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Teenagers

Talking to teen girls about weight

10 replies

notonlybutalso · 13/05/2013 12:51

without giving or endorsing negative messages.

Can anybody suggest helpful reading materials?

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TigOldBitties · 13/05/2013 14:17

Can you be a bit more specific about what you want? Talking to teen girls about maintaining a healthy weight? Talking to teens about to getting to fat/thin? Talking to teens about having a good body image?

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Theas18 · 13/05/2013 14:24

agree, to vague a question!

For tubby teens the fit4life site is good as it's about family changes which are usually what are needed. Don't be afraid to talk about " eating better and moving more" as a family. That wont " make them anorexic" .

If you are talking about a teen that is too thin with altered perception/body image ie feeling " fat" when they are actually an 8st strip of wind etc then I'm not sure if it's not better to grasp the nettle and see GP/seek help as an eating disorder is probably " setting in" and it would be better nipped in the bud.

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specialsubject · 14/05/2013 12:12

make sure they know about photoshop and CGI.

make sure they know what models have to do to look like that. (Why, we ask, given how sick they look)

make sure they understand that a healthy weight is a range, not an exact number.

Teach them to laugh at all the teen and trash mags, and to be smarter than that.

teach them to be people, not sheep.

every week I buy the Saturday Times. I like most of the content, but every week I am angered at the juxtaposition in the magazine. Melanie Reid writing interestingly and movingly about her battle from spinal injury, and next page is Laura Craik in one stupid outfit after another, with pictures of revoltingly skeletal models. This glorification of the half-dead look is everywhere and I wish it would change.

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notonlybutalso · 23/05/2013 12:01

Thanks. I'm really interested in helping a late teen who is overweight (by BMI rather than aesthetic standards) but doesn't have a negative self image, decide to make more sensible food choices without causing her to develop a poor self image. She is very active (for instance dance classes three times a week) but I suspect that, like me, she will become a type 2 diabetic as she carries weight on the torso and doesn't seem to process carbs too well.

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cory · 23/05/2013 12:37

If she is your own dd, you can make it non-judgmental by simply discussing your own illness and telling her there may be hereditary factors so she might want to take precautions. I have told dd that high blood pressure runs in our family so there are things (heavy drinking, overconsumption of salt and fats) that she might want to watch out for.

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Mitchy1nge · 23/05/2013 12:40

I don't think you have to talk about weight, you can go for a run together and tweak meals so there are more veg more protein fewer carbs maybe (if this is appropriate) and go about it rather obliquely

maybe don't ask me though, I keep giving my daughters eating disorders Confused

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specialsubject · 23/05/2013 13:23

what kind of carbs? Sugary simple carbs (which no-one should eat too much of) or complex slow-release carbs (which everyone should have in their diet to a proportion of about 40%).

Even the Atkins website now knows the difference.

nhs eatwell plate.No fad diets, no fasting, just eating the same as you burn off.

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notonlybutalso · 23/05/2013 14:02

I must take issue with the simple versus complex carbs thing. All carbs eventually turn to sugar in the blood stream. 40g of simple carbs will do it rapidly, 40g of complex carbs will do it slowly but there will still be 40g of carbs for the body to metabolise. It is true that if you have a properly functioning pancreas your body can deal with a substantial amount of carbs, and will experience fewer bad side effects from complex carbs than simple carbs. But if your pancreas does not function properly too many carbs will lead to an unhealthily high blood sugar level whether they are released into the blood stream quickly or slowly. For diet controlled type two diabetics the overall load of carbs per day is as important as the type of carbs in controlling blood sugar levels - if I eat more than 100g of carbs in a day I will have a raised BM the following morning whether they were sinful sugar carbs or virtuous brown rice carbs. One of the sadnesses in my life is that by following the Government's advice to eat a substantial amount of complex carbs I seem to have actively contributed to my subsequent disease; had I been advised to eat a lower amount of carbs overall I might well never have become pre-diabetic with minor weight issues but have avoided diabetes and had the BMI of 23-24 that I easily maintain now that I have reduced the overall carb load. That is what I want for my daughter, but I want to equip her to make that choice without inadvertantly undermining her self esteem.

I have spoken to her about my condition and she knows that she is probably at higher risk of developing diabetes as she also has three grandparents with type two diabetes. None of us are obese, we fall into the 20% of type two diabetics who are have a normal or slighty raised BMI. I was hoping for recommendations as to literature that will equip me to say 'you have more fat than is ideal and you carry it on your abdomen in a way that is known to be riskier than if it were on your hips and bum' without her drawing the conclusion that I am saying she is fat and unattractive.

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Mitchy1nge · 23/05/2013 14:05

well can you just talk about a healthy hip waist ratio and adopt/model eating plans and physical activities that promote that without actually mentioning fat?

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PeterParkerSays · 23/05/2013 14:38

Can you discuss with her about body shape. You're an apple shape etc.

You can then look at a healthy diet / exercise for her shape, plus talk with her about clothes style that suit her shape, bias cut dresses etc. so the weight issue is part of a wider discussion.

also, how involved does she get with cooking meals? Can she sit down with you and plan a healthy meal - brown rice, fish etc.

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