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Now that the summer is in full swing, the days are filled with warm days and daily beach trips.
This is the time of the year where tweens and teens feel the most pressure to be thin.
About 35-37% of adolescent girls engage in crash dieting, fasting, self-induced vomiting or take diet pills or laxatives, reports the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA). What is really scary is that 42% of first- through third-grade girls say that they want to be thinner.
Parents may not realize or are unaware of how serious eating disorders are with tweens and teens. Coaching teens one on one I see how serious this problem is and how many teens, especially girls, are really struggling with self-esteem and wanting to be thin (and doing whatever it takes to get there). Parents have a serious role in learning about eating disorders body image issues and what are possible warning signs. Having had an eating disorder for 10 years, I know firsthand some of the common warning signs that a teen could potentially have an eating disorder.
Here are some warning signs:
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Intense fear of gaining weight
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Getting on a scale multiple times a day
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Excessive drinking of fluids and denial of hunger
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Withdrawal from friends, family and activities
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Avoidance of situations involving food or meal times
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Excessive exercise
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Constantly discussing their weight and how fat they look or feel
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Dramatic weight loss and/or a change in dress ( such as clothes to flaunt weight loss or oversize clothing to cover the body)
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Catching your child in a lie about how much they have eaten or hiding eating habits
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Believe their self-worth is based on weight or body size
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Obsession with calories, fat grams and nutrition
It is important to address the issue early on because it can quickly spiral out of control. When I was going through the worst of my eating disorder in just a few months I went from 132 pounds to 82 pounds. Initiating a conversation about your concerns and your child’s health is the best way to open the lines of communication. Avoid making accusations, be supportive and seek resources: your local hospital, the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), or health coaches.
Above all, make sure to set a healthy example for your teen – focus on wellness and happiness, not the scale.
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