Amy – Interview 26

Amy, 16, has been trying to lose weight. She thinks she gained weight since she started college. Ethnic background: White British.

Amy, 16, has been trying to lose weight. She thinks she started to gain weight over Christmas but also thinks that she’s gained weight since starting college because she used to walk to school but now takes the bus. She also thinks the food in the college canteen doesn’t help.

Amy thinks everyone hates their body shape. Ideally, she would like to be a size 10. She says it’s really hard trying to change your body shape or lose weight, and that nothing seems to work. She’s been trying to eat healthily by choosing salads and not eating biscuits etc and has joined the gym at college, but with her college work and part-time job, she says she hasn’t had time to go. She says being so busy has also affected her diet because she used eat healthy meals, but now doesn’t have the time, so usually has just a sandwich at work and then is hungry when she gets home late at night.

Lisa is worried about her Dad having a heart attack due to excess weight and high blood pressure and Amy says that her uncle changed his diet after a health scare and feels better.

Age at interview 16

Gender Female

What about health? Do you think it affects your health?

Amy’ Yes, it would affect your health. Like high blood pressure, cholesterol, heart, you could have heart disease.

Lisa’ Yes. It’s like my dad, he’s got, you know, diabetes, but the type 2 one, not where you have to, and he’s got high blood pressure, yes. But that’s like, he’s a lorry driver, yeah, so he sits, he starts work at like 12 and he finishes at like 12, 1. He’s sitting down all day.

Amy’ Really?

Lisa’ It’s so bad. And I get so, I do get so worried about him. He’s like, he is obese, yes, but he’s not like massive. You probably wouldn’t think he was, but his like, you know, like BMI is over that. And I just think, Oh, my God. And I just think, One of thes I know it sounds really horrible, but I just think, One of these days, he’s going to have a heart attack and collapse or something. Because he’s like, he’s quite bad though. But he does try like, since he’s been to the doctor’s and that he’s like, he has swapped it around and that. Like, he’s, you can tell he’s lost weight, but then sometimes you just think, Oh, no, you’ve put it all back on. It’s like he has salad every day for his lunch, like puts it in a lunchbox, brings it to work with him and he has that every day. But then when it comes to the weekend, he’ll like drink a few beers and then like get a pizza, or for dinner he’ll have like chips and sausages. And it’s just like, What’s the point in that? You’ve got to balance it out, ain’t you?

Amy’ And my uncle had a heart attack last year and he, like he always suffered with high blood pressure. So I think that was something to do with it. But now he’s like, after that he’s like changed his diet, his routine and everything. Because he was like a car mechanic. But like, he’s like lost loads of weight now. But I think he’s like, he’s like normal, he’s like on a good diet now.

Print Transcript