[mizbisi]

Hi Everyone!!!!!!!!
I'm mizbizi (obvi) and I am a longtime lurker, but I only just registered. Everyone here on the forum is such an inspiration and all of you have inspired me to really buckle down on losing weight. I have struggled with weight my whole life, being a chubby kid and then I developed asthma at about 15 months, so I wasn't too active as a child b/c everyone around me feared I would get an asthma attack. Along with consistently being prescribed Prednisone (a steroid medication that always makes me gain weight) once or twice a year since I was about 3 my circumstances are a bit of a recipe for disaster. Top it off with the fact that my asthma is still pretty bad, I weigh 270 pounds and my doctor still has me on prednisone many of my weight loss plans have not worked too well for me. Oh, and did I mention that I'm only 16 and a junior in high school?

I was discussing this with my doctor, and one thing she recommended was weight watchers ( the online version). She felt that it could help me keep what I'm eating in perspective and I have looked into it and it is something I would like to try. I'm worried about a few things though:

1. I go to a boarding school, so even though I can keep microwave food in my room and order out, all campus meals are served in the dining hall and I can't find the nutrition values online. Some items like baked chicken are pretty generic, but other things like chicken tetrazzini or their beefaroni would be a little harder to figure out.

2. I'm constantly stressed. I am a junior in a rigorous independent boarding school and I'm starting to look at colleges and apply for scholarships, so I have a lot on my plate, but when I'm stressed I gain weight.

Sorry this post was so long I just needed to get everything out.

Thanks in advance everyone!

[Carly Smoker]

I have worked in cafeterias before. Both school cafes and hospital cafe. I know that they all have a big book of menu and recipes that they work from. You need to go to the director of the kitchen, explain your situation, and try and get a copy of their recipes. Then it is just a matter of math on your part with a calorie counting website (there are lots of good ones out there), to figure out how many calories are in a portion of whatever food. Maybe this is a project you could take to the health department of your school and see if the teachers there would be interested in helping you get the cafeteria food labeled with nutrition values.

[kaybelle9]

I also used to attend boarding school, so I understand your situation. Not only are you stressed about normal high school things, like prepping for college, but you LIVE with your peers, so their is no relief from the peer pressure, like "Hey, come eat a slice of pizza in my room" or " Do you want to split an order of..."

Our dining hall had a variety of choices. There was always fruit, salad bar, and cereal to choose from. I think the hardest part is resisting the desserts and sodas they always have. Like most of life, the only way you may be able to handle this is by educating yourself in proper portion sizes, and stick to what you know. It will only get harder in college.

Can you get permission to go off campus for short walks? Or maybe even talk to your house mom (prefect, dorm supervisor, however your school works) into setting up a nightly walking group. I'm sure you could find a group of people willing to go on nightly walks.

While education is important, do not neglect your physical health! And good for you for taking initiative while you are still young! You can do this!

[mizbisi]

Thanks for the replies and the support Carly Smoker and Kaybelle9.

The whole peer "Let's eat massive amounts of junk and cram for a bio test" is exactly he type of think I struggle with sometimes. And, I carry my weight well and my school has a problem with girls having eating disorders so if I shy away from eating junk or mention that I'm watching what I eat, my friends immediately start up with the whole "stop it, you look great"

As for the exercise, I work out for 20 mins at least 3x a week and I wait tables, so exercise isn't the problem, it's just the food.

TIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bannabanana]

Hi there. When I was in college, I worked in the main kitchen of my school as a prep cook. If your school is like my school, a lot of the recipes use mixes, pre-packaged and pre-made foods. Plus, the recipes that the school uses are to make quantities that will feed 500+ people. Have you ever used a recipe that makes 30 pans of lasagna? Or one that calls for 100 lbs. of grounds beef? I have. I bet the cook or kitchen director would have a hard time telling you exactly what is in the meals... unfortunately, some things fall by the wayside when you are serving 1000 people three meals a day.

Try to stick to things that are pure, where you know all of the ingredients. The salad bar, fresh fruit, etc. Many schools also have a sandwich bar. Would they mind if you brought in your own bread? Steer clear of the soups too, unless it is a broth soup. The secret ingredient in the cream soups was "MORE BUTTER!!!" (A direct quote from one of my favorite cooks.) If your dormitory has microwaves available, you could try making your own frozen meals in your room, and stocking up on fresh veggies in the dining hall.

This will be difficult (trust me, I know!) but it is possible.

p.s. All of this reminiscing has made me miss my job in the kitchen... those cooks sure do make a fatty meal, but they are wonderful people. Maybe just not wonderful at Weight Watchers.