DR. WALLACE: I need to lose weight! I know that I'm nearly 20 pounds over my ideal weight, or at least a weight I would feel comfortable at. One of my big problems is that I work at a desk during the day, study at a desk in my home and then tend to eat late at night and follow that by watching television to help me fall asleep.

I know you'll tell me to eat healthier and exercise more, but I'm hoping for a tip or two that can go beyond what your "standard advice" usually is. I know about healthier eating and exercise, but I'm hopeful you'll give me some customized advice. Do you have any suggestions that might be best for my situation beyond your usual ones? — Looking To Lose 20, via email

LOOKING TO LOSE TWENTY: I'm glad to hear that you already are aware of my "healthier eating plus regular exercise" advice! Since you don't move much during the day, you might be a good candidate for a treadmill of some sort, and if you can't afford one, it's likely you'll know someone in your circle who owns one and is not using it!

From there I'd advise you to try to fall asleep another way: by exercising with some modest free weights after your late-night meal. This might sound counterintuitive, but if that workout makes you moderately tired, you can couple it with a quick warm shower that might make you feel clean and a touch sleepy. Then take your fresh, clean self to bed and hopefully you'll be out like a light quickly. This will allow you to wake more refreshed and likely in the mood to take a walk around the neighborhood before you start your day.

Finally, don't forget to adjust your diet and your calorie intake if you're serious about dropping those pounds! Good luck and I hope you achieve your goal.

HE WON'T BUCKLE UP!

DR. WALLACE: My good friend won't wear his seat belt when he's in my car. I'm pretty surprised by this since he's concerned about his health in all of the other areas of his life.

For example, he works out a lot, makes a point of eating healthy food and won't go near anything that has smoke coming out of it. But when it comes to riding in a car, he likes to go sans belt.

Is there anything I can say to him to get him to wise up in this one important area? I sure don't want him to get hurt in my car if anything were to go wrong on the road. — His Best Friend, via email

HIS BEST FRIEND: I suggest that you use statistics to plead your case to him. Let him know that you wrote to me and that I mentioned to you that studies I've read over the years indicate that approximately half of all automobile fatalities are attributed to drivers or passengers who were not wearing full seat belts when the accident occurred.

And beyond being the victim of a fatal accident, those not wearing seat belts are at a much, much higher risk of suffering a spinal cord injury than those who do wear seat belts.

No amount of healthy eating or working out is worth trading for the risk of traveling in any vehicle without a seat belt. Please also check with your home state to see if there are laws that require drivers to be responsible for their passengers to wear seat belts at all times when the vehicle is in motion. This could give you one more leverage point to help bring him to his senses.

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.

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