Reply from Sue, Age 39 - 1/20/01 - IP#: 62.64.157.234

My daughter is about your age and has been dieting for about three weeks and has lost 7 pounds. Here is what we did: As you say, write down the grammes of fat and calories of EVERYTHING you eat and make sure you know how many calories things are so maybe get a book as a guide. Get advice from a doctor on how calories you should be consuming for a growing girl of your age and height. Go round the supermarket with your mum and look for Weight Watchers soups or low calorie foods. There are some very tasty ones about if you look. Some snacks are very low fat so don't deny yourself too much. Eat lots more fruit and drink more water. My daughter is sticking to about 1000 calories a day and is losing gradually which is much healthier than something more drastic that will leave you feel hungry and tired. She has lots of low calorie soups, more fruit and we work out the calories ensuring that she stays below 1000. She says she has not yet felt hungry. It goes without saying that you mustn't eat chocolate or very fattening food. Much better to nosh on fruit or vegetables. It takes will power and patience. The loss may only be gradual at first but soon you will start to see the results. If my daughter is feeling peckish in the evening - the worst time - I give her some broccoli or low calorie soup which is filling and nutritious. This seems to be working for her but everybody is different. Make sure that you get the support of your parent so they can help you. It is very important to know the calories of all the foods you eat. If you write it all down then you may find that you have, say, 100 or 150 calories left and then you can have some fruit or soup or even a couple of biscuits. Also, some small lollies are only about 25 calories and it will say on the wrapper so look at the wrappers of foods because it will state how many calories they are. We have found lower calorie pizzas, sweet and sour chicken and pasta, all at about 250 to 300 calories.These are smaller portions but you can have them with vegetables or salad. Good luck.