By Paola, 16, junior
Oreo cookies, potato chips and gummy worms are my favorite snacks, but they’re also the main reason why I’m struggling with a weight problem.
When I was a child, I learned that my family had a history of diabetes, so I tried my best not to eat so many sweets. Being young, I gave in to temptation and gained weight. I come from a family that hasn’t always been very healthy and gradually started gaining weight when I was around 7 years old.
I finally noticed what I was doing to my body in middle school and wanted to slim down but still didn’t have the motivation to do so. When I went to the doctor in April, he told me I was 35 pounds overweight, and if I kept this up I’d be in a hospital bed pretty soon. That’s when I knew something had to be done.
This summer, I am determined to lose weight. My plans for working at my aunt’s bakery in the Dominican Republic fell through, so I’ve decided to work on me. I’m going to exercise every morning and try to eat less and healthier. My goal is to lose 20 pounds before school starts in August.
I tried to lose a bit of weight during the school year, but between my studies and family issues I was never able to lose more than five pounds. My self-esteem is so low that I’ve prevented myself from going out with friends because of my body issues. I realized that this has to stop as soon as possible. I need a healthy lifestyle, and that’s what I’m going to get. I’ll be more confident and able to go out again without feeling terrible about myself. In total, I plan on losing 40 pounds by Christmas
Most of my family members, including my mother and aunt, for the most part are fit. However, some of my relatives and friends are trying to slim down, too. I want to show my relatives that it is possible to lose weight. My mother is the one who is mostly telling me to start losing weight, as well as my grandfather. They keep me motivated.
My friend, Nicole, 16, who has been trying to shed pounds for almost a year, is serious about losing weight this summer. Right now, she is about 30-40 pounds overweight. We’re using an online nutritional diary called www.myfitnesspal.com to help us track our progress. It calculates our calorie intake and how many calories we need to consume a day. We plan to start running and working out in the gym.
Another friend, Monica, also 16, gained weight during the school year. She went from about 120 pounds to 137 pounds. Between snacking at school and not eating very healthy, she gained almost twice what she wanted to lose initially. She has committed to working out and eating healthier. Because she has a tight schedule, Monica plans to walk right after work near her job. Her mother, who has struggled with weight since she was a teenager, is very supportive.
My cousin, Luisa, is overweight, too. She’s a year younger than me and never cared what people thought about her until she got to high school and saw all the nice looking girls. Then, her self-esteem dropped. When she came to me for help, I told her what I was going to do. She’s staying with my family for the summer, so we plan to support each other.
The main reason girls our age are gaining weight is because we don’t move much anymore. Technology has made us lazy. This summer, 
all four of us plan to lose weight and finally be able to say that we’re happy with our bodies. I’ll let you know how everything turned out at the end of the summer.
“Your body is the baggage you must carry through life. The more excess the baggage, the shorter the trip.” – Arnold H. Glasgow