I'm 12 years old and desperatley need to get from 10 stone 6 pounds to 8 stone or less

Hi cheesiepuff333,

How tall are you? Eight stone may be too low of a weight for you to be. You may want to ask your mum or dad to take you to the doctor's for a check and to talk about what would be a good weight for you to be at. Remember, you are young and you are still growing. Your body needs proper nutrition.

The most important thing you will have to remember is that it will take time and effort to lose some weight. Think about it... you didn't get to 10 stone 6 pounds in just a couple of months, right? It will take some time to lose it so try to not get discouraged if it doesn't happen as fast as you would like it to.

The key is slow and consistent weight loss from a healthy diet and daily exercise. What happens for many people, including many adults, is that they expect it to happen fast and they do unhealthy things to their bodies. Or they lose it fast, without changing how they eat or move, and they just keep gaining it back. You're going for healthy, strong, and trim... not skinny and sick!

Look at what you eat in a week. Write everything down that goes into your mouth. This will give you a better idea of what changes you might need to make. Does your family need to lose weight? Would anyone join you in the effort? That can make it much easier... having someone working at it with you.

You don't have to give up everything you like... just eat it less often and less of it when you do have it. For example... if you like some take aways... have the kids meal. Try to cut out soda or at least cut back on how much you have. Ask your mum or dad to help you by buying more healthy choices of foods and snacks if that is a concern.

* drink more water each day
* eat more fruits and veggies
* eat less sweets
* don't go back for second helpings
* get moving everyday... take walks, bike rides, dance, take up a sport, anything but move every single day. You can jump rope during commercials on TV. Go for a walk before or after tea each day.

The point is, do some type of physical activity every day, even if it is only for 20 minutes to start. Build up to more time and a variety of different activities.

Keep a journal of how you are doing. Writing it down can keep you focused on your goal and how you are doing to get there. It lets you keep track of where you are making good changes and where you might need to try harder.

You may mess up once in awhile... you may eat too much of something or skip exercise for a few days, but just get back to it. Don't give up!