you again soon.