Parents, teachers and coaches: Your example matters! Practice healthy eating behaviors. Eat when you get up in the morning, and eat every 4 hours or so throughout the day. This will help your body get on schedule, so that you will experience hunger on a regular basis. Stop eating when you are full! Your body knows better than you do how to maintain a healthy weight.
Coaches: Your actions and your words are more important than you know! Many cases of eating disorders in athletes start when coaches tell them that weight loss will improve performance. Read up on sports nutrition. Consider getting a registered dietitian to speak to team members and parents.
Mothers: Be aware of your own weight issues. Dieting is not “normal”, despite what media influences may say. If your teen is experiencing difficulties, don’t blame yourself. Instead, be part of the solution by treating your own body with respect.
All influential adults: Listen to what you say! Our language has incorporated many myths that you may spread unconsciously. Were you “good” today by eating salad, but “bad” yesterday when you ate a brownie? There are no good and bad foods. All foods can fit into a healthy diet. Talk to kids about what really is good and bad, and share your values with them.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Help children learn how to get their needs met. Teach them how to ask for what they need. Many experts believe that disordered eating behaviors are a language used by people who don’t have the words to say “that makes me mad” or “I feel hurt.”
Make a point of recognizing kids’ attractive physical features. Many times we spoil a compliment by adding “if you didn’t have such heavy legs” or some such negative remark. Praise really won’t spoil kids, even when it comes to appearance! Criticism will not help them lose weight; it will only damage their self esteem.
Teach critical thinking skills. Help kids think problems through. Does it really make sense to think that going on a diet will solve the problem?
Avoid “horror” stories of anorexia or bulimia. Scaring kids usually doesn’t work and may teach dysfunctional behavior.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Help children relax. If relaxation means sitting in front of the TV eating chips, the child is being set up for a weight problem as well as missing out on skills needed to reduce stress. Use physical activity as a stress release. You know it’s working if you can say you had fun!
Exercise in moderation. Physical activity is for fun and health, not to burn calories or achieve a certain percent body fat.
Examine cultural values. Do you really think its necessary to look a certain way in order to be happy? Promote size acceptance as part of the natural diversity of human beings.
Accept your own body. It is just as hard for adults to resist negative media messages as it is for kids, especially since we’ve been hearing them longer! Helping kids can be a reason to help ourselves.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Develop “learned hardiness”. Kids can learn to roll with the punches and resist influences that depress or discourage them. Encourage activities that build character.
Avoid dieting! Research shows that most eating disorders started with a diet. Diets don’t work! See the resource list below for weight management strategies that do work