DR. WALLACE: I'm a 17-year-old girl who could stand to lose about 10-15 pounds of excess weight. I have several friends who tell me to eat only at certain times a day, and others who tell me not to eat any food at all between 7 p.m. each night and noon the next day!

Besides, there are several different diets, including a few crash diets that these friends recommend I try. Since I'm so young, do diets at my current age work out better or worse than they would for other people who are in their 30s, 40s or even 50s and are trying to lose weight?

And since you've no doubt received a lot of letters about dieting, I'm thinking that you will have a more reliable "magic formula" than my wild and crazy girlfriends currently have. — I'd Like to Lose a Dozen or More, via email

I'D LIKE TO LOSE A DOZEN OR MORE: Yes, over the years I have received a lot of letters about diets, dieting and which diet fads may be the best ones to follow.

However, despite several new fads coming along decade after decade, I can tell you that the only magic formula that exists is the logical one. Logic tells us that to lose weight, we must burn more calories than we consume. So, to do this, a combination of eating fewer calories each day coupled with an ongoing, effective exercise program is the best diet plan of all. There's really no magic to it, other than having the "magic" willpower to stick to eating right and exercising regularly!

I'M AN EXCELLENT STUDENT, BUT MY SOCIAL LIFE IS LACKING

DR. WALLACE: I study a lot and I'm a very good student, but I'm starting to think that my excellent grades could be cramping my social life. I'm a girl who is 17, and I've only been on one blind date so far in my life.

I'm wondering if my excellent grades are keeping guys away from me because they likely think all I do is study and live a very quiet life. How can I break out of this pattern without intentionally letting my grades drift a bit lower? I take great pride in my academic achievements, and I look forward to attending a good college soon. — Serious Student, via email

SERIOUS STUDENT: I suggest you make a proactive effort to socialize more whenever possible. After the class ends, make it a point to initiate a quick slice of conversation with a different boy each day as you leave the classroom. Also, do your best to say hello to different and new people whenever possible.

High school dating typically emanates from networking and social connections, and apparently, your zeal for studying has left you overlooking opportunities to socialize even briefly with others each day.

Dates usually evolve from individuals talking to each other about common interests or upcoming social events that might be enjoyed together. Therefore, I feel it's important for you to be as friendly as you can with this many people as you can without being overly assertive. Do your best to start conversations each and every day with students you've never spoken to, or even with casual acquaintances who you don't always speak to regularly. Feel free during these conversations to discuss as many topics as possible other than academic achievements. Topics like hobbies, high school sports, music preferences, exercise programs or any other activities you can think of will likely jump-start some good conversations.

These conversations will inevitably lead to dating opportunities, so start the process as soon as possible. You might even look at it as a "self-driven" homework assignment — and given your excellent academic skill sets, you'll be able to tackle this project quickly and successfully!

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 rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. 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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