For immediate release

May 15, 2003

New Project to Help Overweight Teens

Who better to help teenagers lose weight than teens who have done it themselves?

Nationally known author and registered dietitian, Anne M. Fletcher (author of Thin for Life and Sober for Good), seeks teenagers and young adults for a new book on weight management to be published by Houghton Mifflin. She wants to hear from young people (age 13 to early 20s) who were once overweight or obese but who have purposely slimmed down to a point at which they feel comfortable. This "comfortable" weight must have been maintained for at least one year. All information will be used anonymously. Those included will receive a free book.

Fletcher's book is not a "diet" book. It's a book about how teens found the weight that was just right for them. Her goal is to share the experiences of young people who have overcome weight problems—in sensible ways—in order to help others who are overweight. (Research-based strategies and advice from experts will be included in the book as well.)

There's an urgent need for legitimate help for teens trying to win the weight battle: the prevalence of overweight adolescents has nearly tripled in the last two decades. And, let's face it—teens are already dieting, many of them in less-than-healthful ways. One recent study on nearly 5,000 teenagers published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine concluded that "use of unhealthy and extreme weight behaviors and binge eating were alarmingly high among overweight youth, particularly adolescent girls."

While there are many books for young people with eating disorders, there are very few for teens who are overweight. This may be because there's fear that the mere mention of weight control will breed eating disorders in young people. But we have to talk about it because there are far more teens who are overweight than there are teens with eating disorders. Again, who better to help teens struggling with their weight than teens who have "been there"?

Interested parties, please contact:

Anne M. Fletcher, M.S., R.D., L.D.

E-mail: annemfletcher@aol.com or by calling toll-free: 1-800-362-3147

            QUERIES FROM TEENS, YOUNG ADULTS, OR PARENTS WELCOMED

For more information, visit these websites: justrightteens.com or annemfletcher.com.

About the author

Anne Fletcher is the author of the best-selling books, Thin for Life, Sober for Good, Eating Thin for Life, and the Thin for Life Daybook—all published by Houghton Mifflin. A registered dietitian, she is the former executive editor of Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter and was a contributing editor to Prevention Magazine. Her books have won National Health Information Awards and the Distinguished Friend to Behavior Therapy Award.