Article: Young, skinny ‹ and obsessed with diets

Young, skinny ‹ and obsessed with diets
Weight concerns can as early as 14 Fashion, parents take the
blameGirls, and some boys too, unduly concerned about weight


MARGO VARADI
TORONTO STAR

Dominique Dasti hates her body and no matter how hard she tries she
can't get it to look the way she wants.

"People say I'm too skinny but I look in the mirror and don't see that
at all," says Dominique, 13. "Kids used to tease me and say I'm fat but
they don't anymore ... I've kept that thought that I'm big and fatter
than anyone else and it won't go away. I don't think I could ever feel
skinny."

Dominique is proof of a growing phenomenon of young girls dissatisfied
with their bodies. According to a recent study, young girls are
becoming increasingly concerned about their weight and are taking
drastic dieting measures even when there is no need. The Canadian
Medical Association Journal study states that by 14, more than half of
girls want to be thinner and are afraid of being overweight.

Experts blame the problem on everything from images of the ultra-thin
in the media and fashion, to dieting parents and peer pressure. Local
children and their parents talked to the Star to voice their own
experiences.

On the verge of starving, Dominique says she often goes an entire day
eating only a piece of fruit, just to stay thin. Standing at 5-foot-6,
she used to be 150 pounds and now she's 114.

"Everybody says she looks great and that's what makes her lose weight,
so I wish people would stop saying it," says her worried mother
Madeline, who is desperate to get help for her daughter. "She won't put
a thing in her mouth because she's afraid to gain weight. She's always
looking in the mirror."

Angela Jardine is the mother of an 11-year-old.

"My daughter pinches her waist and says, `If I can pinch more than an
inch, I need to lose weight.' She likes to be skinny so she can wear
belly shirts," says Jardine. "If somebody chunky is walking down the
street in a short top she would say, `Why are they wearing that and
letting their `flob' hang out?'"

As far as kids are concerned, to be fat is to be an outcast. Gail
McVey, the lead researcher for the recent Canadian Medical Association
Journal study says peer acceptance is critical, especially for girls
who believe in only one acceptable body type.

"I feel sorry for this girl in my class who's fat," says 9-year-old
Gabrielle Segal. "I wonder what it's like to look in the mirror and
think you're fat. I think it must feel really bad."

Her mother Ilana is shocked that her daughter even has a concept of
weight issues at her age. Gabrielle's brother Dan, 7, has picked up on
them, too.

"My sister is so skinny but I'm not," says Dan. "I think I could be
skinnier so now I eat mangos because they're a nice fruit and low fat."

McVey has just completed another study which showed that 24.5 per cent
of a sample of 10- to 14-year-old boys were dieting compared to 31 per
cent of the girls. According to McVey, the message for boys is that
they want a trim and defined physique. Extreme methods of weight
control ‹ including laxatives, diuretics and self-induced vomiting ‹
were actually higher among the boys than girls. A small number of boys
reported taking food supplements and even steroids to gain muscle.

Many children blame the media for their obsessions.

"The media can't get enough of girls whose ribs you can see. If you
watch TV or walk down Queen St., you see models or people trying to
look like models," says Lee Melamed, 14. "That's going to rub off on a
girl no matter what age."

Like many kids her age, Tabatha Goncalves, 11, and her friends read
tween magazines, filled with impossibly perfect celebrities in slinky
clothes.

"We're all like, `Oh my gosh ... I wish I looked like that. I wish I
had her body,'" Tabatha says.

While some try to fit the mould, others, like Jody Steinman, 11, think
it's unnatural.

"I go to a store and try on a million pants that don't fit me. I think
pants are made for anorexic people," Jody says. She points out that
among her peers, in order to be popular, everyone thinks they need to
be small, skinny and wear tight, expensive clothes.

"Girls think their appearance is more important than how they act. One
of my friends sucks in her stomach all the time. She thinks she looks
fat but she's one of the skinniest people I know."

Many girls believe that boys don't want fat girls.

"Sometimes I stand in front of the mirror for an hour fixing myself
because I feel like I'm not good enough for this world," says Tabatha.
"Sometimes just to bug me, guys will be like `you're fat.' I feel like
I have to do something about it."

It doesn't help that tween magazines are filled with so-called diet
miracles, nor does it help that many parents are dissatisfied with
their own bodies and following these same diets.

"My mom is on a diet because she thinks she's fat, too ... I feel like
I should do what my mom does, like diet and exercise, because it's
working for her," says Tabatha.

It's this kind of thinking in kids that Sari Simkins, manager of the
Healthy Lifestyle Program at Toronto Public Health, is trying to alter.
The program, founded by McVey, aims to steer kids away from fixating on
dieting and more into leading a healthy lifestyle.

"We work with children and youth to promote healthy body image by
focusing on positive behaviours, encouraging kids to be active, be well
and be themselves."

Simkins says that supporting more positive behaviour should begin by
changing language like: "You look great. Have you lost weight?" We
should all be thinking about how we contribute to what these girls are
saying to themselves and how our values, attitude and our language are
influencing their thoughts and behaviour.

Having wrestled with her own body image, Dominique has advice for other
kids.

"Just live with what you have," she says. "When you get obsessed with
appearances it takes over your life. It's all you can think about and
all you can do."

--
Diva
******
There is no substitute for the right food

"Carol Frilegh" wrote in message
...
Young, skinny and obsessed with diets
Weight concerns can as early as 14 Fashion, parents take the
blameGirls, and some boys too, unduly concerned about weight


MARGO VARADI
TORONTO STAR

Dominique Dasti hates her body and no matter how hard she tries she
can't get it to look the way she wants.

"People say I'm too skinny but I look in the mirror and don't see that
at all," says Dominique, 13. "Kids used to tease me and say I'm fat but
they don't anymore ... I've kept that thought that I'm big and fatter
than anyone else and it won't go away. I don't think I could ever feel
skinny."

Dominique is proof of a growing phenomenon of young girls dissatisfied
with their bodies. According to a recent study, young girls are
becoming increasingly concerned about their weight and are taking
drastic dieting measures even when there is no need. The Canadian
Medical Association Journal study states that by 14, more than half of
girls want to be thinner and are afraid of being overweight.

Experts blame the problem on everything from images of the ultra-thin
in the media and fashion, to dieting parents and peer pressure. Local
children and their parents talked to the Star to voice their own
experiences.

On the verge of starving, Dominique says she often goes an entire day
eating only a piece of fruit, just to stay thin. Standing at 5-foot-6,
she used to be 150 pounds and now she's 114.

A 13 year old girl, 5' 6" tall, who weighs 114 lbs, is in the "Normal Range"
according to the Centers for Disease Control/World Health Organization, with
a Body Mass Index of 18.4. At her age, height, and gender she would be in
the 31st weight percentile, compared to US averages. Although she is at the
low end of normal, and may indeed have an eating disorder, her current
weight is not that extreme by comparison.

GG
http://www.WeightWare.com
Your Weight and Health Diary



"Everybody says she looks great and that's what makes her lose weight,
so I wish people would stop saying it," says her worried mother
Madeline, who is desperate to get help for her daughter. "She won't put
a thing in her mouth because she's afraid to gain weight. She's always
looking in the mirror."

Angela Jardine is the mother of an 11-year-old.

"My daughter pinches her waist and says, `If I can pinch more than an
inch, I need to lose weight.' She likes to be skinny so she can wear
belly shirts," says Jardine. "If somebody chunky is walking down the
street in a short top she would say, `Why are they wearing that and
letting their `flob' hang out?'"

As far as kids are concerned, to be fat is to be an outcast. Gail
McVey, the lead researcher for the recent Canadian Medical Association
Journal study says peer acceptance is critical, especially for girls
who believe in only one acceptable body type.

"I feel sorry for this girl in my class who's fat," says 9-year-old
Gabrielle Segal. "I wonder what it's like to look in the mirror and
think you're fat. I think it must feel really bad."

Her mother Ilana is shocked that her daughter even has a concept of
weight issues at her age. Gabrielle's brother Dan, 7, has picked up on
them, too.

"My sister is so skinny but I'm not," says Dan. "I think I could be
skinnier so now I eat mangos because they're a nice fruit and low fat."

McVey has just completed another study which showed that 24.5 per cent
of a sample of 10- to 14-year-old boys were dieting compared to 31 per
cent of the girls. According to McVey, the message for boys is that
they want a trim and defined physique. Extreme methods of weight
control including laxatives, diuretics and self-induced vomiting
were actually higher among the boys than girls. A small number of boys
reported taking food supplements and even steroids to gain muscle.

Many children blame the media for their obsessions.

"The media can't get enough of girls whose ribs you can see. If you
watch TV or walk down Queen St., you see models or people trying to
look like models," says Lee Melamed, 14. "That's going to rub off on a
girl no matter what age."

Like many kids her age, Tabatha Goncalves, 11, and her friends read
tween magazines, filled with impossibly perfect celebrities in slinky
clothes.

"We're all like, `Oh my gosh ... I wish I looked like that. I wish I
had her body,'" Tabatha says.

While some try to fit the mould, others, like Jody Steinman, 11, think
it's unnatural.

"I go to a store and try on a million pants that don't fit me. I think
pants are made for anorexic people," Jody says. She points out that
among her peers, in order to be popular, everyone thinks they need to
be small, skinny and wear tight, expensive clothes.

"Girls think their appearance is more important than how they act. One
of my friends sucks in her stomach all the time. She thinks she looks
fat but she's one of the skinniest people I know."

Many girls believe that boys don't want fat girls.

"Sometimes I stand in front of the mirror for an hour fixing myself
because I feel like I'm not good enough for this world," says Tabatha.
"Sometimes just to bug me, guys will be like `you're fat.' I feel like
I have to do something about it."

It doesn't help that tween magazines are filled with so-called diet
miracles, nor does it help that many parents are dissatisfied with
their own bodies and following these same diets.

"My mom is on a diet because she thinks she's fat, too ... I feel like
I should do what my mom does, like diet and exercise, because it's
working for her," says Tabatha.

It's this kind of thinking in kids that Sari Simkins, manager of the
Healthy Lifestyle Program at Toronto Public Health, is trying to alter.
The program, founded by McVey, aims to steer kids away from fixating on
dieting and more into leading a healthy lifestyle.

"We work with children and youth to promote healthy body image by
focusing on positive behaviours, encouraging kids to be active, be well
and be themselves."

Simkins says that supporting more positive behaviour should begin by
changing language like: "You look great. Have you lost weight?" We
should all be thinking about how we contribute to what these girls are
saying to themselves and how our values, attitude and our language are
influencing their thoughts and behaviour.

Having wrestled with her own body image, Dominique has advice for other
kids.

"Just live with what you have," she says. "When you get obsessed with
appearances it takes over your life. It's all you can think about and
all you can do."

--
Diva
******
There is no substitute for the right food

In article , GaryG
wrote:

A 13 year old girl, 5' 6" tall, who weighs 114 lbs, is in the "Normal Range"
according to the Centers for Disease Control/World Health Organization, with
a Body Mass Index of 18.4. At her age, height, and gender she would be in
the 31st weight percentile, compared to US averages. Although she is at the
low end of normal, and may indeed have an eating disorder, her current
weight is not that extreme by comparison.

GG
http://www.WeightWare.com
Your Weight and Health Diary

Fitday has that girl off the chart in a blank zone underweight.

--
Diva
******
There is no substitute for the right food

"Carol Frilegh" wrote in message
...
In article , GaryG
wrote:

A 13 year old girl, 5' 6" tall, who weighs 114 lbs, is in the "Normal
Range"
according to the Centers for Disease Control/World Health Organization,
with
a Body Mass Index of 18.4. At her age, height, and gender she would be
in
the 31st weight percentile, compared to US averages. Although she is at
the
low end of normal, and may indeed have an eating disorder, her current
weight is not that extreme by comparison.

GG
http://www.WeightWare.com
Your Weight and Health Diary

Fitday has that girl off the chart in a blank zone underweight.

Interesting...I wonder where fitday gets their numbers from? Does their
system take into account her age and sex? (I couldn't find anything on their
web site).

One of the better Body Mass Index sites I've found is Steven Halls, MD. His
calculator is he

http://www.halls.md/body-mass-index/bmi.htm

It's true that some BMI calculators indicate "Underweight" starting around
BMI=18.5. But, most of those are for adults...teens tend to naturally run
low BMI's. Her weight is in the 31st percentile, which is on the low side,
but not abnormally low for her age and height.

It sounds like she may have an eating disorder, but based on her weight
alone, she may not yet be in a dangerous condition (physically, anyway).

GG


--
Diva
******
There is no substitute for the right food

In article , GaryG
wrote:

"Carol Frilegh" wrote in message
...
In article , GaryG
wrote:

A 13 year old girl, 5' 6" tall, who weighs 114 lbs, is in the "Normal
Range"
according to the Centers for Disease Control/World Health Organization,
with
a Body Mass Index of 18.4. At her age, height, and gender she would be
in
the 31st weight percentile, compared to US averages. Although she is at
the
low end of normal, and may indeed have an eating disorder, her current
weight is not that extreme by comparison.

GG
http://www.WeightWare.com
Your Weight and Health Diary

Fitday has that girl off the chart in a blank zone underweight.

Interesting...I wonder where fitday gets their numbers from? Does their
system take into account her age and sex? (I couldn't find anything on their
web site).

One of the better Body Mass Index sites I've found is Steven Halls, MD. His
calculator is he

http://www.halls.md/body-mass-index/bmi.htm

It's true that some BMI calculators indicate "Underweight" starting around
BMI=18.5. But, most of those are for adults...teens tend to naturally run
low BMI's. Her weight is in the 31st percentile, which is on the low side,
but not abnormally low for her age and height.

It sounds like she may have an eating disorder, but based on her weight
alone, she may not yet be in a dangerous condition (physically, anyway).

GG

Doing it subjectively, at 13 I had reached my full height of 5 ft 6 1/2
inches and a weight of 165. The lowest I ever got subsequently was the
low 130's and it was below my set point. Now shorter and wiser, I hang
around 139-141 with an acceptable BMI, some pinchable areas and the
ongoing battle with gravity one expects at age 73.

That teen would have to be extremely small boned at 113-115 and is
probably headed for a career as a runway supermodel.

You sound very weight wise and savvy and I look forward to downloading
and checking out your program because there is something magical about
the words "Free Trial"

--
Diva
*****
The Best Man for the Job May Be A Woman

"Carol Frilegh" wrote in message
...
In article , GaryG
wrote:

"Carol Frilegh" wrote in message
...
In article , GaryG
wrote:

A 13 year old girl, 5' 6" tall, who weighs 114 lbs, is in the
"Normal
Range"
according to the Centers for Disease Control/World Health
Organization,
with
a Body Mass Index of 18.4. At her age, height, and gender she would
be
in
the 31st weight percentile, compared to US averages. Although she is
at
the
low end of normal, and may indeed have an eating disorder, her
current
weight is not that extreme by comparison.

GG
http://www.WeightWare.com
Your Weight and Health Diary

Fitday has that girl off the chart in a blank zone underweight.

Interesting...I wonder where fitday gets their numbers from? Does their
system take into account her age and sex? (I couldn't find anything on
their
web site).

One of the better Body Mass Index sites I've found is Steven Halls, MD.
His
calculator is he

http://www.halls.md/body-mass-index/bmi.htm

It's true that some BMI calculators indicate "Underweight" starting
around
BMI=18.5. But, most of those are for adults...teens tend to naturally
run
low BMI's. Her weight is in the 31st percentile, which is on the low
side,
but not abnormally low for her age and height.

It sounds like she may have an eating disorder, but based on her weight
alone, she may not yet be in a dangerous condition (physically, anyway).

GG

Doing it subjectively, at 13 I had reached my full height of 5 ft 6 1/2
inches and a weight of 165. The lowest I ever got subsequently was the
low 130's and it was below my set point. Now shorter and wiser, I hang
around 139-141 with an acceptable BMI, some pinchable areas and the
ongoing battle with gravity one expects at age 73.

That teen would have to be extremely small boned at 113-115 and is
probably headed for a career as a runway supermodel.

You sound very weight wise and savvy and I look forward to downloading
and checking out your program because there is something magical about
the words "Free Trial"

Ahhh, thanks...that's music to my ears :-). I hope you enjoy WeightWare and
find it useful, but you might want to wait a day or two before downloading
it. The new version 1.4 includes several new graphs, some bug fixes, and
some ease-of-use enhancements. I hope to release it to the website early
tomorrow.

GG
http://www.WeightWare.com
Your Weight and Health Diary



--
Diva
*****
The Best Man for the Job May Be A Woman

GaryG wrote:

"Carol Frilegh" wrote in message
...

In article , GaryG
wrote:


A 13 year old girl, 5' 6" tall, who weighs 114 lbs, is in the "Normal

Range"

according to the Centers for Disease Control/World Health Organization,

with

a Body Mass Index of 18.4. At her age, height, and gender she would be

in

the 31st weight percentile, compared to US averages. Although she is at

the

low end of normal, and may indeed have an eating disorder, her current
weight is not that extreme by comparison.

GG
http://www.WeightWare.com
Your Weight and Health Diary

Fitday has that girl off the chart in a blank zone underweight.


Interesting...I wonder where fitday gets their numbers from? Does their
system take into account her age and sex? (I couldn't find anything on their
web site).

One of the better Body Mass Index sites I've found is Steven Halls, MD. His
calculator is he

http://www.halls.md/body-mass-index/bmi.htm

It's true that some BMI calculators indicate "Underweight" starting around
BMI=18.5. But, most of those are for adults...teens tend to naturally run
low BMI's. Her weight is in the 31st percentile, which is on the low side,
but not abnormally low for her age and height.

It sounds like she may have an eating disorder, but based on her weight
alone, she may not yet be in a dangerous condition (physically, anyway).

Just as another example, I just called up to my 13 year old daughter and
asked her what she weighs. She replied "I have no idea." I told her to
go weigh herself on my scale. She came in at 95 pounds at 5'3". She's
in the 25th percentile, which makes perfect sense: she slender but not
boney. Furthermore, she's been between the 10th and 25th percentile for
weight at every well-child checkup since she was 2 months old. Pardon
me if I don't get hysterical about her being under 100 pounds.

Dally

"Dally" wrote in message
...
GaryG wrote:


It's true that some BMI calculators indicate "Underweight" starting
around
BMI=18.5. But, most of those are for adults...teens tend to naturally
run
low BMI's. Her weight is in the 31st percentile, which is on the low
side,
but not abnormally low for her age and height.

It sounds like she may have an eating disorder, but based on her weight
alone, she may not yet be in a dangerous condition (physically, anyway).

Just as another example, I just called up to my 13 year old daughter and
asked her what she weighs. She replied "I have no idea." I told her to
go weigh herself on my scale. She came in at 95 pounds at 5'3". She's
in the 25th percentile, which makes perfect sense: she slender but not
boney. Furthermore, she's been between the 10th and 25th percentile for
weight at every well-child checkup since she was 2 months old. Pardon
me if I don't get hysterical about her being under 100 pounds.

Dally


Well, just being a low weight or underweight doesn't make a person anorexic.
The girl in the original article specifically said she only eats one piece
of fruit a day because she is afraid of getting fat. *That* is what
differentiates an anorexic from a healthy, slender individual.

On 6/5/2004 6:41 PM, GaryG wrote:
"Carol Frilegh" wrote in message
...

Young, skinny and obsessed with diets
Weight concerns can as early as 14 Fashion, parents take the
blameGirls, and some boys too, unduly concerned about weight


MARGO VARADI
TORONTO STAR

Dominique Dasti hates her body and no matter how hard she tries she
can't get it to look the way she wants.

"People say I'm too skinny but I look in the mirror and don't see that
at all," says Dominique, 13. "Kids used to tease me and say I'm fat but
they don't anymore ... I've kept that thought that I'm big and fatter
than anyone else and it won't go away. I don't think I could ever feel
skinny."

Dominique is proof of a growing phenomenon of young girls dissatisfied
with their bodies. According to a recent study, young girls are
becoming increasingly concerned about their weight and are taking
drastic dieting measures even when there is no need. The Canadian
Medical Association Journal study states that by 14, more than half of
girls want to be thinner and are afraid of being overweight.

Experts blame the problem on everything from images of the ultra-thin
in the media and fashion, to dieting parents and peer pressure. Local
children and their parents talked to the Star to voice their own
experiences.

On the verge of starving, Dominique says she often goes an entire day
eating only a piece of fruit, just to stay thin. Standing at 5-foot-6,
she used to be 150 pounds and now she's 114.


A 13 year old girl, 5' 6" tall, who weighs 114 lbs, is in the "Normal Range"
according to the Centers for Disease Control/World Health Organization, with
a Body Mass Index of 18.4. At her age, height, and gender she would be in
the 31st weight percentile, compared to US averages. Although she is at the
low end of normal, and may indeed have an eating disorder, her current
weight is not that extreme by comparison.

GG
http://www.WeightWare.com
Your Weight and Health Diary

Wrong. According to the CDC, a BMI of 18.5 or lower is underweight.

http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi/calc-bmi.htm

--
jmk in NC

"jmk" wrote in message
...
On 6/5/2004 6:41 PM, GaryG wrote:
"Carol Frilegh" wrote in message
...

Young, skinny and obsessed with diets
Weight concerns can as early as 14 Fashion, parents take the
blameGirls, and some boys too, unduly concerned about weight


MARGO VARADI
TORONTO STAR

Dominique Dasti hates her body and no matter how hard she tries she
can't get it to look the way she wants.

"People say I'm too skinny but I look in the mirror and don't see that
at all," says Dominique, 13. "Kids used to tease me and say I'm fat but
they don't anymore ... I've kept that thought that I'm big and fatter
than anyone else and it won't go away. I don't think I could ever feel
skinny."

Dominique is proof of a growing phenomenon of young girls dissatisfied
with their bodies. According to a recent study, young girls are
becoming increasingly concerned about their weight and are taking
drastic dieting measures even when there is no need. The Canadian
Medical Association Journal study states that by 14, more than half of
girls want to be thinner and are afraid of being overweight.

Experts blame the problem on everything from images of the ultra-thin
in the media and fashion, to dieting parents and peer pressure. Local
children and their parents talked to the Star to voice their own
experiences.

On the verge of starving, Dominique says she often goes an entire day
eating only a piece of fruit, just to stay thin. Standing at 5-foot-6,
she used to be 150 pounds and now she's 114.


A 13 year old girl, 5' 6" tall, who weighs 114 lbs, is in the "Normal
Range"
according to the Centers for Disease Control/World Health Organization,
with
a Body Mass Index of 18.4. At her age, height, and gender she would be
in
the 31st weight percentile, compared to US averages. Although she is at
the
low end of normal, and may indeed have an eating disorder, her current
weight is not that extreme by comparison.

GG
http://www.WeightWare.com
Your Weight and Health Diary

Wrong. According to the CDC, a BMI of 18.5 or lower is underweight.

http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi/calc-bmi.htm

That is for adults...for adolescents they use a different standard, because
teenagers tend to naturally have very low BMI's compared to adults:

http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi/bmi-for-age.htm

GG


--
jmk in NC