What The Eating Disorder World Wants Mrs. Obama To Know

[Done-With-It!]

What The Eating Disorder World Wants Mrs. Obama To Know

In the eating disorders world, putting any child on a diet is not only unacceptable but appalling.

In the eating disorders world, a father referring to his child as "chubby" and commenting on her eating habits is not only frowned upon it is reviled.

In the eating disorder world a mother who felt her children were "perfect" should not be corrected by a doctor who points to the children's weight as altering that.

In the eating disorders world it is well-known and embraced that healthy children rapidly gain weight as they approach puberty.

In the eating disorders world it is understood that dieting is an unhealthy behavior, that healthy weight is whatever one's body ends up with when they are behaviorally and mentally healthy - a wide range of body shapes and sizes. Average weight people can be unhealthy, and non-average weight people can be healthy.

Behaviors, not weight, are appropriate health goals.

But OUTSIDE the eating disorder world none of the above is true. In fact, most people believe the opposite on every single point, and are not aware of any other way to think or that the science supports all of the above. I am sucker-punched to read that our First Family put their daughters on a "diet" because they feared "obesity" and no doubt will be lauded for it.

This is not an eating disorder issue, however, and it should not be only us who know this and speak out about it. These are medical, social, and ultimately self-defeating errors in thinking that do harm to all children and all of us. I am very sad today.

[Chy]

Very good post Miss D. Thank you!

[Hopefloats]

For my grandson who gained some weight a couple of years ago, I REFUSED to use the word DIET ever, and I also refused to EVER put any focus on his weight. I know that he needs to have gentle guidance in making healthier food choices, but what kid doesn't? What I won't do is set my grandson up for food issues, or some complex at his age. I don't want a child nervous about what he or she is eating. I want my boy to be taught in a very age appropriate way, about food, and I ALSO will allow my kid to be a kid and enjoy a damn cookie at Grammy Hope's house! So there!

One day my boy told me that he was fat. It broke my heart. I cleared that little issue up and when we were done our talk my boy felt good and he did not think that he was fat. He better understood about body images, and all that.
Grrrrr on putting kids on diets!!

[Don S]

Here is a part of the article, I assume, that this is about:

"Michelle Obama started a campaign to tackle childhood obesity in the U.S. on a personal vein - with an admission that her own daughters were becoming overweight before a diet nipped the problem in the bud.
The First Lady said that she had been warned by the family paediatrician that 'something was getting out of balance' with her two children Malia 11, and Sasha, 8.
'In my eyes I thought my children were perfect - I didn’t see the changes,' Mrs Obama said at an event organised by US health officials.
The girls then had to adhere to new ground rules - less burgers, low-fat milk, and fruits and water instead of sugary drinks; the change was significant, she said."

I'm a little baffled. Mrs. Obama should not encourage her kids to eat in a healthy manner? I'm not asking this to be argumentative. Please educate me here.

[Hopefloats]

Oh yes Don. I misunderstood. I thought that she just put them on diets. I agree 100 percent with teaching our kids to eat healthy. My concern is when some parents call their children fat or make them so upset about their body image that, THAT spirals into some eating disorder.

It breaks my heart totally to see young children with bad feelings about how they look. Hope I explained myself right. I just know that if not handled gently, kids can easily get caught up in looking "just right."