DR. WALLACE: I'm the 13-year-old boy who wrote to you about four months ago (I weighed over 200 pounds). I told you I was being called names and I didn't like it. You told me to get on a good, well-balanced diet and the fat and names would both melt away.

Well, I want you to know that my parents took me to our doctor and with the help of a nutritionist, I am now on a new "eating program." My problem was that I was constantly eating, and most of it was junk. It has been really hard for me but I stayed on the new program, and in these past 10 weeks I have lost 22 pounds! I still have lots more weight to lose, but I'm happy about my success. My family has been really helpful, and with their encouragement, I hope to be my normal weight before I turn 14 in four more months.

One good thing about this is that I have quit hitting my sister because she has stopped calling me names! Now my only problem is that I need some new clothes. This all makes me very happy now! — Jeff, New Orleans, La.

JEFF: I'm thrilled for you. Congratulations! Letters such as yours make writing this column worthwhile.

RUNNING AWAY IS A BAD CHOICE

DR. WALLACE: I'm 16 and have a severe problem and don't know how to deal with it. My dad died when I was 6, and Mom never remarried. She does have a male friend and she has been seeing him for over three years. He wanted to live with Mom at our house, but she said he couldn't because neighbors would talk. The house across the street was for sale and he decided to buy it and move in there.

Now, he's over here all the time. He might as well be living at our house. He goes to work, but he eats dinner with us every night and on the weekends he's usually here for breakfast and lunch as well. I'm not really happy about this, but I can live with it.

What I'm having a problem with is that he tries to control my life. I'm a normal 16-year-old girl and get good grades (a solid B average). I'm not into any stuff like drugs or alcohol, and I don't give my mom any trouble. I'm not perfect, but I'm really a pretty good kid.

Ever since Mom's friend moved across the street from us, he thinks he has a say in what I can and can't do. If Mom says I can go out with my friends and to be home at midnight, he says that is too late and I should be home by 11 p.m. Then she changes her mind and says to be home by 11 p.m. And what really bugs me is that this happens all the time, not just once in a while!

Yesterday, my boyfriend asked me to go with him to his brother's wedding. He will be the best man and it will be an exciting formal event. When I was telling my mom about the wedding, her "friend" said I wouldn't be able to attend because we were all invited to a big dinner put on by the company he works for. This made me really mad because he is a "dictator." It should be my mom who makes these decisions.

I told him that if my mom said I could go, I was going to the wedding and I would not be attending his company dinner. Now he's mad at me and my mom is confused and hasn't given me an answer yet. What should I do? Sometimes I feel like running away. — L.F., Rye, N.Y.

L.F.: Your mom must take charge and inform her "friend" that while she appreciates his input she has the final say on matters concerning you. She should politely inform him that when she wants his advice on such matters she'll ask for it. Otherwise he should not get involved.

Cut out your letter and my response and give it to Mom. Then have her read it to her friend, who has overstayed his welcome and authority! Running away is a bad choice.

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. Email him at [email protected]. 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.

Photo credit: NIH Image Gallery