Southwest
Michigan
Eating
Disorders
As s o c i a t i o n
The Tiger in the Jungle:
Identifying Eating Disorders
V o l u m e
4 5
M a r c h
&
A p r i l
2 0 1 5
NEW WEBSITE URL!
http://www.swmichiganeatingdisorders.org/
Sources of Information and
Help
(The sources provided are not
endorsed by SMEDA.
However, members involved in
developing this newsletter have
reviewed the books and
websites and determined that
they are appropriate source
material..)
Healthy Bodies: Teaching Kids What They Need
to Know by Kathy J.
Kater
Health and Every Size:
The Surprising Truth
About Your Weight by
Linda Bacon
Teaching With Love &
Logic by Jim Fay and
David Funk
I'm Like So Fat! Helping
Your Teen Make Healthy
Choices About Eating and
Exercise in a Weight
Obsessed World by Dianne Neumark-Sztainer
Parents Guide to Eating
Disorders by Marcia
Herrin & Nancy Matsumoto
National Health and
Education Standards
(CDC—Adolescents and
School Health)
Analysis Paralysis (A
blog entry that looks at a
practical approach to
explaining the difference
between a brain controlled by ED and a
"normal" brain).
NEDA—Developing and
Maintaining a Positive
Body Image
Promoting Health Instead of Size: Teaching Children to
Care for, not Compare their Bodies
Myth #2: Anyone Can Be which results in poor self esteem
and body image.
Slim if They Work at It:
The antidote to this myth reThe “right size” is essenquires us to teach our children and
tial...for everything
In our society, the “right”
weight and BMI have become a
poor proxy for health. This leads
to incredible stigma for those who
are unable to achieve it. As humans, there are many choices we
can make and many things we can
control. One can choose to eat
healthy foods at regular intervals
and seek to let their body move
(exercise) in ways that they enjoy.
One can get adequate sleep. One
can’t decide to be 5 inches taller
than their DNA has instructed or
naturally change the color of their
skin or eyes. Why do we think
we can control weight and remain
healthy?
Prior to entering puberty, it is
normal for girls and boys to gain
weight. The human endocrine
system needs to insure that the
caloric capital necessary for their
changing bodies are available
before embarking on the second
fastest growth rate that humans
experience. Unfortunately, during
this pre-pubertal phase, our children are often labeled as “getting
fat.” This negative interpretation
of a natural part of physical development increases objectification
of body parts and weight stigma,
students to think critically about
the media message of “right and
wrong size.” Those of us who
work with youth need to promote
character based on inner qualities
rather than our current cultural
focus of size and appearance. We
need to provide the framework to
discuss how the dieting industry
has grown over the past 45-50
years and how our society has only
gotten fatter since they tried to
help us “take control”.
The reality, that genetic predisposition has a strong influence in
our shape and size, is often ignored in everything from mass
media to the health and weight
industry. We ignore the fact that
we are biologically diverse and
that not everyone is designed to be
skinny and tall (only about 1% of
the population). We also fail to
teach our youth that girls in puberty will gain 30-40 pounds and
increase their percentage of body
fat. We forget that teen boys need
3000-3500 kcal per day during
their growth spurt…and that is just
for basal body needs and growth,
not additional physical activity. If
the goal for our children is to
maintain health, then there is a
limit to how much caloric
© T. M.
restriction and weight control an
individual can undergo before
they start to experience the physiologic effects of nutrient deficiencies and starvation.
Reminder: If you suspect
someone is struggling with
an ED, please follow your
school’s policy and seek
professional guidance on
how to manage the situation.