A survey was conducted on 499 children, 13–14 years old, living in Jerusalem, Israel. Sixteen (7%) boys and 58 (21 %) girls reported to diet for weight control. While most of these children were obese, by either subjective or objective criteria, an appreciable number of non-obese children were also dieting. The childrens’ own perception of their body build seemed to be a strong motivation to diet for weight control. Most of the dieters did not receive any dietary advice from professional people. 23% of the dieters limited or avoided intake of animal protein sources, and 12% of the dieting girls their intake of fruits and vegetables. The dieters appreciated less the importance of physical exercise for weight regulation than the non-diet