Hi I'm 12 years old and I'm 5'1 and I'm over weight I weigh 153 and I don't feel good about myself at all and in the last year I've been called fat at least 18 times how can I lose weight and not go on the stupid diets like nutrasistom

A good first step would be to ask a parent to take you to the doctor's for a complete physical and to discuss your decision with your doctor.

Then take a look at what, and how much, you are eating and drinking. Some people find it helps to write everything down... keeping a food diary, for a week or so to get an idea of just what goes into your mouth. Very often people nibble at things without giving much thought to it... bag of chips while watching TV, nightly bowl of ice cream, too frequent visits to fast food places, daily intake of sodas, etc.

Do you do any sort of exercise each day? Play any sports? Have a dog you could take on daily walks? A bike you could ride? Even in bad weather, when you can't go outside, you could dance to a CD or use an exercise DVD, skip rope, use some light weights, etc.. Try to do some sort of exercise every day. Even some crunches during commercials while you watch TV helps.

The hardest step is just getting started. It takes time to break any bad habits. Eat more fruits and veggies, have smaller servings at meal times, don't go back for seconds, don't finish your plate when eating out... bring some home for another meal. Drink more water and low fat milk and less sodas and juices. When you do have the occasional goody, limit how much and make sure it is only occasional. Give into a craving now and then but manage it. For example... have two cookies instead of six.

If anyone in your family could stand to lose some weight, see if they will join you. Often it helps tremendously if you have someone working at it with you.

Set small goals to work towards then reward yourself with a new CD or something when you get there. Then set a new goal to work towards.

It takes time, it won't always be easy, especially at first, but it gets easier when you start to see results and your body gets use to healthier changes.