How do I stay focussed when my parents stock up the kitchen with fatty foods?

[Zapdatfat]

Ok so I am 16, (17 in June) and am living with my parents while I study at sixth form. I have begun losing weight and am 5'7" and weigh 138lbs, though my goal is 120. Although I have been dieting for a while I find binge eating hard and end up eating really low calorie meals to make sure I don't eat too much with the binge eating. I also exercise every day. However a few weeks ago I decided enough was enough and created a healthy balanced meal plan. But now I am finding it really hard to not binge eat, especially as my parents stock up the cupboards with biscuits, chocolate, cake... How do I control myself when the food is right in front of me?

[Hidden]

Hi Zapdatfat,

Come on now, just because it's there doesn't mean you HAVE to eat it, does it, really?

And, look there's always high-calorie, sweet fatty low-nutrition foods around you. Every newsagent is FULL of chocolate bars and sweets, other retailers are FULL of cakes and biscuits and, let's not even mention the fish and chip shop or the pizza bar!

In the final analysis, it's about YOU. No-one else.

Eat unhealthily and excessivlely and your body will adapt by storing more and more fat. That process by itself tends to make you even more overweight, due to the way the body adapts to the excess.

And that excess fat isn't like a pair of jeans or a jacket to be put on and off according to how it suits you, that excess fat is in effect a body organ. It secretes a number of substances into your blood stream, including substances which can increase your risk of a number of types of cancer. That excess fat changes aspects about how your body functions through changing aspects of the hormones that your endocrine system produces.

So, what are you going to do? Take control of your body weight by getting yourself into some sensible and healthy eating habits and upping your exercise / activity levels a bit? Or do nothing and very probably just get more and more overweight?

It's YOUR choice.

I know I'm so glad I took the bull by the horns and lost my 'extra' - and many here would tell you the journey is just so worth it.

But it's up to you - no-one else.

[Zapdatfat in reply to Hidden]

Thankyou for your reply, I'm really gonna try and keep motivated this time and try and keep in control of my eating habits instead of them having control over me. I really want to be in control again and get in shape

[Hidden]

Hi Zapdatfat,

Go for it!

Never mind some race to lose weight, just a nice steady weight loss and getting yourself into good, healthy, "serve-you-well-for-the-rest-of-your-life" eating habits.

Good luck on your weight loss journey.

[Zapdatfat in reply to Hidden]

Thankyou for the advice

[GRUMPYA]

Maybe you are aiming a bit low and that is why you are hungry. 120lbs is quite low for your height and obviously everyone is different but that is quite low in the healthy weight range. Maybe you just don't need to lose weight but eat a nutritious balanced diet instead. If you diet at your age to get skinny you are more likely to put weight on after and have your weight go up and down. They call this yoyoing and it's really unhealthy and every time you regain weight you finish up a bit heavier. It depends on how spread out your frame and bones are and if you have big or small wrists hands and feet. This all gives a clue as to your bone structure and build. If I were you I would try to eat healthily and keep active cut out the junk food and don't start drinking lots of alcohol and you may well lose a few pounds just from doing that. At 5 ft 7 8 and half stone might be too skinny for you and just not realistic.

[cazzajane]

Ask them to buy some healthy stuff too, for their own benefit as well as yours