Purchasing an entire new wardrobe will be costly, but New Tech High School senior Emily Read is more than anxious to be forced to shell out whatever that will cost her.

For her high school senior project Read, who tips the scales at 247 pounds, has vowed to shed 50 pounds by the time she graduates in June.

"New clothes? Yeah, hopefully," she said with a laugh while undergoing an orientation at Exertec, which is giving her free membership for six months.

Read is documenting her project on video.

She said the video "may be more personal about my struggles, or it may be more informational." She hasn't decided.

Asked about her struggles, she said, "I've been overweight all my life and this is something that I've always wanted to do. It's been hard to get motivated."

When she was in her early primary school grades classmates used to tease her about being overweight, but, she said, "Peer pressure is not bad now. I'm not teased a lot, but pressure is a good thing, or there wouldn't be as much of a reason to do this.

"I come from a family that has been overweight all their lives," she said. "I really want to learn how to eat right, how to exercise, how to incorporate it into a lifestyle. When I have kids someday I want to be able to tell them exactly what to do."

She's ridden the roller coaster of fad diets in the past, losing pounds only to gain them back. "It wasn't natural," she said. "I want to go back to a healthy way of everyday life. I want it to come naturally."

Part of her incentive came when her doctor told the 17-year-old her cholesterol was very high for someone her age. "I don't want to die when I'm 65," she said.

"I know it is easier to lose (weight) when you are younger," she added.

Although shedding 50 pounds is her school project goal, she doesn't plan to quit then. "I can do that before I graduate, but ultimately my goal is to lose 90 pounds," she said.

Read, whose hobby is "pretty much any kind of music," said she hopes to apply the same stick-to-it attitude that has earned her a place on the school honor roll every year throughout her high school career. "I am really academically driven," she said.

Read plans to attend Santa Barbara Junior College, then transfer to the University of California at Santa Barbara. Eventually she hopes to become a teacher.

Another member of Exertec heard about her weight loss goal and mentioned it to officials at the Napa health club.

Exertec fitness director Linda Ornduff said she felt compassionate about helping Read. "It's an honor to be able to help her out," she said. "She's wonderful. She's so mature, responsible, brave."

"I'm so excited, and grateful to Exertec," Read said.

Ornduff, who has worked in the health fitness business since 1985, said the entire staff is excited about the project.

Terry Martin, an Exertec personal trainer, will oversee Read's progress.

He'll meet with Read weekly for an hour, but Read said she will be working out at the facility daily.

Martin said he will monitor her cardiac exercise. It will be aggressive, he said.

"Each person is unique," he said. "We have to work together as a team to find out what works uniquely for her. It's pretty exciting to be involved."

New Tech political studies teacher Robyn Stanley says senior projects are intended to be opportunities for students to achieve personal growth. She describes each project as "a journey," adding they are meant to be very personal experiences.

Emily's mother, Donna Read, hopes the weight loss regimen will work. "It's not the first time she tried (to lose weight). She's been motivated (before) then something happens and things change," she said.

The mother said her daughter is very committed, in part because so many people will be watching.

"She was overweight as a child," she said. "We've all been overweight, on both sides of the family, so the kids didn't have a chance. It takes a lot of courage to be able to put this out in front of everybody and say 'I have a weight problem and I'm going to take care of it.' Everybody now is going to be watching. I'm so proud of her."