In an anonymous blog, a teenager confessed that a weight loss effort that began with a desire to be healthy is slowly becoming something else. Her first goal was to lose 5 pounds. She's lost 10 and has set a new goal.

"115 is my goal. I want to show myself I have enough will power to get there. And that I'll be even HAPPIER when I get there. I still eat, I'm just trying to gain all of my self-control to get there."

She admitted concern over her increasing obsession with food and weight loss, but she still tried to convince herself that although she may be at risk, she's really OK. Source: Confession of a Teenager (blog)

Labels: awareness, control, dieting

The latest dieting craze is called "Alternate Day Fasting," or ADF. Advocates say that the ADF regime is less dangerous than the fad it replaced - liquid detoxification diets - and two new studies seem to demonstrate that ADFs may produce some benefits.

A study from the University of California found that when mice eat only every other day, their fat cells shrink by 35 percent and they lose weight. Even if they eat only half as much every other day, their fat cells shrink 35 percent and they lose weight, although not as much as the first group. Another study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who fasted every other day for 21 days lost 2.5 percent of their body weight and 4 percent of body fat.

Scientists believe that an ADF regime may stress the human body in a positive way, activating SIRT1, a gene that helps the body use fats in the bloodstream for energy.

Liquid detox diets usually last between three and 21 days, and involve drinking dandelion tea or special lemonades made with maple syrup, or eating only raw vegetables and fruits. The idea is to rid of the body of environmental pollutants and "cleanse" the organs. However, several people have died from water intoxication or suffered permanent brain damage after following such regimes.

Labels: death, dieting, fasting

Near the tail-end of 2007, we started seeing an abundance of television commercials featuring an excited Valerie Bertinelli announcing that she was just three pounds short of realizing her goal to lose 40 pounds. On the surface it seems like the rallying cry that women are longing for: "you can lose the weight you want to lose", but columnist Connie Schultz also sees the negative impact it can have on countless girls and young women.

"For too many, every glance in the mirror triggers a default button of self-loathing. And that's what Bertinelli's corporate sponsor counts on each time it recruits another overweight actress to diet for public consumption... The message is always clear, whether it's through a celebrity, usually a female, or just another chunky stranger, also usually a female: She hates herself, and you should, too. But we can help."

Schultz goes on to say that many diet programs simply exploit the self-loathing that's often created, in part, by their ad campaigns and teach women to see themselves nothing more than a dress size.

Labels: dieting, media_influences, self-esteem

A University of Minnesota study found that teenage girls who frequently read dieting articles were more likely to use unhealthy weight loss practices five years later. Middle school girls who read dieting articles were twice as likely to use fasting or cigarettes to try and lose weight five years later.

"It didn't seem to matter whether the girls were overweight when they started reading about weight loss, nor whether they considered their weight important. After taking those factors into account, researchers still found reading articles about dieting predicted later unhealthy weight loss behavior."

The study also found that the actual content of the articles was nearly irrelevant. Even articles that made healthy suggestions like cutting back on soda had the same adverse effects. Read more at MSNBC.com.

New Leaf Academy is a junior boarding school just for middle school girls.

Labels: causes of eating disorders, dieting, media_influences

Professor Steven Thomsen, Ph.D., of Brigham Young University recently conducted a survey of health and beauty magazine readers that has some disturbing results.

"Among the nearly 500 students he surveyed, Thomsen found abundant evidence of unhealthy weight control practices in the previous year. Eleven percent of the participants reported that they had used laxatives, 15 percent had taken diet pills, 9 percent induced vomiting, and 52 percent said they had restricted their caloric intake to under 1,200 calories per day."

Thomsen found that women who read health and fitness magazines were much more likely to have used unhealthy methods to control their weight. More significantly, he found that women who read the magazines already had disordered thinking about weight and body image, and simply turned to the magazines for support. Read more at PsychologyToday.com.

Learn about teen drug and alcohol abuse at the TeenHelpDirectory.com.

Labels: dieting, healthy_eating, media_influences

The FDA recently approved the drug Alli for use as an over-the-counter diet drug. Some are concerned that the pill may be abused by people with eating disorders.

"Because it's been approved by the FDA, people think it's safe. But if patients are already at a healthy weight and are using Alli as part of their eating disorder, then it is not safe."

Alli contains the same ingredients as the prescription drug Xenical, but at half the dosage - which is why it can be sold over the counter. It works by blocking the body’s absorption of fat. Read more at NewsWise.com.

Teen abuse of prescription drugs is on the rise and parents need to be aware of the signs. Visit DrugRehabTreatment.com to learn more about Teen Prescription Drug Abuse.

Labels: dieting, drugs, pills

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto recently conducted a survey to determine the accuracy of the Children's Eating Attitudes Test in identifying preteens who are at risk of eating disorders. The test was given to 409 girls who were then interviewed.

"The questionnaire, which the girls filled out themselves, overestimated the prevalence of disordered eating behaviors, which included dieting. Colton explained that this is likely because at this young age it was difficult for them to distinguish on their own between actually going on a diet and thinking about doing so."

Girls who reported being on diets were, on average, heavier than their peers who weren't dieting. Dr. Patricia Colton called the finding "troubling" because dieting has not been shown to be an effective way for young girls to lose weight. Read more at Reuters.com.

Outdoor education therapy programs are especially effective with preteens struggling with emotional and behavioral issues. Learn more about outdoor education programs at WildernessProgramsInfo.com and about outdoor therapy at BootCampsInfo.com.

Labels: causes of eating disorders, dieting, mental_health

Rexanne Mancini, freelance writer and mother of two, says that she's concerned about the number of pre-teen girls she knows who think they're fat or need to be on a diet. Oftentimes, this mindset comes from mom and or dad telling a child as young as 8 that she's overweight.

"Eating disorders are almost as common as acne in teenagers today. These can create many health problems, not the least of which is potential death. Try telling a 15-year old girl that she's not fat after her mother or both parents have been urging her to diet from the time she was old enough to dress herself."

Mancini reminds parents that pre-teen girls may be short and plump, because they haven’t had any growth spurts yet - which is perfectly normal. She also reminds parents that attitudes about food, dieting and body image are learned when children are very young, and will be with them for the rest of their lives. Read more at ParentingIdeas.org.

Labels: causes of eating disorders, dieting, pre-teens

Recent studies have some in the medical community raising their eyebrows and asking hard questions. The studies focus on a type of "diet" called Calorie Restriction and claim that reducing caloric intake may slow down the aging process. But is Calorie Restriction actually an unrecognized type of eating disorder?

"Although we don't know yet whether the longevity benefits extend to humans, a number of people have put themselves on draconian diets in the hope of living loner. They refer to their regimen as CR (calorie restriction) or CRON (calorie restriction with optimal nutrition), and they call themselves CRONies... Like anorexics, CRONies discover in starvation an apparent solution to their problems: a source of energy (at least at first), a sense of purpose, and relief from stress."

Thus far, no one from the eating disorder field has adequately explained the difference between calorie restriction and anorexia; why one is an accepted type of diet while the other is an eating disorder.

Read more at Slate.com.

Labels: anorexia, calorie_restriction, dieting

Those who treat eating disorders are finding a new one called "orthorexia." Dr. Michael Bratman, who named the disorder, says it is a "fixation on righteous eating."

The typical anorexia nervosa patient starves herself to appear thin, but the orthorexic restricts her food for spiritual fulfillment. Orthorexics often develop such rigid rules about food choices that they end up starving themselves. Because they restrict themselves to only a few foods they believe are "pure" enough to eat, they usually cannot eat out or shop at ordinary grocery stores. Their quality of life decreases as their food obsessions increase.

Some studies have found a link between vegetarianism and eating disorders. In a 1997 Michigan study of 107 teenaged girls, vegetarians were found to vomit four times as often, use laxatives eight times more often, and diet twice as often as meat eaters. A July 2006 study in Israel found that 85% of anorexic patients were vegetarians.

Labels: dieting, orthorexia, vegetarians

This week is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. The National Eating Disorder Association's theme for this year is "Be comfortable in your genes. Wear jeans that fit the REAL you."

"Too often individuals struggle against their natural, genetically influenced size just to fit into that pair of 'skinny jeans' in the back of their closets. Fighting your natural size and shape can lead to unhealthy dieting practices, poor body image and sometimes eating disorders."

The National Eating Disorder Association is hosting several Great Jeans Giveaway events across the nation. The events are intended to encourage women to giveaway those "skinny jeans" and learn to be comfortable in jeans that are made for their body type.

Read more at NationalEatingDisorders.org.

Labels: awareness, body image, dieting