Anorexia...The signs

Another great list from Healthychildren.Org.  If you had ever wondered about your child's eating habits, or sudden obsession with weight and/or exercise, take a few minutes to answer the questions below... 

Warning Signs of Anorexia

If you answer “Yes” to several of these questions, talk with your child and pediatrician. (I would also say consult with a psychologist/psychotherapist as well)

• Does your child skip family meals and prepare her own food instead?
• Is she following her own diet?
• Are certain food groups or nutrients categorically excluded?
• Are no- or low-calorie foods and drinks a major part of daily intake?
• Has she adopted a “healthy” vegetarian diet suddenly and obsessively?
• Are diet pills or preparations in her possession?
• Is she overly concerned with losing or gaining weight?
• Have you found laxatives that you did not give her?
• Does she hide food in her room?
• Does she visit the bathroom after eating?
• Does she flush the toilet, run water, or turn on the shower while in the bathroom?
• Has your plumbing repeatedly and inexplicably become clogged?
• Does she have an unusual number of scratches or cuts over her knuckles?
• Does she have swollen cheeks or lymph nodes around her face, or broken blood vessels in the whites of her eyes?
• Has she lost a lot of weight in a short time?
• Does she look gaunt?
• Does she get dizzy or is she easily fatigued?
• Does she have frequent headaches, heartburn, or constipation?
• Have her periods stopped?
• Does she play with her food without actually eating it?
• Has she developed downy hair on her face, arms, and back?
• Can you see the bones of her back and collarbones clearly outlined?
• Does she have bruises along her backbone?
• Does she wear loose, bulky clothing?
• Does she exercise for hours on end with a routine that can’t be interrupted or changed?
• Has she become withdrawn from her friends or family?
• Does she seem more secretive?

***Please keep in mind that anorexia affects boys as well, but it is not often written about or discussed...

Posted not tweeted!

Apologies for those of you who were searching for the LoFat twitter updates today. LoFat was unfortunately unable to provide real-time tweets of the dietician training, so I will give you a brief overview! Today's focus was on how to approach, motivate and succeed with teenagers in regards to health. 

We need to first think about the real differences between young children and teenagers. One important difference is that with physical growth comes changes in hormones and metabolism. Those changes influence body image and mood. Another change is age, and with age comes increased expectations and responsibilities. A very important difference is social. Teenagers are motivated, demotivated, enabled and disabled by the social environment. The parental influence is important, but it ceases to become a motivator. Teens want to feel accepted by peers and want to feel "normal" according to the larger social circle. 

Knowing these difference and really understanding their implications helps us identify ways to motivate and inspire teenagers to succeed in a healthy lifestyle:

• By empowering teens to understand and take control of their body, they become more independent and thus successful.  Teach them about their body, how BMI works, muscle VS. weight gain/loss, etc. 
• Aid them in finding fun ways to move and exercise.  Exercise does not mean treadmill; paintball, bowling, swimming and many more can be options. 
• Educate them on making healthy food choices when they are dining out. 
• Teach them to read the labels and look for healthy recipes. 
• Help your teenager identify and establish a "buddy system". By that I simply mean having another friend or family member go through all or part of the experience with him/her. 
• Be flexible! Allow a free day for example.  
• Do not compare.  Each child is different.
• Rewards should not be with food.  An experience-based reward or more privileges are good examples.

I will add one note that is specific to parents, and I hope you can accept it from me... If you are a healthy role-model, your child will eventually learn from you.  Do not expect change, if you cannot model that change.

As an adult in the teen's life do be aware of how you approach the topic of weight loss. Focus on gaining a healthy lifestyle rather than losing weight. The dangers of unhealthy body image, eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia), and yo-yo dieting are severe. If you do suspect that your teen may be exhibiting signs of depression, anxiety, obsessive and/or disturbed behavior and mood swings, do consult with a therapist.