Body Image and Eating Disorder Treatment
Body image refers to how people see themselves. Distorted body image refers to an unrealistic view of someone sees their body. Today, millions of Americans possess a negative body image, or at the very least, body dissatisfaction. Is this because our country is just overrun by oddly shaped people? No, not at all. The truth is that the way a person sees their own body is rarely based on reality; far more, it is predicated on a cultural or societal dictate. Sadly, our society is highly focused on physical perfection. And though this perfection may offer variables such as hair and eye color, skin color, and even height, one area that affords precious little latitude is size. The models, actresses and celebrities – those considered to be the "beautiful" people in our country – are uniformly thin, if not down-right skinny. These seemingly flawless people are everywhere: showcased regularly on entertainment shows, pictured larger-than-life on the movie screen, and featured on the pages of trendy magazines.
Here's where the problem comes in: untold numbers of women, adolescent girls, and even children, are barraged with these images every single day. So much so, that they begin to feel that being skinny is the norm that "everyone" should reflect; unfortunately, they don't. The fact that a woman has lovely skin, an adolescent has great hair, or a child has a delightful smile, isn't quite enough: thin is a must. And look how convenient ... there's always a new diet on the market to help these women and girls easily achieve that much sought-after weight loss.
What we have here is an eating disorder in the making. This is because dieting is one of the leading indicators of a future eating disorder. And the age of dieting onset is getting younger and younger, as is the incident of anorexia and bulimia. Right now, girls are diagnosed with eating disorders as young as six years old.
It is extremely difficult for young people to remain inured to the ever-present media influence, because after all, they are immature and naive. But parents can help their children a great deal by focusing on excellent qualities that are unrelated to size or appearance.
Remember ...God did not use a cookie-cutter when He created His children. We are meant to be different and unique. Your true value has nothing to do with the way you look. It is the inside, not the outside that truly matters. Discover more about yourself and this important topic by considering the following questions:
- What is my genetic predisposition for my body?
- What does obsessing about my body/weight distract me from?
- Does my weight define my worth? Why or Why Not?
- Is my perception of beauty distorted from years of media exposure?
- If I had to gain a little weight, but could be free of the eating disorder, would it be worth it to me?
- Would eating disorder treatment through counseling, intensive out patient, or residential treatment help me to feel better about my body and weight?
Ten Essential Lessons for a Healthy Body Esteem and Weight © by Kathy Kater
To begin, accept what is not in your power to control:
- Accept your body's genetic predisposition. All bodies are wired to be fatter, thinner, or in between. This includes fatter in some places and thinner in others. Regardless of efforts to change it, over time your body will fight to maintain or resume the shape it was born to be. You may force your body into sizes and shapes that you prefer, but you can't beat Mother Nature without a tremendous cost.
- Understand that all bodies change developmentally in ways that are simply not in your control through healthy means. You may positively influence changes of puberty, pregnancy and lactation, menopause, and aging by making healthy lifestyle choices, but you will not "control" these changes, no matter how much you try.
- Never "diet." Hunger is an internally regulated drive and demands to be satisfied. If you limit the food needed to satiate hunger, it will backfire, triggering preoccupation with food and ultimately an overeating or compulsive eating response. You may lose weight in the short run, but over 85% of weight that is lost through dieting is regained, often with added pounds. Dieters who go off their diets only to binge are not "weak willed." They are mammals whose built-in starvation response has kicked in—both physically and psychologically—going after what has been restricted. Scientific evidence documented this in 1950, but most people are not aware of the biologically predictable, counterproductive results of "dieting."
Then focus your attention and energy on what is in your power to control:
- Satisfy hunger completely with a balance of wholesome, nutrient rich foods on a regular basis - eat well! In today's world, surrounded by flavor enhanced, cheap, cleverly advertised, readily available, low-nutrient entertainment foods, learning to feed your body versus merely "eat" is an essential difference. Enjoy entertainment food after nutritional needs are met.
- Limit sedentary entertainment. Move (aerobically if possible) on a regular basis. Everyone who is not medically inhibited, regardless of size, can and should develop a reasonable level of fitness and maintain it throughout the life cycle. Enjoy sedentary entertainment after fitness needs are met.
- Understand that if you eat well and maintain an active lifestyle, your healthy weight will be revealed over time. Value health versus size, and support this value with a health enhancing lifestyle. Don't be swayed by whether or not this makes you thin. Healthy, well fed, active bodies are diverse in size and shape, from fat to thin and everything in between. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, not even your doctor, who may be caught in unhealthy cultural myths about weight.
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Choose role models that reflect a realistic standard against which you can feel good about yourself. If the "Ugly Duckling" had continued to compare herself to the ducks she'd still be miserable, no matter how beautifully she developed.
- Maintain your integrity as a human being. In spite of advertisements seducing you to believe that "image is everything," Never forget that how you look is only one part of who you are. Develop a sense of identity based on all the many things you can do, the values you believe in, and the person that you are deep inside.
- Become media savvy. Educate yourself about the hidden power of advertisements. Advertisers spend tons of money on strategies to make you feel there is something wrong with you. Why? If their standard of beauty leaves you feeling deficient by comparison, their product's promise to improve your condition is an easy sale. Don't be "sold" this bill of goods.
- Encourage your friends, family and co-workers to join you in developing a healthy, realistic body image. Use the collective energy your group would have spent on hating your bodies to make the world a better place. Help the next generation to develop healthy body image attitudes and learn positive lifestyle habits too.
© 2005 www.BodyImageHealth.org
***May be copied for educational purposes.
Kathy Kater is also available for speaking engagements. Find further information in our Eating Disorder Specialist Speakers Bureau.
Articles
Challenging Body Distortions Through the Eyes of the Body
by Susan Kleinman, MA, ADTR, NCC
Body image is the picture in our mind's eye of how we look to ourselves. It reflects our beliefs about how we think others perceive us and captures how we experience the feeling of "living" in our bodies. Adrienne Ressler, MA, LMSW, CED
Everyone has a body-image and it develops from the moment of our birth, and it continues as we experience life and incorporate the messages of our personal and more global culture. Although we may strive to balance an inner image that is more positive than negative, we are all susceptible to finding fault with ourselves.... Read More
Body Checking and Eating Disorders
by: Debra Cooper
Remuda Ranch Program for Eating and Anxiety Disorders
Women and girls struggling with anorexia and bulimia often exhibit telltale signs of these disorders. Anorexia is sometimes easy to recognize because the impact of the disorder is so visible. Due to severe weight loss, those with anorexia may look ill. Yet some with anorexia conceal their extreme thinness under layers of clothing and therefore remain less noticeable to other people. Bulimia is even more difficult to detect, unless you are aware of the warning signs, such as scrapes or bruising on the fingers or swollen glands in the neck. It is therefore worth knowing about a more subtle sign of both eating disorders—body and weight checking... Read More
Battling Our Bodies: Understanding and Overcoming Negative Body Images
by Nicole Hawkins, PhD of Center for Change
How often do you look in the mirror and say "If I could just lose ten pounds, then I would be happy"? Unfortunately, the majority of American women and girls are dissatisfied with their bodies, and many take extreme measures in an attempt to change their bodies. For example, one study found that 63% of female participants identified weight as the key factor in determining how they felt about themselves – more important than family, school, or career. Other research suggests that 86% of all women are dissatisfied with their bodies and want to lose weight.... Read More
Turn Beauty Inside Out
by Stephanie Brooks, MS, RD
There is tremendous pressure for people, especially women and girls, in the U.S. to be thin. Our culture believes that unless you are thin you cannot be happy, successful, attractive, powerful or accepted. Much of the pressure to be thin comes from the media. Typically thin people play successful, popular characters in movies and on TV and fatter people are portrayed as lazy, unsuccessful characters. In addition to media influences, family members, friends, schoolmates and colleagues can feed the value of thinness... Read More
Resources
Body Image: Loving Yourself Inside and Out : Is your body image positive or negative? If your answer is negative, you are not alone. Women in the U.S. are under pressure to measure up to a certain social and cultural ideal of beauty, which can lead to poor body image.
Mind On The Media : Promotes healthy body image and expand the definition of what makes people beautiful!
Body Image and Self Esteem For Teens : Great site for kids, teens and parents about body image and self esteem.
National Eating Disorders Association and Body Image: The National Eating Disorder Association (Nationaleatingdisorders.org) is a well regarded resource for information on body image and eating disorders.
The Body Image Transformation Experience B.I.T.E.®: Weight Matters WorkshopThe Body Image Transformation Experience BITE®. *Individual consultation required for admission BITE®, is a structured 20 week workshop, separated into Workshop I + II, to explore and change the powerful habits and compulsions regarding eating and weight that can cause lifetime suffering. BITE® augments existing individual therapy, nutritional, and exercise programs, grappling with issues of body image, shame, “fat as armor” and eating to mask emotional distress and anxiety.
Body Image: An International Journal of Research: Body Image is an international, peer-reviewed journal that publishes high-quality, scientific articles on body image and human physical appearance. Body Image is a multi-faceted concept that refers to persons' perceptions and attitudes about their own body, particularly but not exclusively its appearance.
