In everyday life, most people just don't look like thatI Yet, despite some teen magazines' efforts to help girls "get real" about their bodies and to feature more "plus-size" models, the standard is still unattainable for many girls.

Knowing that teens are inspired by experiences of other teens, I interviewed more than 100 young people who were overweight as adolescents, who then slimmed down in healthy ways. While most of them achieved a weight that would be considered healthy, some were still technically overweight.

An important take-home message is that it's all relative—even though they weren't all "thin," all of the teens did reach a weight that made them happier and healthier than they were before. And many of them indicated that, even though they wouldn't mind losing some more, they were, "okay with where they were," weight-wise.

Robin S. captured this attitude well with, "I'm not going to be a skinny person. I thought I was for a minute, but I'm not. It's genetics. Everyone in my family has big hips. This is the way I am. If someone doesn't like it, oh well! As long as I keep maintaining, I'm okay."

A heavier weight than is "ideal", appearance-wise or health-wise, may be realistic for a teen that is very overweight and/or has been overweight since she was quite young. You might be able to help your daughter understand that if she got down much lower, she would likely find it much harder to stay there.

To be sure, most of us have a fantasy weight, and it's often unrealistic. But maybe you can help your daughter get her head around the concept of what I call a "comfortable body weight." It's a weight at which you feel pretty good, given your history. Plus, it's a weight that you don’t have to starve and exercise obsessively to maintain.

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Here's a list of fast and easy ideas, some of which can be at least partially set out the night before and some that even can be eaten en route to school, on the bus, or in a car:

• Whole-grain, low-sugar cold cereal (pay attention to portion sizes on the box), sliced banana, nonfat milk
• Oatmeal packet made with milk instead of water, grapes
• String cheese or yogurt (in a cup or tube), whole grain crackers, apple
• Nonfat milk, whole-grain toast spread with a light coating of peanut butter, clementine or orange
• Yogurt drink (made with no-calorie sweetener), ounce of nuts, fruit cup (packed in juice, not syrup)
• Whole-grain frozen waffles, topped with light syrup and berries, milk
• Hard-boiled egg, whole-grain breakfast bar (choose ones that are low in fat and have at least 2 grams of fiber), pear

If your teen isn't hungry in the morning, some schools do allow kids to bring along a midmorning snack. So think about which of the options above are transportable or how to make them that way. For instance, taking dry cereal in a small plastic bag (perhaps mixed with a few nuts) or freezing yogurt in a tube so it thaws by mid-morning.

Also, don't just think traditional breakfast foods in the morning. For instance, there's nothing wrong with a slice of leftover pizza (ideally, made with reduced-fat mozzarella) or a turkey sandwich (on whole-grain bread with reduced-fat mayo).

Finally, if the time crunch is not too high in your household, one of the best ways to get your kids to eat breakfast is to join them. Nothing beats being a role model and getting the day off to a good start with some healthy family conversation.

Anne Fletcher, MS, RD, is the author of Weight Loss Confidential: How Teens Lose Weight and Keep It Off – And What They Wish Parents Knew and Weight Loss Confidential Journal: Week-by-Week Success Strategies for Teens From Teens (Houghton Mifflin)

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