#WakeUpWeightWatchers (My WW Story)

A few weeks ago, Weight Watchers announced the company would be offering free signups for adolescents this summer. In a press release the company voiced, "Weight Watchers intends to be a powerful partner for families in establishing healthy habits. During the summer of 2018, Weight Watchers will offer free memberships to teenagers aged 13 to 17, helping the development of healthy habits at a critical life stage." The same release also revealed the company stands to increase revenue by more than $2 billion by new member growth and retention. 

This is both disturbing and problematic the company would take such a bold move to "hook" an audience and following at such a young and vulnerable age. With much of society targeting children and adolescents with alarming (and skewed) statistics citing that today's generation will be the first to not outlive their parents due to obesity, the company seems to be taking advantage of a "global problem." 

There is much that could be said on this subject and I'm sure there are numerous articles and information you can read which will share all of the data and research as to why this is such a bad idea. Instead of sharing that information again, I thought I could lend to speak to you from experience.

When I was 12 years old, Weight Watchers was my first introduction into the diet world. At this young and vulnerable time, I don't even remember being "overweight," or what society may have deemed as overweight for an adolescent. What I do remember is attending the meetings with my Mom and thinking that it looked like fun. I was intrigued by the community the women had and the idea of a weekly weigh-in where I would be showered with positive attention (if I lost weight) sounded like something I wanted to be a part of, too. Joining Weight Watchers felt like a rite of passage because all women who are grown-ups are on some sort of a diet - or at least that's what I believed.

Obviously I was young, at the age of 12, but I thought I would share here my memories that stand out the most for me from my experience of being a participant of Weight Watchers as an adolescent. My hope is that if you are a parent considering this for your child, that you will reconsider.

What Weight Watchers Taught Me:

• That losing weight was positively rewarded and reinforced, while gaining weight was something to be ashamed of. Many women would even have meltdowns and end up crying after a "bad weigh-in" at the back of the room.
• Lunchtime at school became very complicated and uncomfortable while on WW. During my time at WW, tuna fish sandwiches and carrot sticks were all the rage. So, while all the other children at school were enjoying their lunches with fun snacks and well-rounded meals, I was eating tuna fish and crackers. I remember it feeling very isolating.
• Weight gain was something to be ashamed of. I can remember our WW counselor once posing the question, "What good things come from weight gain?" It was as if implying that only bad things come from weight gain, when really, this shouldn't even be part of the conversation we're having because a specific weight is not the only indicator of better health.
• My Binge Eating began while I was a member of WW. It was almost a known fact that all the women would congregate after the meetings and have a "cheat meal" out together somewhere after the meeting. I can remember eating so much that afterwards I always felt sick and miserable. 

These are specific memories I have, but there are many other take-aways for how being an adolescent in WW would have a negative impact on my life for years to come. The program would be my first experience in positive reinforcement for weight loss, thus solidifying in my young mind the falsehood that a thinner body is a better body. Weight Watchers would be the first of many diets that I would try for the next two decades. Like many other individuals who are susceptible to an eating disorder after dieting, Weight Watchers would become my gateway onto this path where I would later struggle with anorexia, binge eating and exercise bulimia.

Considerations Before Enrolling Your Teen

Meeting Are Not Led By Professionals - Perhaps one of the most notable faults of Weight Watchers in considering the program for your teenage child is the program lacks medical or mental health professional guidance. Most community meetings are hosted by a "leader." The Weight Watcher leaders (at least during that time) were untrained professionals who usually were "graduates" of the program having reached their goal weight. As such, they have practically no training as a medical or mental health professional.

Diets Are Not Conducive for Development - Another criticism is the fact that due to this lack of professional guidance, the program would most likely lack the information and knowledge needed to be able to provide adequate care for a developing adolescent body. In present day media, we see numbers and bold, fear-mongering statements indicating that the vast majority of Americans are overweight and are just on the cusp of death! Other statements also tend to claim that childhood obesity is at it's highest ever recorded. However, there is very little said about how many young children and adolescents will actually gain weight during puberty. This is NATURAL and supposed to happen. I'm sure at some point, you've probably heard the statement that children, "grow out, then up." Placing adolescents on a diet could deprive their growing body of the needed nutrients and resources to aid their bodies in the maturation process. This could have a significant impact on brain development, psychological functioning, as well as cause lack of energy.

What Message Do We Want To Send Our Youth? - Lastly, another consideration - do we want the conversation with our youth about better health to be based on their appearance? If as a parent, the concern is of your child's health, are there other areas you can provide improvement without labeling them as a WW member? Are there sports clubs or groups they can become involved in which may also lend to healthy discussion about their changing body? For example, Girls On the Run is a national organization which teaches young girls about their body and has mission to encourage confidence, self-respect and empowerment. There may be other ways to help your adolescent rather than a central focus on their weight and appearance, which could only further solidify a negative relationship with their body.

As stated previously, it is my hope that this discussion will give you pause and consideration before you decide to sign your teen up for Weight Watchers. Perhaps instead of Weight Watchers, you might consider an intuitive eating or Health At Every Size therapist for your teen's weight concerns. I would be more than happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have! 

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How One Magazine Changed My Life

In present day society, diet culture is everywhere you turn. Hundreds of television commercials advertising the latest beauty products and fitness brands, your favorite celebrities talking about what diet they're currently on and even the publications we read.

There are many reasons and ways one can be susceptible to disordered eating or an eating disorder. The factors which contribute to these issues are often multifaceted, meaning there are usually multiple factors. These factors include, but are not limited to: family pressures and dynamics, images portrayed by the media, experiences with peers throughout childhood, genetic predispositions, trauma, and more. We cannot always control for all of these factors. In fact, many are out of our control. However, I do believe we can work towards creating a more positive environment by creating personal boundaries.

When I was a pre-teen adolescent, verging on the entry of those dreaded middle school years, I was very susceptible to the influences of the diet and fitness industries. Like many young girls (and young boys) the puberty years are some of the toughest to endure because of all the bodily changes that take place.

During this time of my adolescence, I can remember wanting very much to change my appearance. Whether it was so boys would like me more or to fit in with my peers, I was desperate to learn everything I could about how to change my appearance to look more like what I was exposed to at the time. Magazine publications became a huge influence for me and how I would cultivate my identity, or at least what I thought my identity should be based on the messages I received.

I can remember wanting to buy all the magazine publications I could. I would inpatiently wait every month for new editions of my favorites to hit the stands. Teen, Seventeen, Glamour, Cosmogirl - I spent my allowance on all of them. What articles was I most interested in reading? Everything that had to do with diet, fitness and beauty.

The magazine industry is a multibillion dollar industry that bases all their earnings from the advertisers that support them. Flip through any given magazine and you're likely to find more than half of it is advertisements about beauty products, fitness brands and diet companies. Perhaps the most troubling aspect of these publications, is that many of them masquerade as a way to try and help and improve you. With headlines like, "Age proof your whole body," and, "Flat Belly Finally - Score Flat Abs," the headline sounds like it's trying to solve a problem you have, when in actuality, it's telling you that your body is the problem.

But that's how advertising works. It's a cycle. The magazine publication headlines and articles need to convince you that there is something wrong with you so that you will subscribe to wanting/trying to fix the "problem." To do so, you have to buy beauty products, diet supplies and fitness gear. And that's how they earn their money, because the advertisers pay the magazines to publish these articles convincing you to feel bad about yourself so that you will buy their products. (Mic drop.)

To this very day, I can remember a very specific issue of a magazine called YM. I can remember exactly what the cover looked like and most of the content of the magazine. I read this issue SO MANY TIMES that I practically had it memorized. This issue was their "Fitness and Beauty Special Edition" for that year and was riddled with hundreds of tips for "getting the body you want," and "finally getting thin." I soaked up all of these messages like a dry sponge. I read this magazine cover to cover so many times that the actual cover did eventually wear off. I read it so many times that even now, nearly twenty years later, I had no problem picking out the cover of the magazine from a Google image search.

Action Challenge

Looking back, these magazines did not teach me how to prioritize my health, but brainwashed me into having a diet mentality. As an adult, I am amazed even to this day how many of these magazines are still using these same tactics. Magazines that by the very title and definition should be helping you to achieve long-lasting health, have a very different motive entirely. One of the challenges we complete in my Break the Mold: Building Better Body Image course is to complete a Google image search of your favorite magazine publication. In this example here, we search for the popular Women's Health Magazine.

When I think of my health, I think of it as a part of myself that is comprised of many different aspects. There's my mental health, physical health, emotional health and my social health (how I relate with others). However, a quick Google search for the Women's Health Magazine blatantly demonstrates that the magazine's definition of "health" primarily focuses on appearance, NOT other important measurements of health.

What You Can Do

It is unlikely the magazine industry is going to read this post and make drastic changes overnight. After all, they are already aware of the damage they cause, but do little to make changes unless pressured by greater demands. For example, YM magazine acquired a new editor who boldly decided to stop publishing harmful articles and headlines for their magazine. Subsequently, advertisers began pulling their ads from the magazine. YM ceased publishing shortly thereafter.

It will not be enough for one editor to make the decision that these articles and advertisements are harmful. We will only see change once consumers begin spending their money in other industries other than beauty products and diet brands. Perhaps that begins with you. I challenge you to take a look at the publications, advertisements and other media avenues you subscribe to and ask whether or not the messages you are supporting are helpful or harmful to you and your values. We CAN make a choice to spend our money on things that bring us joy, peace and harmony with ourselves and our bodies. Instead of spending your money on the latest beauty trend or diet food, think about investing that money in a evergreen experience which will bring you joy for years to come, such as travel or relationships. 

My hope for the future is that we see more and more of these publications respond by pulling advertising targeting towards beauty and diet brands. Instead, I believe if we (as women) demonstrate that we want to be valued for other reasons, then we will begin to see different features in the media. I, for one, would rather read about travel experiences, personal stories of growth and health articles that speak of health in the many different ways that are NOT related to weight or size. 

Should You Use My Fitness Pal? [Video]

When working with new clients, it never fails that most of them have either used or are currently using some sort of app to keep track of their food intake. In this day and age, there are an assortment to choose from in app stores, but one of the most popular is My Fitness Pal.

My Fitness Pal calculates calorie content and other nutritional measurements of food into a "counter" on the app. The app has the ability to create individualized goals based on several factors, including weight loss. Users can input data of their food choices into the app and then the app provides a listing of food choices with programmed data about nutritional information. Based on the goals the user sets, the app indicates whether or not the user is making progress towards their established goals.

In the video below I disclose my thoughts about My Fitness Pal and whether or not I think it is a helpful tool, especially for those with disordered eating issues or those striving for intuitive eating.

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How To Know if Your Daughter Has an Eating Disorder [Video]

The numbers of young girls and young women who will be impacted by disordered eating or an eating disorder are alarming. The National Eating Disorder association reported that by age 6 young girls begin to express concerns about their body and weight. In Elementary aged girls, 40 - 60% are concerned about weight.  In the diet culture the American society promotes, young girls and women face significant pressure. 

In the video below I describe how to know whether or not your daughter may be displaying signs of an eating disorder. This includes physical symptoms to look for and behaviors to understand. I have also included here some helpful resources for you to learn more about helping your daughter.

If you would like to watch these videos live and have a chance to ask questions and participate, please join our private Facebook group, Bloom Nutrition - Disordered Eating Support!

Additional Resources:

Catch It, Challenge It, Change It: Supporting My Daughter Through Eating Disorder Recovery

How Mom Guilt, Diets and Body Shame All Have the Same Roots

I Am Fat. And I Wish My Mother Could Accept My Body the Way I Have

Your Dieting Daughter (Book Recommendation)