HELPFUL HINTS

DEAR HELOISE: My son is only 24, but he’s very overweight. He has decided to go on a diet and drop several pounds for the sake of his health and attractiveness. He’s talking about starting with protein powders and vitamins, but this worries me. What are your recommendations?

— Anna D., New Iberia, La.

DEAR ANNA: Please ask your son to see a doctor first before he does anything else to lose weight. Consulting with a physician who specializes in obesity should be his first step. The doctor will undoubtedly do a blood test to determine whether there are any underlying causes for your son’s weight gain, such as a problem with his thyroid.

From there, the doctor can determine the best diet and exercise program for your son. Their recommendations may not include protein powders, but could include exercise. Whatever the doctor advises, please be supportive of it. Weight loss is a commitment to a new, lifelong process of eating and living, but it’s well worth it to live a healthier and possibly longer life. I wish your son all the best.

DEAR READERS: Although we try to avoid using plastic as much as possible, we still often end up with so many plastic bags in our homes. Everything from sandwich bags to large trash bags get stuffed in our kitchen or garage drawers, so here are a few additional uses for plastic bags:

■ Using a large trash bag, cut a hole in the bottom big enough for your head to slip through. Then cut a hole on each side big enough for your arms. Now you can paint a wall, work in a garden or do other dirty jobs and still protect your clothing.

■ Grab a plastic kitchen trash bag to fold and stack sweaters in for summer storage. Press out as much air as possible from the bag, then take the opening of the bag and roll it up tightly toward the sweaters inside the bag. Take the ends of the plastic roll and tie them together in a knot. Store them away during the warmer seasons.

■ Do you travel with a lot of toiletries like lotion, shampoo, conditioner, hairspray and makeup? Put these items in a baggie before packing them so that they don’t leak or stain the clothing in your luggage.

■ Have small craft items? Store them in small plastic baggies that are made for tiny things. Use a peel-and-stick label to label each bag.