Letter from Linda


Dear Fitsmi Friend,

If you're struggling with your weight and really want help, then you've found a home. I’m so happy you've found Fitsmi (or rather, we've found each other).

When I was a teenager, I struggled with my weight ALL THE TIME. I spent many waking hours thinking about being fat…wishing I didn't like those Entenmanns chocolate cakes so much, wishing I had the will power to eat only one Oreo, or wishing I had the metabolism (or whatever she had) of that beautiful Cecelia all the guys followed around. At my heaviest, I borrowed baggy dresses from my friend Luke's mom because I couldn’t fit into my own clothes. One August I wore a raincoat all day in 95-degree heat so no one would see how wide I had become.

The more I ate, the bigger I became, and the less I liked myself. The less I liked myself, the more I ate (you know how it goes…). And when I felt bad, so did my poor mom. She felt terrible, and she had no clue how to help me. Whatever she tried to do or say just made things worse (know what I mean?).

Help came for me (and my mom) from a woman who lived across the street. She had been very overweight at one point in her life--about 100 pounds heavier! One day she took me aside and asked me if I wanted some help with my weight. I was soooo ready for help. When I said, "Oh yes PLEASE," she gave me a simple plan to follow (like ours).

With that plan in hand, I had the knowledge I needed to start eating in a healthy way. I learned about portion control, which foods to avoid, and which foods were healthy. My neighbor also acted as my coach, encouraging me and cheering me on. That year I lost 25 pounds and felt like a million dollars. But it wasn't just after all the weight was lost that I started to feel so good. I started feeling better the first day I began making changes. One day at a time things got better.

Looking back, I had the power to make changes all along--just as you do--but my neighbor gave me the tools and the encouragement I needed to take charge. Best of all, she gave me options. Not everything she suggested was right for me, but I found what fit me and my desire did the rest.

That experience was my inspiration for creating Fitsmi. It seems to me that every teenage girl struggling with her weight should have someplace to go for help, just like I did.

After talking with many experts and lots of teens we concluded that the best kind of help we could provide was a place online that offered:

• Understanding friends
• Simple "eat" plans that work
• Fashion, beauty and shopping advice from the experts
• Exercise ideas that aren't torture
• Funny stuff to laugh at when you're feeling blue

A place where you can be yourself, where you can help and be helped. We knew Fitsmi needed to be just for teenage girls...no one else allowed. And we knew Fitsmi needed to have a separate place for your mom because she loves you so much it hurts and wants to know how to help.

So, with special thanks to my sweet little neighbor and my dear mom for their inspiration, and to our amazing editorial team and advisors for all their great work… here's Fitsmi.

After you spend some time here, please email us and tell us what you think. Really. Tell us what you'd like to see here that isn't here. (We'll be adding and changing things all the time.) Tell us what's helping and what isn’t. Tell us your chocolate cake stories. Tell us how your mom is doing. Tell us about the friends you've made. Tell us about you.

We're so glad you're here. It says you're ready to take control and start making some important changes in your life. That's exciting! Count on us to be here to help you in every way we can.

Talk soon.

Linda Frankenbach
Owner and CEO, Fitsmi.com