Weight (exercise and eating)

Dear Amy

I’m so overweight but people tell me to exercise more but I’m too big to exercise. I pass out and have attacks and people tell me to eat healthy but I would never eat any form of salad – it makes me physically sick. What SHOULD I do?
Cookielover, 13

It can feel really difficult to suddenly change your lifestyle around overnight. The key to feeling healthier is to take small steps and create realistic targets.

So don’t worry, no one should be expecting you to be able to run a marathon and survive on lettuce leaves. It is much better to take your time and aim for balance.

Exercise

Lots of people can be put off by the thought of exercising if they are not used to it. But it is important to remember that exercise can take lots of forms.

Things like walking, gardening, housework, dancing and going to the park can all be great ways to exercise and feel fitter.
Maybe you can think about walking part of the way to school, or taking the stairs instead of the lift when you are out and about.

Active outdoors

You and your friends and family could have a trip to the park and you could suggest that you help your parents by doing the weekly dusting or cleaning the car.

Or you can have fun dancing around your bedroom to your favourite tunes for ten minutes every day.

Fun physical activity

All these activities are gentle ways to get fit and you can do them whatever your size. As you get used to being more active you might find your confidence will grow.

After a few months you might also want to try out other things you enjoy like going swimming, jogging, doing a team sport or trying a dance class.

The key to getting fit is to find activities that you really enjoy so that you can make them part of your new healthier lifestyle.

Healthy eating

It can take time to get used to eating healthy food, especially if you are used to eating lots of pre-prepared, processed, sweet, salty or fatty foods.

You might like to start by making a list of healthy foods that you do like. For example are there any fruits or vegetables that you like eating or that don’t make you sick?

Maybe you could start by swapping a packet of sweets for a banana, having yoghurt instead of chocolate, swapping white bread for wholemeal bread or having peas or baked beans instead of chips.

You don’t have to cut out all the foods you like, but eating everything in moderation is the key to feeling healthy in the long-term.

After a while you might start to discover loads of healthy foods that you really like the taste of and enjoy.

Support

It can help if you talk to your friends and family about your concerns about your weight. You can let them know that you are aiming to make small changes.

This way you can get lots of support and they can help you to reach your goals to become healthier and fitter.

For example, if you love pizza you could ask your mum or dad if they can help you to make one from scratch. This way you can have fun making food yourself and you can use lots of fresh and healthy ingredients.

You could ask whoever does the food shopping to choose some healthier items for everyone. Or you might suggest a weekly family activity outdoors which will help you all to get out and about doing fun things.