Anorexia Tips.......................................

Having a thin body does not mean you are healthy.

Back in the ancient Greek and Roman times when statues were made, curvy and chubby women were depicted to be ideal body image. A few extra pounds on women who look healthy are perceived as beautiful. Fast forward in our modern society, we can’t help but ask how did we end up looking up to an ultra thin body as a norm in our society?

The image of wafer thin models is dominantly seen in the media such as television and magazines. It has been the norm for too long. Actresses and models all strive to achieve the standard and perfect body. Given such preoccupation on body image, it is not surprising for eating disorders to be on the rise. Teenagers are known to be susceptible to eating disorder. By now, they are not the only ones affected by anorexia. According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, almost 7 million women and 1 million men are affected with eating disorders in some ways. Anorexia nervosa can turn fatal if not detected and treated. There are anorexics that have to be hospitalized complete with a Peg tube surgically inserted in their stomach in order to have nourishment.

The glamour of modeling tends to encourage young women, and men, to consider eating disorder to have a quick slim down plan. Teenage girls see these extra thin models as their ideal body size. Realistic weight loss are often disregarded in favor of a more drastic and unhealthy slim down plan. We need to remember that not everyone can achieve that super thin body. We should not push our bodies to copy a slim model’s look. It is not just healthy to dramatically lose weight in a short span of time.

The media transmits confusing and terrifying messages to children and parents, alike. Some children start to dislike their bodies and desire to be thin. At a tender age, children are focused on resorting to drastic measures such as food restriction that often compromises their well being and even their lives.

An expert on eating disorder, Abigail Natenshon, writes on her website:

“Camp counselors report that 6 and 7 years olds studying nutritional labels on food items as they empty their lunch sacks. A US Department of Health and Human Services task force reports that 80% of girls in grades 3 to 6 have bad feelings about their bodies, an issue diverting their attention from schoolwork and friendship.”

Parents should foster positive images of their children. Children need to know that it is normal for a teenage body to change and grows, as they get older. Media have a way of presenting unrealistic body image that children should not be striving for.

Here are some suggestions:
• Don’t dwell on physical appearance. Point out to children the necessity of being healthy, not being thinly. Empower your children to know their personality, talents, and skills as significant physical attributes.
• Teach your children to use their critical point of view when it comes to media images. Kid-friendly TV shows can promote ideal images. A researcher on eating disorder, Dr. Linda Smolak, shares that parents should ” Limit television viewing and watch with your children.” “This way you can instantly discuss any positive or negative images both you and your child see simultaneously.”
• Be a good role model. The mind of children is similar sponges, which means that they pick up things that you say or do. It does not matter if you are being subtle or intentional. Simple comments such as complains about your flabs, why you should not have ordered chocolate cake, how you need to exercise an extra hour to burn off the cake; all of these comments have an effect to your children. Your kids are listening and start to view food, exercise, and their bodies like you do. Turn things around by giving positive comments rather on negative ones.
• Encourage an active lifestyle. Teach your children that exercise is a fun activity, not something that you do to keep a slim figure nor for weight loss.
• Encourage healthy food choices. Do not tell your kids that dieting and counting calories are fundamental in life. You can opt to promote moderation such as portion sizes of food. In this way, you aren’t labeling foods as either “good” or “bad”.
• Tune in and listen to what your kids say about their bodies. You should not ignore the complaints your kids say about his or her appearance. You should listen and discuss it with them. Embrace this as a perfect opportunity to talk to your child about why he or she feels this way.
• Emphasize that there are different body shapes; there is not a single ideal body image. It is based on age, genetics, lifestyle, and metabolism.

Share us your thoughts on how to empower your children and steer them away from eating disorders. Feel free to drop comments.

Technorati Tags: anorexia tips, eating disorder, health, healthy body image of kids

Anorexia is not a disorder to be taken lightly, especially when you hear sad stories of families who lost their loved one to this eating disorder. Almost all women, not to mention men, desire to lose weight. Some people, however, lost focus on their health, and instead let the desire to be slim to take over their lives. The outcome of anorexia is losing weight but you will not enjoy its end results. You are risking your life and harm your health out of anorexia. Know tips on how to lose weight without ever falling into anorexia.

1. You should change the food you eat.

The common start on becoming an anorexic is allowing your diet plans to get the better of you. This happens when you decide to take the fast route to weight loss by eating less. This plan can backfire when your weight loss rate will actually slow down. Your body will conserve energy by slowing down metabolism thus making your body store fat!

By changing the variety of foods that you eat, your body will utilize the food you eat to repair muscle tears, take care of your internal organs, thus making you stronger.

2. You should drink more water.

According to Mayo Clinic, water is your body’s main component making up an average of 60% of your body weight. All of your body system depends on water. For instance, water flushes toxins out of your vital organs, carries nutrients to your cells and provides a moist environment for ear, nose, and throat tissues. When you are dehydrated, your body won’t function at an optimal level.

Water also plays a part on weight loss. It helps burn calories. Without drinking enough water, your body will easily store the excess calories as fat.

3. Aim to eat small, frequent meals throughout the day.

Kick your metabolism into high gear by eating small, frequent meals. You will lose weight and help maintain a healthy weight. This is a very essential tip for those who want to have a long term weight loss and eventually maintain an ideal weight. The act of eating a little bit throughout the day will keep your metabolism burning at a steady, fat-burning pace and gets your body to burn faster. It is certainly a best idea not to starve yourself.

Remind yourself that weight loss similar to weight gain do not happen overnight. Even if you choose to be anorexic will not make you slim down in no time.

Anorexia is always the way to a slimmer you. Fast fix often times leads to trouble including this eating disorder. Feel free to share tips you think people who want to lose should know.

Technorati Tags: anorexia, health, tips lose weight without being anorexia

Gone are the days that women are known to be prone to fall into a vicious cycle of eating disorders. Eating disorders are now more common in men than previously known. Despite this fact, men are not as likely to seek treatments for eating disorders according to a study published in the April 2001 American journal of Psychiatry. The gender of people who suffers from anorexia nervosa has been found with many psychological similarities between men and women who experiences similar symptoms. A continuing debate as to whether men with eating disorders suffer from the same mental disorders and symptoms as women. It is a question that has been fueled by the reality that men are not represented in program that treats eating disorders.

Anorexia nervosa is a refusal or inability to maintain a healthy and normal weight combined with intense fear of gaining weight. A study was conducted involving 62 men who met all or most of the Diagnostic and Statiscal Manual of Mental Disorders criteria for eating disorders with 212 women who had similar eating disorders, and 3769 men who had no eating disorders but with a variety of medical histories.

Little recognition male eating disorders
It is clear that there is a lack of visibility of anorexia or bulimia in the male world. As a result, men tend to withhold information with other men out of embarassment as anorexia is a female issue. The standard of men’s beauty lies on masculinity directly related to body mass, muscle bulge and definition, not weight loss.

A specialist of the Department of Psychiatry at Toronto Hospital shared that men are generally very similar to women with regard to psychopathology. The illnesses are much more equivalent in prevalence than was previously thought. The next potential area is to determine why men wouldn’t come for treatment.

A very likely explanation is that men are hesitant to come for help because they feel eating disorders are labeled as “woman’s diseases”.

Technorati Tags: anorexia nervosa, eating disorder, female disease, health, men

For all parents out there, you may want to think twice about making comments to your child. Gentle and well-meant comments about the weight of your kid can have a negative body image that could somehow lead to dangerous dieting behaviors.  Watch out for these five comments parents should never say to their kids.

You’re such a talented athlete; let’s crank it up a notch.

A mother recognized the running skill of her daughter that lead the mother to encourage her to join the track team and even started to run with the daughter for training. “I thought I was building her self-esteem by praising her, but I didn’t realize that she hated running and was only doing it for me,” says the mother, who asked for her name to be withheld. The kid began increasing extra miles and quickly shed considerable weight. The mother was shocked to hear the response of how much her daughter hated the pressure of track meets. Parents need to stop and reassess given kids have a natural drive to excel in sports without any need of pushing of parents.

You’re big boned unlike your sister. Be careful on making comparisons among your kids.

It can cause harmful overreaction. A young teenager recalled how her mother often compares her to her sister. “Lucy’s the bigger one. I’d overhear my mom saying that to her friends, recalls Lucy, a 19-year-old from Minnesota, whose shame contributed to her drastic weight loss to a weight below 95 pounds during her sophomore year of high school. Parents and other siblings must avoid making hurtful comments on a child’s weight. Research has shown that kids who are teased are more prone to binge eating and other eating disorders.

You can try a new diet which can maybe help.

Female teenagers are susceptible on developing a negative body image especially if they always hear how bad food is. An 18-year-old student of St. Paul shares “I would have liked to have learned about the positives of food, like why I need some fat to build cells and what fruits and vegetables do for my body.” She recently had a roommate whose mother sends diet products and then complained on visits that her daughter hadn’t lost enough weight. “I couldn’t stick around for those conversations,” she says.

I hated my body, too, when I was your age.

With a pure intention, a mother shared the insecurities she’d had as a teen with her daughter, now 16, around the same time her daughter went through puberty. “I told her that I’d always been really thin but then started hating my body when I developed curves. I wanted to be really open about it in case she was feeling the same way,” the mother explains. The daughter, though, took it as a go signal on how she should feel about her own developing body. “I got confused on my mom’s message of not focusing on my body image but at the same time talk about how she hated her body all the time.” The daughter thinks it’s better if her mother hasn’t talk about these things with her.

You look great! Have you lost weight?

Almost all teenagers reported they got praises from family and friends when they started restricting food intake and subsequently dropping weight. An 18-year-old young student form Minneapolis shares “I can put up with how painfully cold and weak I was as long as I got praises on how thin I look. That’s all I remember even when it stops because I’ve gotten so thin.”

Technorati Tags: anorexia, body image, comments not to say to children, eating disorders, parenting