I feel fat.

I don't feel good about my weight. People tease me, and I feel like a beast. We are going on a cruise this summer, so I need to get into a bikini. I don't think I can do it. I've tried pills, and now I'm thinking of not eating at all. Help!

Dear I Feel FAT, The goal is not to be super skinny but to be fit and feel good about your body. Pills and starvation are terrible ideas--discuss this with a parent, teacher, counselor or doctor You can eat healthfully. Cut back on fries, sweets and seconds. Eat smaller portions. Drink water, not soda. Keep fruits and veggies around, and ask the family shopper to leave junk snacks in the store. If you do this and exercise, you'll get results. And don't obsess about a bikini. Try on lots of swimsuits, and buy the one that's the most flattering.

Carol Weston's books include Girltalk: All the Stuff Your Sister Never Told You and For Girls Only (HarperCollins), and the Melanie Martin series (Knopf). Her website is carolweston.com. You can also write Dear Carol, c/o Girls' Life, 4529 Harford Road, Baltimore, MD 21214. For a reply, include a stamped, self-addressed envelope. She is sorry she can't answer every question personally--though she tries!