Hi, Samie.
I wish I had learned the answer to controlling my weight when I was your age. I started gaining weight in high school too. If you don't eat lots of junk food, your body may have a problem with excess carbohydrates. I think some people do and some don't. I obviously do.
Over the years I tried WW and traditional diets, but I always gained the weight right back as soon as I went off of the diet. Any diet is going to fail if it's not something you can continue after you lose the weight. It must be a lifestyle change. I finally decided to make a lifestyle change and have adopted a low carb lifestyle. I do Atkins, but there are many low carb lifestyles to choose from. Atkins, Protein Power, South Beach and more. I've lost 40 lbs in 4 months. I still have about 60 lbs to go, but I have every confidence that I will keep it off for good this time. I am very strict with Atkins. I eat mostly whole foods. I very rarely eat the low carb bars, shakes or sugar free candy. Some people eat those things and do just fine. For others, they tend to slow or stall their weight loss. If you would like some more information, here's the
www.Atkins.com website. The very best thing about Atkins in my opinion, is when done correctly, it takes away food cravings and supresses your appetite. I no longer crave foods and am rarely hungry. I now eat to live instead of live to eat.
At your age, and your activity level, you might not even need a structured diet, you might just need to cut out certain foods. My DD12 has cut out sugar, white bread and flour, rice, pasta and potatoes. She is not overweight, but she does carry a few extra lbs around in her stomach. She's lost 4 lbs and 3 inches from her waist just but cutting those foods for 2 months.
It probably freaks you out to think about not eating those things again, but there are still tons of fun things that we are allowed to eat and sugar substitutes you can use to make all kinds of yummy treats. We made a sugar free caramel cheesecake for Thanksgiving that's to die for if I do say so myself.
Some people are able to add some of those items back into their diet at a later time, but in moderation.
I think it's very important to talk to your parents about this and get them on board with whatever you choose to do. You will need their help buying you nutritious food and also their encouragement and support. And please let them know what you are doing so that they can be sure you're doing things safely.
The other day Dr. Phil had his son Jay on the show. Jay has written another book especially for teens about weight loss. It might help you deal with the emotional side of eating.
You also asked about workouts. I do pilates at home with a video. I've been doing it for 2 months and my measurements are all smaller than they were when I was the same weight in '95 but not exercising. Lots of dancers do pilates. It gives them that long lean body without bulking up. Another popular exercise on the WISH boards seems to be the Walk Away the Pounds tapes. It is kind of walking in place with variations and some hand weight exercises. I believe you can get a variety of workout tapes at Target,
Walmart, etc.
Sorry this is so long, but if any of this helps you, it's more than worth it.
Best of luck in whatever you decide to do. We're all here for support and questions any time.
