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" &amp;quot;I have this friend she is super skinny and tall. She is always telling me to lose some weight, and I don&amp;#039;t know if I should listen to her. I want to lose weight and I know I have to but how can I tell her I know that? She makes me feel really bad about myself and I don&amp;#039;t know what to do.&amp;quot; - Skyler, 15 Well, Skyler, first I want to say that you don&amp;#039;t have to lose weight just because a friend tells you you should or because a friend is working on losing weight. You have to decide on your own terms how to move toward being healthy. Try not to get caught up in competition dieting nor beating yourself up because you don&amp;#039;t look like your super skinny tall friend. There are a couple of ways you can let your friend know to mind her own biz-ness. Next time she brings it up - just gently say to her &amp;quot;You know, I am working on being healthy in my own way, I&amp;#039;d prefer not to have comment on my body anymore.&amp;quot; or try &amp;quot;Hey, we are all genetically different - this is my body - and I learning to make peace with it right now - I&amp;#039;d love your support&amp;quot;. Or Skyler, find your own words (if my friend is on my nerves, I&amp;#039;d say &amp;quot;my body is none of your business&amp;quot;) but find what works best for you and your relationship. Tell her instead, how you&amp;#039;d like her to relate to you (encourage more, nag less) and above all else - recognize that you are beautifully perfect as is - focus on your inner beauty, too and don&amp;#039;t forget to keep that head up high! Jess Weiner is an author, self-esteem expert, and Seventeen&amp;#039;s new Body Peace adviser. To ask Jess your body-image questions, share your thoughts, or vent your frustrations, leave your comments below or send them here. Jess will answer new questions every week! Learn more about Jess at withjess.com. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.seventeen.com/health/advice/a1353/jess-blog-21808/>