You’re probably here because you’re overweight and unhappy about it.  We’ll talk about some of the causes of being overweight and some ways that might help you in your pursuit to shed some pounds. 

      Your parents may have tried to make you feel better about your weight by saying that it’s just baby fat or that being overweight runs in your family and you’ve inherited it.  They may tell you that you’ll grow out of it, or learn to live with it, or some other thing that probably doesn’t make you feel better.  Statistics show that if your parents are overweight, it is more likely that you will be overweight, too.  Not only because of genetics but also because of lifestyles they’ve passed on to you such as the foods you eat, how much you eat, and how active you are.  You can’t control your genetics, but the good news is that you can control your lifestyle. 

      If you’re overweight it’s because your body uses up fewer calories than you feed it.  These extra calories are then turned into fat that is stored in the body.  When it comes to calories, how much food you eat is not as important as the kind of foods you eat.  If you’re eating foods high in calories, you don’t have to eat much in order to take in a lot of calories.  Foods like butter, rich salad dressings, milk shakes, pies, cakes and pastries are very high in calories.  So are bacon and other pork dishes, french fries, hamburgers, and pizza.  A McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with cheese has 510 calories and 26 grams of fat  Most of us could finish it no problem and maybe even have room for more.  Compare that with fruit.  You could eat 10 apples and still not consume as many calories as the Quarter Pounder.  Most of us wouldn’t even be able to eat 8 apples let alone 10 and we would be stuffed!  The point is not to eat 10 apples but if you regularly eat low calorie foods such as fruit and vegetables you will consume hundreds of calories less in just one day and not be any hungrier!

      You may also be snacking between meals.  A coke here and a candy bar there may not seem like much.  But soft drinks, candy, chips, and popcorn with butter are loaded with calories.  So are packaged fruit pies and cupcakes, and sugar coated cereals.  Snacking will really set you back especially if it’s with these types of foods.  Snacks aren’t necessarily bad for you if they are in moderation and with nutritious foods.

       Besides watching what you eat, what are you doing to use up those calories so that they don’t turn into fat?  In gym class, are you out there running, playing, jumping and swimming the full period, or do you try to sit out of as many activities as possible?  What are your after school and weekend activities?  Do you take part in sports, or do you spend much of your time watching TV and snacking, listening to records, daydreaming and sleeping? 

       You may now be starting to get some answers as to why you may be overweight.  The next question is, how much are you willing to change your eating habits and your lifestyle in order to lose weight?

      That might depend on how unhappy you are with the way you look.  Being overweight is not necessarily bad.  Some people are naturally predisposed to being overweight.  Being overweight is bad, however if you are unhealthy and if it makes you feel unhappy with yourself.  Our society stresses that the ideal female figure is slim and well proportioned and an ideal male has broad shoulders and chest and a slim waist and hips.  The further away you are from this ideal, the more “out of it” you’re made to feel.  People may joke about the way you look, which hurts. If the way you look keeps you from getting or asking for dates, or going out for sports, you may be starting to feel lonely and rejected.  If being overweight causes you personal and social problems, you may also lose interest in school.

      In America, diets are all the crave and have been for a long time.  But most people either give up after a few weeks or lose the weight only to gain it back and more.  The problem with diets is that they are a temporary solution.  If you are overweight, you need to change the way you live your life so that being healthy becomes part of who you are not just a month long crash diet.  One reason diets fail most people is because they are too extreme.  They ask you to cut back on too many calories too quickly, or to stop eating all junk food, or to start exercising five days a week.  While this would be great in a perfect world, asking someone to make such huge changes so fast is hard for anyone!  No wonder diets always fail us. 

      The key to losing weight is to do it in small steps so that it’s not painful or stressful.  You don’t want to be constantly hungry or exercise so much that you quit exercising all together.  If you drink soda all day long, try drinking only three a day, once that becomes easy cut back to two and then to one.  If you eat out all the time, don’t try to stop cold turkey.  Choose healthier options such as grilled chicken.  If you pile on sauces such as mayonnaise or gravy, ask for it on the side and make it a goal to use less.  Instead of a cheeseburger, hold the cheese.  Browse the grocery store for fun healthy snack options, such as caramel rice cakes, hummus and crackers, healthy granola, apples and cheese, or bananas and peanut butter. 

      As for getting active, don’t allot two hours a day for exercise.  You’ll go nuts trying to keep up with it!  You need to incorporate exercise into your everyday life.  Do you have a dog?  Take it on a walk!  Park farther from the front entrance of the restaurant you go to every Friday.  Take the stairs instead of elevators.  Once this stuff becomes second nature to you, gradually slip in regular exercise.  Take a hike on Saturdays or join a paddling club.  The more you enjoy exercise the more likely you will stick with it.  If you go to the gym three times a week and run on a treadmill but check the clock every five minutes, eventually you’ll quite because you’re miserable!

      If you need some extra advice, we suggest that you see your family doctor or your school nurse and have him or her design a diet and physical activities plan just for you.  Sometimes there are medical reasons people are overweight.  If so, a physical exam will help find the cause. There is a lot of nutrition information out there and many times your family doctor can help you sort through it all and figure out what’s best for you.

       Don’t get discouraged!  Losing weight the healthy way is a slow process but one that will last!  You just didn’t wake up overweight one morning.  Neither will you wake up skinny in two days.  Remember, when you get down to the weight you want to be, the new lifestyle you’ve achieved is what will help keep you there.  Good luck!