Teens: Pressure: What parents can do

In this day in age, teenagers are under tremendous pressure to uphold an unrealistic image that the media puts out there. Whether it is in magazines, movies, or the fashion & music industry, the pressure to look like their favorite model, actor, or singer enters a teens mind nearly every day. Teenage girls and even guys will go to extreme measures to get thin or stay thin, even if that means starving themselves to death, purging after meals, or overexercising to the point of exhaustion and osteoporosis. I want to list a few warning signs for parents to watch for if they think their son or daughter might be developing an eating disorder:

• Keep an eye out on the types of clothing he/she is wearing. It is common for teens to hide excessive weight loss under baggy pants and extra large t-shirts.


• Take notice of their behaviors during and after meal time. Anorexics will cut their food into small pieces, and shuffle it around the plate. They will do whatever it takes not to eat. Bulimics tend to go the bathroom immediately after a meal to purge. Also, eating in secrecy is another cause for concern.


• Also be aware of your teens body perception. If he/she is constantly making statements like, "I look fat", "My thighs are too heavy", or "My belly is too big," this is an indicator of a poor body image that often times can lead to an eating disorder.

In Memory of

I found this extremely eye opening website that dedicates memory to those unfortunate men and women who died as the result of an eating disorder. Just about all of these men and women died at extremely young ages, one particular girl as young as 14. Most of the women with bulimia died of cardiac arrest or electrolyte imbalance in their sleep. Those suffering from anorexia died from malnurition, dehydration, and electrolyte imbalance. Knowing these men and women died at such young ages from a disease that afflicts so many people in the world, makes me want to work that much harder to help people cure this disease for good. Here is the link for the website.

Portion Control

Portion control is an extremely important weight managment tool because it provides us with a balance between the two extremes (overeating and undereating). Many of us know "what" to eat, but even more of us have been misinformed when it comes to "how much" to eat. Above is a helpful diagram that shows a variety of foods (such as chicken, cheese), that each correspond to an object of an appropriate portion size for that particular food. Developing a "portion control lifestyle" will increase your energy and stamina, elevate your mood, and overall make you a happier, healthier person.

Anorexia in Europe among young models

Awareness

I decided to post this blog in order to provide people with a place to come and share their thoughts, opinions, and stories concerning eating disorders. Anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder are becoming more prevalent than ever before in the United States; 5-10 million females and 1 million males suffer from eating disorders in the United States. About 10% of female college students suffer from bulimia and 1 in 100 American women binges and purges to lose weight. I would like for this blog to be a safe, nonjudgemental place for people who are struggling with an eating disorder to come share ideas, stories, current struggles, and goals in the journey towards recovery.