My new journey

[Englishamericangirl]

Hi, I'm Paige. I'm 18 years old and I started realizing I needed to lose weight May of 2013. I have always been a really skinny child and even a skinny teenager and my entire family has always been slim. So I never thought I needed to eat healthy because I thought, "hey, I'll always stay slim", but I was wrong and I gained about 30-40 pounds and was not fat but was definitely over weight. My family would tell me and I wouldn't listen, so I remember going on a trip to California with my family and when I saw pics, I was horrified.. I actually looked like this. That's when I knew I wanted to lose weight. I worked and worked and cut out all processed foods for 3 weeks and didn't eat anything unless prepared fresh and my meals usually were just egg whites, spinach, fruit, veg, and unsalted almonds, I literally dropped about 16 pounds in 3 weeks because I was also excersizing. After that, I didn't think I needed to lose more and I stopped doing what I was doing and began to notice myself feeling self conscious about my body again.. So I nor realized that I want to go back on that diet and lose weight but this time, I want it to be a long-lasting health thing and I want to be healthy for the long run. I just need advice on how I can avoid temptation and keep at it. Thanks-Paige

[Dmartin138]

Well age relation and depending on genetics as well it could be simple and just getting your metabolism back into routine

[Leoness]

I was a skinny child and teen too, and started putting on weight once I hit adulthood. It took me until this year to realise that my childhood was full of a variety of activity, both in school and out of school, and I wasn't over-eating... not until my late teens.

You're right to decide to cut out processed foods. Make sure you don't restrict yourself, as there's a huge variety of healthy foods to choose from; find what works for you. Be creative with it, and with exercise too. The best thing you can do for yourself is not to think about your health in terms of your weight but rather in developing good habits that work toward your well-being. Healthy eating and exercise are for your whole life and not just for when you think you need to. Also, remember to be kind to yourself and allow for treats - you're only human, but in the end you have responsibility and control over yourself.

Good luck and best wishes!

[Englishamericangirl in reply to Leoness]

Thank you so much. Helped a lot!