[Mates, Dates 10] • Mates, Dates and Chocolate Cheats

I decided that now was the time to ask the question that I'd been wanting to ask all day. 'Hey listen guys. I need you to tell me something and I want you to be really really honest�'

'Sounds serious,' said Nesta.

'It is. I want you to tell me, do you think I've put on weight?'

Nesta, Lucy and TJ looked at each other.

'No,' said TJ after a moment too long. 'Not really. Well, we all did a little on the school trip. So no more than the rest of us.'

Izzie has always been 'curvy' but since Christmas, she has gained 8 pounds, and nothing seems to fit anymore! In an attempt to lose weight, Izzie tries everything: one diet after another, a punishing exercise programme and every bit of conflicting advice everyone can give her. Her constant worrying about her weight causes her to lose her confidence, and she stops appreciating the things in her life that are special - her supportive friends, the fact that she has been selected for a TV teen panel and a cute boy at the TV studio who seems to appreciate her just the way she is.