Should I Go on a Diet?

劉彥玲

It seems like every time you turn around， someone is talking about dieting. Every tabloid （小報） at the supermarket has details on the hottest celebrity fad （流行的時尚） diets. During gym class your best friend always complains about her “big” hips and how shes going on a diet to get rid of them.

This constant focus on weight and dieting may leave you wondering whether you need to go on a diet yourself.

The truth is that not all teens who diet actually need to lose weight. Many times， friends， family， and society influence the way we see our bodies. Pressures like these can prompt some teens to take drastic dieting measures， leading to malnutrition（營養不良）and eating disorders such as anorexia （厭食） and bulimia（易餓病）. And because teens are still growing， drastic dieting can be especially harmful to their developing bodies.

These pressures are one of the reasons why the best person to see when you have a question about dieting is your doctor. Your doctor can help you determine what is a healthy weight for your body size and shape. He or she can help you decide whether you need to be on a diet at all. And if necessary， your doctor can refer you to a dietitian or nutrition specialist.

Even without seeing your doctor， you can make smart food choices that will keep you healthy. Rather than drastically cutting calories， try changing healthy food choices for not-so-healthy ones. Instead of chewing down on chips when you get home from school， try a piece of fruit or some vegetables.

Another thing to keep in mind is that exercise can help you feel and look better. Regular exercise tones your muscles while you burn calories and fat， and it makes you look sleeker and slimmer. Remember that toning up takes time. Running the mile in gym class once a year wont make a difference in overall weight loss， so start slowly and work up to it.

And research shows that people who exercise regularly are more likely to maintain their new weight if theyve lost weight. So， get moving and keep your health on track！

根據文章內容，回答下列問題。

I. Choose the best answer.

1. What does the underlined word mean in paragraph 4？

A. Plan.?????????????????????? B. Expert.

C. Recipe.? ????????????? D. Chef.

2. It is better for teens to _________.

A. see a doctor than diet

B. suffer malnutrition

C. exercise regularly than diet

D. eat less healthy foods

II. Decide whether the following sentences are True （T） or False （F） according to the passage.

1. In fact， all teenagers who diet are fat.

2. When you get home from school， you can try some chips， a piece of fruit in order to lose weight.