Re: Pre-pre-diabetic at 14 years old...
Hey, sorry I'm chiming in so late here. I just recently looked at my fitness journal again and thought "What happened to me?" then I read your story and it reminded me of myself when I was that age.
I was also diagnosed pre-diabetic due to symptoms but not blood sugar levels, I ended finding out I have PCOS. I'm also 5'6" and around that age I weighed what you did... I've had my ups and downs from losing 35 to gaining 40 to losing again. I want to let you know you're not alone and you should be proud of yourself and happy that this is something you can do when you're so young. You have an excellent chance of loving healthy foods, enjoying exercise and making this your lifestyle because you started so young and this habit will become a way of life. Blargh, all it takes for me on days I have no motivation is watching Discovery Health and looking at what some of the overweight people deal with- health, movement issues, dying young and it changes my perspective. I'm in the same boat as you are that I am more prone to be diabetic and I hate needles so right now I hate being restrictive of my diet but you can't imagine how bad it would be if we had diabetes. My boyfriend's dad does and what he eats can be so completely unappealing.
A few suggestions from personal experience to you. I have done Weight Watchers, if you don't like to cook or don't have time to cook ... then what I've done is spent hours one day looking at Weight Watcher recipes (with points) that are really simple and I put them in a Word file classified under points. You can do stuff like prepare a few chicken breasts one night and keep them in the fridge for easy reheating. When you're at a loss of what to eat stick to some of your oldies but goodies on your list. Preparation is a huge part of success in weight loss, I think. It's sometimes easier to have less choices and just do what works until you lose the weight. My boyfriend spent months eating the same lunch everyday and the same dinner plan every week but he lost something like 30 lbs in 5 months. He said he had to know exactly what he was eating when he got home and wanted to know he didn't have choices. If there was something he was craving he would always wait til Saturday at dinner to have it as a treat, but he wouldn't go overboard. There are tons of good resources online with points and just go by what you would normally like to eat and find things that are similar and modified. Just from googling I found:
weight watchers recipes index | weight watcher recipes
Also, when I participated in Weight Watchers I made a pot of that 0 point vegetable soup every week. If I was hungry or wanted to snack I would eat the soup. Yeah, I wasn't keen on vegetables at first becaues I had grown up eating fast food and canned and boxed food... but I grew to really enjoy it. Plus you can add all your favorite veggies, herbs and spices in it.
Ww 0 Point Favorite Vegetable Soup Recipe : Recipezaar
If you have a sugar kick try Agave syrup... I've recently switched and it's yummy it's almost like honey and has no effect on blood sugar. Sometimes when I just want something I'll make hot tea with Agave syrup and it's strangely soothing and satisfying.
Realize that things that are healthier are going to taste different and you shouldn't directly compare them to their not so healthy counterpart- they are different. You will learn to appreciate it and trust me you will love the change in your mood, health and body. Researchers believe it takes 12-15 tries to really develop a taste for the food and to even realize whether you truly like the food or not. With time and patience you will find healthy stuff you love.
As for exercise, my best advice is to take a dance class you like. Nothing rigorous, but something to get you excited and moving. Or, try swimming or try some water excercises they are super low impact and you don't even notice how much work you're doing because hey you can't really feel the sweat in the pool. Here's an idea of stuff you can do:
Top 10 Exercises to get fit in Water
Try a community pool... they're usually empty or have "older" people and you may feel more comfortable there.
I also got some strap on weights for my ankles and wrists to wear around the home or when I cleaned and man that added weight really makes you appreciate your strength when they're off. Like these:
Amazon.com: Valeo AW10 10 lb. Adjustable Ankle/Wrist Weights: Sports & Outdoors
There are even small exercises you can do at your desk or at school. I use to see my co-worker do it and I was like "man, she's really multi-tasking" Example:
Office Workout - Exercises you can do at work
You can even consider making exercise part of a small part time job, like dog walking in your neighborhood by just passing out flyers. Or volunteer to help elderly people to walk their dogs, if possible.
Or you can consider getting a balance ball to sit on during computer time and watching tv so you can strengthen your core which you need to balance on the ball. Like this:
Amazon.com: Isokinetics Balance Ball Chair - with Choice of 52cm Ball and a Pump: Sports & Outdoors
A lot of this stuff will just get you up to being active then when you're comfortable with that you can begin to really work out to lose weight then you can scale back to maintaining your weight when you're at your goal weight. I say, at first, you just take it slow... make a small eating and a small exercise goal each week and stick to it. I think here slow and steady wins the race. When you're trying something new that's unpleasant remind yourself that of course you aren't going to like it your body is not use to it all and it will take 2-4 weeks of sticking to your routine to create a habit. Ask your mom to help you help yourself by not embellishing on your P.E. sheet anymore that way you have to hold yourself accountable?
I've probably rambled too much, but I just want you to know there are options and where there is a will there is a way. You're certainly not alone and I want to see you suceed and you have all the support you need- use it! Of course we are going to have bad days, weeks, months, hell even a bad year. But, this should be a way of life so you can't berate yourself everytime you slide a little because you can't expect to have a perfect diet and workout routine for the rest of your life. Try to take the focus off losing the weight and instead making healthy decisions every time you are faced with one. Be proud of the choices you made that day and let the scale worry about itself. As you adjust to a new life style you'll be able to and want to take on more and the scale will move with you.
I think we, especially Americans (in my experience), have totally switched our ideas to what "normal" eating is- portion wise, fried wise, processed, sugars, etc. What use to be a treat has become the norm, because of course it's tasty- but is it worth what it does to your life?
Oh also, I recently read that Meditteraneans apparently had little idea about what "metabolic syndrome" is because people in these areas rarely get this disorder. It has a connection to insulin resistance and type II diabetes. Apparently they are doing something right in their diets and it might be something to explore. Actually something I'm planning on exploring very soon.
Good luck and please keep posting!
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