DR. WALLACE: I'm 15 years old and my mother will not allow me to date! More than half of my friends are already allowed to go on dates and the word has spread around my school and my summer friends that I'm not allowed to go out on dates, so nobody even tries to ask me anymore.

I'm afraid that if I wait until I turn 16, by then everybody I know will already have a boyfriend and I'll be left out in the cold. There will be no good guys left to date and I'll be single forever.

Can you help me to come up with the best way to convince my mother to allow me to start dating immediately? — I'm Way Behind Already, via email

I'M WAY BEHIND ALREADY: I agree that dating is an important part of the teenage experience, but even your letter points out that not every student at your school is allowed to date at the age of 15. This means there will be many others in the same situation that you are, and I trust that once you turn 16 and are eligible to date, word will spread quickly around your school and in your circles of friends and acquaintances.

This will lead to several offers to go out on dates and within a few short months, you will be in the midst of the full teenage dating experience. At that point your slightly slower start will not mean anything at all.

I suggest for now that you remain patient and do not try to manipulate your mother. In the meantime, be prepared to take full advantage of your future dating opportunities. Study the field, speak to your friends who are dating and ask them what they do and do not like about some of their recent dates. Once you reach the age your mother set for you, you'll be able to hit the ground running.

I NEED TO LOSE 35 POUNDS IN THREE WEEKS!

DR. WALLACE: I just got invited to be a bridesmaid at a wedding and I need to lose 35 pounds in the next three weeks. What do you think is the best way to do this? One of my friends says that I should only drink carrot juice, and another one told me that it would be better if I just had a smoothie every Monday morning and then only water the rest of the day.

Yet another friend thinks I should go into a sauna and try to sweat the weight off because her brother is a high school wrestler and sometimes, they will sweat off a few pounds the night before and important wrestling match.

I want to be able to fit into a certain size bridesmaid's dress so that I will appear to be roughly the same size as all of the other bridesmaids. I'm thrilled to be invited to be in this wedding, but I really want to fit in, and I'm worried about how I'm going to do this. — Only Have Three Weeks, via email

ONLY HAVE THREE WEEKS: There is no diet I would recommend to you to try to lose 35 pounds in three weeks. None of the methods you mentioned in your letter sound safe to me. If you've been a regular reader of this column, you likely know by now that I recommend a healthier, lower-calorie diet combined with a safe exercise program as the best practical way to lose weight.

I do believe that you should honor the invitation that you received by planning to attend this wedding as a bridesmaid, no matter what size dress you end up wearing. You were invited to this event for a very good reason — likely friendship and not your appearance!

Accept this opportunity and simultaneously start a reasonable diet and moderate exercise program. Check with your family doctor ahead of time on both accounts; it could be that you might be able to lose five to seven pounds safely by the wedding this way, and if so, you'll feel good about yourself and the progress you've made to that point. And if you elect to stick with your diet and exercise plan, over time you should be able to lose much more than seven total pounds.

Enjoy the wedding and let your personality shine through during the event. You'll be there for a great reason and you'll surely have a good and memorable time standing up for your friend.

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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