What's the Name of That Book??? discussion

The main character is an overweight girl. I must have been a YA book, and I probably read it between 1983 and 1988. I can really only remember two scenes. At one point, the girl gets serious about losing weight and starts running on the school track alone after school. I can't remember whether or not kids tease her for doing this. I can visualize the track in my mind, but still can't decide if it was at a high school or a middle school.
The other scene was in her shower at home when she thought to herself how it had been a long time since she had seen her toes because her stomach was so big.

I thought it would be Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade, but that wasn't it. I thought it might be Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret., but then changed my mind. I was certain it would be The Cat Ate My Gymsuit, but that wasn't it either. Now I'm wondering if it was some Sweet Valley High book or something meant for a similar age group. What could it possibly have been?

If it was a Sweet Valley High book, then it would have been: The Perfect Girl

Having read a very detailed summary, I can tell you that the MC definitely runs laps.

A couple of possibilities:

Fat: A Love Story

Fat Lollipop

The main character in Just as Long as We're Together gains weight at one point, but I don't remember her going running.

It could be a Sweet Valley High book. Possibly Power Play; Robin Wilson runs the track to try and lose weight. In The Perfect Girl, Robin takes her diet and exercise too far.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I'm still on the hunt. I'm second guessing the Sweet Valley High suggestion. I think maybe the characters were younger than high school. Could it have been The Babysitter's Club? I didn't read many of those, but I'm sure I read a few. I'm going to check out all of the suggestions so far. It's been... how many years since I read a Sweet Valley High book? This should be interesting. :)

(I forgot to mention in my original post that it's also not Blubber by Judy Blume.)

It doesn't sound like a BSC book to me, but I could be wrong. Could it be any of these?

Heads You Win, Tails I Lose
Taffy Sinclair and the Melanie Make-over
Walking a Thin Line

Fat Chance came to mind but it was published later than you're thinking of.

The Cat Ate My Gymsuit immediately came to mind but since you nixed that one I think its Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade
its only 2 years off your time frame published in 1990 and I've definitely read what your're describing .

lol just re-read your original post I could have sworn it was either one of those. Sorry about that. Now I feel the urge to read all similar novels again cause this is gonna big me now.

Was this a book about disordered eating or was it a book about weight loss?

Not it for sure but Fat Cat is my favotite plus size book right now. Though I am still a bit irritated with how diet xulture-y her science experiment turns...

Hey, Remember Fat Glenda? , maybe?

Fat Cat is this the book you were talking about Mads? If not, here's a click for a book that looks like it might fit the description you gave us Jane, and if it is, here is the click for Mads suggestion.

If it’s not Robin in one of the SVH books, It could be “Hey, Remember Fat Glenda?”.

Hey, Remember Fat Glenda? by Lila Perl - Katie's suggestion

This sounds really familiar to me also. My first thought was a Paula Danziger book or one of the Fat Glenda books. I didn't read Babysitters Club at all, so what I'm remembering wouldn't have been that. I don't think it was Sweet Valley High.

Author Paula Danziger - mentioned by Lisa

So many suggestions! None of them are jumping out at me, so I'll simply start reading through them one at a time. I'm going to start with Heads You Win, Tails I Lose, because the title and plot sound very vaguely familiar. I'll let you know. :)

And to answer Mads question, I think it was just about losing weight, not an eating disorder. On the other hand, I think Heads You Win, Tails I Lose involves taking drugs to lose weight so I could be wrong about that.

Hi, I think I might know which one you're talking about (I distinctly remember the toes thing) but I also don't remember the title. Do you remember a chapter about how the girl's mother has a small sports car and so she only takes the sister out bc she's smaller and can fit in the car better?

Ok, I've looked into it and I'm certain that the one I'm thinking of is Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade. I'm sorry I couldn't be more help to you, though!

Update: I wasn't Hey, Remember Fat Glenda? or Heads You Win, Tails I Lose. I read both of these suggestions, but alas.

Although interestingly, I'm sure I've read Heads You Win, Tails I Lose before... a long time ago. I was convinced it was the right book the entire time I was reading it, until I got to the end and those remembered scenes weren't in it.

I might try Me and Fat Glenda next (the first book in the series), although I don't think it's told from Glenda's point of view, so it's probably not the book I'm looking for.

Might want to look through this list for Plus-Size YA Heroines.

Although if she was younger than high school, it may not be listed.

Some that haven't been mentioned yet....

Blimp

The Pig-Out Blues

One Bite At A Time

Nobody's Baby Now

Underneath I'm Different

I Was A 15 Year Old Blimp

Fat Glenda's Summer Romance

Dinah and the Green Fat Kingdom

Poopsie Pomeranz, Pick Up Your Feet

Also Known as Sadzia! The Belly Dancer!

I'm pretty sure the toes in the shower bit happens in Blubberina: Bad News Ballet #5: https://www.amazon.com/Blubberina-New...

This is a series about a group of preteen girls who all take ballet at the same studio, and in this book, Gwen is the only one not to get her toe shoes because she's too heavy, which spurs her to get serious about losing some weight. I specifically remember because when I read the toes in the shower scene, it made me self-conscious about not being able to see my own toes. :P

Still looking, Jane?

Blubberina for the link.

Jane left the group. Moving to Abandoned.

Aww, rats. :(