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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