DR. WALLACE: I'm a 16-year-old young lady. I have excellent grades, a wonderful set of parents, and I've been told that I have a very pretty face. But I also have a major problem. My family doctor gave me a complete physical examination last week and told me that I'm 40 pounds overweight, but that was my only concern. He said that I should start a healthy eating program immediately geared to losing one pound a week by counting calories. He said my food intake should include fresh fruits and vegetables and lean meats that include white meat of chicken and turkey and tuna fish. I have a calorie chart so I will be sure to have an accurate calorie count.

I will also start a daily (morning) walking plan. I'm not going on a crash diet, but I am going to lose a pound a week. I can't tell you how my extra weight has hindered my social life because you might not believe me. I'm contacting you because I pray you answer my letter so the world will know that I'm serious about reaching my goal. If you use my email in your column, I will cut it out of the paper and tape it on our refrigerator as a reminder to "Think Thin."

Be honest, do you consider yourself to be overweight? If so, what foods do you consume most that have added those extra pounds? I'm really not "nosey," but I just want to make sure I avoid them. — Nameless, N.W. Ind.

NAMELESS: Congratulations on setting such a goal. It took time to add those extra pounds; losing one pound a week for a year is the ideal way to slim down and keep that weight off. The best way to lose extra pounds is through proper eating and plenty of exercise.

Now, to answer your not "nosey" questions: Mother Nature has been kind to me. I've never had an overweight problem. I also count calories. The foods I avoid include fried foods, anything mixed with cream, milk or mayonnaise, sugar- laden desserts, and I go light on butter, eggs, cheese and red meat.

I wish you all the best and I'm positive you will achieve your goal. Keep me posted on your program.

MOM SMOKES 50 CIGARETTES A DAY

DR. WALLACE: My mother smokes over two packs of cigarettes a day. I'm doing everything I can to get her to cut down or quit. I'd like to get her down to a pack per day in a month, and maybe 10 cigarettes a day in two months. Then I think I could convince her to quit altogether.

She has the theory that smoking 50 cigarettes a day is no worse than smoking 20. Tell me this isn't so! I want to use the less-is-better technique. — Lisa, Hammond, La.

LISA: Keep plugging away. Medical research indicates that every cigarette smoked increases one's chances of damaging one's health. At 50 cigarettes a day, Mom's in an extremely high-risk category for contracting a smoking-related illness, many of which, of course, are fatal. Your ultimate goal should be for Mom to stop smoking, but getting her to cut back would be a good start.

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. E-mail him at rwallace@galesburg.net. 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.