Jasmine's Story (advice and comments welcome!)

[disjointed]

My name's Jasmine, I'm 16 years old and I'm 5'8 and I weigh about 250 lbs. I was always a chubby kid, the most I weight was about 180 before I went through depression. I became a compulsive eater when I was 15. Being depressed and a compulsive eater effected my life in several ways - I didn't get along with anybody, I wasn't interested in anything, I was totally unmotivated. In about a year, I gained around 80 lbs. During these two years or so of depression, I was prescribed anti depressants, but I refused to take them.

When I turned 16, I decided to get myself through my depression. I realized how much my depression and eating disorder effected me, so I decided to change. I didn't do this with anti depressants, or help of any kind. I did this independently, on my own. I've almost completely healed from my depression. I still struggle with food every now and then. It's been a difficult struggle, but I've learned a lot about myself and I've realized how strong I am.

I've been trying to lose weight, I'll admit I haven't been trying as hard as I can. I don't have a certain weight I want to be, I just want to like the way I look, not that I hate how I look, I just know I'd look better if I lost some weight. I don't eat too unhealthy, I just need to get exercising into my daily routine. Can anybody give me advice on how to do this?

Thanks for reading this, I appreciate anyone's positive comments and advice.

 

[Amy&Dan]

Jasmine, Welcome to WISH! You are a brave young lady to be able to tackle your problem head on. I too have struggled with an eating disorder since I was about seven years old (thats when my father died and it all started). Back then, 34 years ago, nobody knew about such things and it wasn't until many years and many pounds later I knew that I had an actual addiction that went beyond just liking to eat. Through some counseling, friends and just time I have learned not to binge and finally got some measure of control over my eating. Now I have begun to lose the weight at long last. Dealing with an eating disorder is a multi step process, it doesn't just go away with losing weight and its great that you know that. When you feel like you might want to binge, try calling a friend, taking a bubble bath or taking a walk. Think about what triggers you to overeat so that when those feelings come up you are ready to conquer them with something besides food. I know from my many years of bingeing and compulsive eating that it can come up anytime. Now that you feel the depression is under control and you are ready to begin the shedding process, I might suggest you talk to a doctor. You are very young and still growing so your dietary and physical needs are going to be different than many of the women on this board. Do not take any type of pills or supplements (no matter what a friend might say works for her) until you check with your doctor. Your doctor can give you some guidlines for nutrition and how much weight is healthy for you to lose. He/she may suggest something like Weight Watchers. But I will tell you that moderation and exercise are always safe bets! I know from experience its hard when you have friends who are thin and can eat half a pizza and a six pack of Coke and never gain a pound. But believe me, it catches up to them too! Look at it this way, you are lucky in that you realize your body's limitations and needs at an early age. So in a way, you are way ahead of the game! You can get a handle on good habits while you are still young. Ask your friends to support you in this and to help you by not only getting together to eat. And come to the WISH board often since we are all here to support each other in our goal of becoming and staying healthy.

Getting exercise in your routine can be and should be a gradual thing. Take the stairs, walk your dog if possible, park the car as far away as possible. Buy a pedometer and track your steps each day, trying to get more steps in each day. Maybe take an add'l gym class at school. Most rec centers have student rates/discounts and usually offer lots of fun classes. Do you have a friend, mom or sister than can go with you? Exercise is more fun when you have someone to go with! Just start slow and go from there. Exercise is also great for depression as when you do exercise your body releases feel good type hormones that boost your energy and spirits. Find a type of exercise you enjoy since if you hate your exercise routine you won't do it. And drink plenty of water! It will keep you hydrated. Lots of times when we eat we are actually thirsty believe it or not.

You can do this and you will. And again, I want to commend you on your decision to get healthy both emotionally and physcially.

 

[Tine731]

Good luck. You are a brave girl to share your story. Its nice to know that I am not alone with my struggle to lose weight. Thank you for sharing.

 

[deelam]

Hang in there! You have already taken the first step. Try your best to get out and walk as often as possible. And drink plenty of water. Just don't give up. I have a niece in the same boat as you. She lost allot of weight this summer after many years of trying. She no longer feels depressed. You can do it too.

 

[disjointed]

Thank you all so much for your support! You're all so nice.