11-20-2008
Teen Needs to Be Patient Regarding New
Relationship
DR. WALLACE: I'm a 15-year-old girl who needs a
lot of advice. Preston and I met three weeks ago at a birthday party
for a mutual friend. Instantly, we hit it off. We have dated four
times and have talked on the telephone every night since we met.
I've expressed my feelings to him, so he knows exactly how much I
care for him. He also said he likes me very much.
Now I feel we're ready for a serious
relationship. He thinks we're rushing things and there's no need to
become too serious too soon. His last serious relationship with a
girl ended painfully for him when she dumped him for another guy.
How can I get him to understand that we were made
for each other and I would never hurt him? All I want is a chance
for us to grow in our mutual love. Is this asking too much? —
Nameless, East Moline, Ill.
NAMELESS: I think you're getting too serious too
fast. Be patient and enjoy getting to know him. Pressing the issue
could scare Preston away. If he cares for you as much as you care
for him, it won't be long before the two of you are a "couple."
TEEN SHOULD REMAIN ON HEALTHY DIET AND
EXERCISE PROGRAM
DR. WALLACE: I live with my mother and her sister
(my aunt). Both of them are grossly overweight. The main reason is
that they overeat on fattening foods loaded with cream, butter and
mayonnaise sauces.
I'm 15 and also was overweight, but I didn't like
the way I looked. I started a regular walking program and eat only
nutritious fruits and vegetables. In the past three months, I've
lost 15 pounds and want to lose another 20 pounds.
My aunt is upset because I'm trimming down. She
feels that people are happier when they are large. She says the idea
that overweight people are not healthy is just "junk" put out by the
fashion industry. My mom doesn't say anything because my aunt owns
the house.
Please answer my letter. I want my aunt to read
your response. — Sissy, Lake Charles, La.
SISSY: Overeating and its consequence, obesity,
is the major nutritional problem of Americans and Canadians,
according to Grant Gwinup, professor of medicine at the University
of California at Irvine. Overweight people die at increased rates of
everything you can think of: heart disease, cancer, diabetes, gall
bladder disease, liver disease and brain disease.
"The fatter one is, the greater one's chances are
to have these diseases," says Gwinup. "Not only do the diseases
eventually cause death, they also change the quality of one's life
by destroying one's health. Statistics on thin people tend to
indicate that the less fat a person carries, the better."
As long as a person is eating three well-balanced
meals a day, Gwinup feels that it is almost impossible to be too
thin. That should keep your aunt quiet for a while.
Continue your healthy eating program!
Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from
readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually,
he will answer as many as possible in this column. E-mail him at
rwallace@galesburg.net. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace
and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and
cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at
www.creators.com.
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