Tired of being over weight...

Question
Dear Laura,
   My names Ben, and obesity has been a struggle for me for years. I'm currently 16 almost 17 now and weight just under 300 lbs. It was never my intention to be even close to this size, and for the longest time, I've been avoiding this serious health issue. I was told to just be yourself, and that people will love you just the way you are. But in truth, lots of people don't accept me. Because of my weight, my joke nickname, is "Big Ben". I HATE this nick name and it actually hurts when people call me that, even if they don't mean any harm by it. Being obese makes me self conscious about my self, and in turn, makes it harder for me to be myself amoungst my peers. I also think that I'm an emotional eater, which never helps the situation. When my mother passed away a few years ago, i had gained 50lbs. in one year. And my weight has been a struggle ever since. I was never big when I was a kid. Just tall and a little gangly like all the men in my family (my dad is the shortest at 6'4"). So what am I asking exactly? Well, I'm sick of my weight, and am really trying to lose it. My goal is to be skinny enough to get a date by senoir prom, and to be able to buy clothes from whatever store I want. To feel like a normal guy you know? I've been trying to find the best diet and exercise program to help drop the pounds. Any advice in the diet or exercise field would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time!

P.S. I'm not a huge fan of veggies either Lol

Answer
Dear Ben, First I am sorry for the loss of your mother. Emotional eating is something that you will have to control for any diet and exercise program to work. Some people drink, some people take drugs to ease the pain, emotional eaters eat to ease the pain. The pain can be just boredom or anxiety because you are overweight. It doesn't take much to trigger the urge to eat a snack, trust me I know. What to do? At your age, you need some help. You need to talk to a counselor about some of the feelings you might be having, the ones that make you upset enough to eat when you are not hungry. You might not even know those feelings exist, so you need professional help while you are changing other parts of your life. Your school has free counselors, your insurance should also pay for a counselor. Call your doctor for a referral if you need one. The studies show that when you have a lot of weight to lose, for real progress to occur, you need some sort of counseling along with the changes in your diet and exercise.
If you really don't have that option, then write a journal and start putting down all your feelings, especially the feelings you are having when you emotionally eat. Just getting them out can start the healing process. Your diet should be around 1500-1800 calories per day. You should try to eat 5-6 small meals each containing about 300 calories each. The smaller meals will allow your body to burn off your meal and not store it as fat. Foods that are easily stored as fat are foods that contain carbohydrates and unhealthy fat. Examples: mac and cheese, pasta, rice, ice cream, cookies, crackers, excess milk, pizza. Those foods are easily overeaten and the excess stored as fat. Some people can store fat very easily, some skinny people can't so they can eat whatever they want and still stay skinny.
Your diet should consist of foods from all the food groups. Meat, chicken, fish, tuna fish, eggs, lean pork, low fat dairy, whole fruits, vegetables, high fiber bread (limit to two slices per day) and healthy fat like salad and olive oil. You have to keep a food journal and track your calories to keep under that 1800 mark per day. Exercise is next. You must walk for at least 30-45 minutes per day, everyday. Make yourself do that. Walk a dog, go to the mall and walk, just do it. Lifting weights and doing sit-ups and push-ups will speed your weight loss as it builds muscle which in turn raises your resting metabolism. Weight Watchers, Atkins, South Beach, even our Slimkids eating plan will aid in weight loss as long as you keep on track and stay motivated. It's a lifestyle change. Hope that helps, Laura Kraemer,Slimkids.com

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