''I'm, Like, SO Fat!'': Helping Your Teen Make Healthy Choices about Eating and Exercise in a Weight-Obsessed World

It’s hard to decide which is more frightening--the “food” teenagers enjoy, or the things they say about their bodies. Whether it’s your son’s passion for chips and soda or your daughter’s announcement that she “feels fat,” kids’ attitude about how they look and what they should eat often seem devoid of common sense. In a world where television and school cafeterias push super-sized sandwiches while magazines feature pencil-thin models, many teens feel pressured to starve themselves and others eat way too much. Blending her experience as the mother of four with results from a survey of nearly 5,000 teens, Dr. Diane Neumark-Sztainer shows you how to respond constructively to “fat talk,” counteract negative media messages, and give your kids the straight story about nutrition and calories, the dangers of dieting, and eating right when they’re away from home. Full of examples illustrating the challenges teens face today, this upbeat and insightful book is packed with great ideas that will help kids everywhere feel better about their looks and make healthier choices about eating and exercise. Library Journal Health It is indeed a weight-obsessed world when even Cookie Monster comes under fire for his eating habits. In this thorough and sensible book, Neumark-Sztainer (epidemiology, Univ. of Minnesota) shows parents how to help their teens make wise food choices-now and in the future. With the blunt advice that one should never "go on a diet," the author stresses lifestyle changes, not quick fixes. Parents can be positive role models by providing healthy breakfasts and dinners, reducing kids' time watching TV images of thin people, and helping kids make wise choices of food on the go. Teens need to know (and they don't) what a portion is, what a calorie is, and why these are important. The approach here is practical and not authoritarian; the author knows it's difficult to ask teens to give up fries and large sodas; she knows families eat out, but it doesn't need to be a high-fat, high-calorie experience. There's nothing here about the new food pyramid, and low-carb diets that label whole food groups as bad are not seen as helpful. James Lock and Daniel La Grange's Help Your Teenager Beat an Eating Disorder focuses more on disorders; this book stresses health. Excellent for public libraries.-Linda Beck, Indian Valley P.L., Telford, PA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information. Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 10 Introduction......Page 12 "What are we up against ... and how did we get here, anyway?"......Page 19 1 If It's Not One Thing, It's Another: Dealing with a Spectrum of Weight-Related Problems......Page 21 2 Our Susceptible Teens: What We Know about Causes and Contributing Factors......Page 41 "How can we protect our teens when society pushes fat but promotes thin?"......Page 61 3 Parents Matter (a Lot)......Page 63 4 Friends, Fashions, and Fads......Page 74 5 Physical Activity: A Big Part of the Answer ... in Moderation......Page 99 6 The Great Diet Debate......Page 119 7 The Four Cornerstones of Healthy Weight and Body Image......Page 137 "What and how much should teenagers eat?"......Page 153 8 "I Know How to Diet ... I Just Don't Know How to Eat": What Teens Need to Know about Nutrition......Page 155 9 Portion Control and Calorie Counting: Teaching Teens to Pay Attention without Obsessing......Page 172 10 Vegetarianism: Doing It Right—for Your Teen and Your Family......Page 189 "How can we make a difference at home ... and away?"......Page 203 11 Family Meals in a Fast-Food World......Page 205 12 Eating Out—When Cooking Just Isn't Going to Happen......Page 220 13 Fluent in the F Words: Talking with Teens about Food, Fat, and Other Touchy Topics......Page 232 "What can we do when problems come up?"......Page 255 14 Helping Your Overweight Teen Be Healthy and Happy......Page 257 15 How to Spot the Signs of an Eating Disorder and What You Can Do to Help......Page 282 Resources for Parents and Teens......Page 299 Bibliography......Page 313 A......Page 325 C......Page 326 D......Page 327 E......Page 328 H......Page 329 M......Page 330 P......Page 331 S......Page 332 V......Page 333 W......Page 334 About the Author......Page 335 [Pt. 1]: What are we up against and how did we get here anyway? If it's not one thing, it's another : dealing with a spectrum of weight-related problems ; Our susceptible teens : what we know about causes and contributing factors [Pt. 2]: How can we protect our teens when society pushes fat but promotes thin? Parents matter (a lot) ;Friends, fashions, and fads ;Physical activity : a big part of the answer in moderation ;The great diet debate : The four cornerstones of healthy weight and body image [Pt. 3]: What and how much should teenagers eat? "I know how to diet I just don't know how to eat" : what teens need to know about nutrition ; Portion control and calorie counting : teaching teens to pay attention without obsessing ; Vegetarianism : doing it right for your teen and your family [Pt. 4]: How can we make a difference at home and away? Family meals in a fast-food world ; Eating out when cooking just isn't going to happen ; Fluent in the F words : talking with teens about food, fat, and other touchy topics [Pt. 5]: What can we do when problems come up? Helping your overweight teen be healthy and happy ; How to spot the signs of an eating disorder and what you can do to help. It's hard to decide which is more frightening the "food" teenagers enjoy, or the things they say about their bodies. Whether it's your son's passion for chips and soda or your daughter's announcement that she "feels fat," kids' attitude about how they look and what they should eat often seem devoid of common sense. In a world where television and school cafeterias push super-sized sandwiches while magazines feature pencil-thin models, many teens feel pressured to starve themselves and others eat way too much. Blending her experience as the mother of four with results from a survey of nearly 5 Shows parents how to strike the difficult balance between bolstering self-esteem and offering constructive advice. This book provides science-based, practical ideas for instilling healthy eating and exercise habits, educating teens about nutrition and portion size, and talking about body image. Offers parents practical advice on how to help their teenage children make healthy eating and nutrition choices and develop a healthy sense of self-esteem in today's weight-obsessed world A collection of books, videodiscs, and sound recordings to help people of all ages achieve a healthier lifestyle