Something to Consider

HEALTHY WEIGHT WEEK JAN. 16-22
CELEBRATES POSITIVE BODY IMAGE

2011 WINNERS ADDRESS DISORDERED EATING CONCERNS

HETTINGER, ND, Jan. 16-Ours is a culture in which thinness is idealized,
even at the cost of health, especially for women. So we should not be
surprised that almost half of 3rd to 6th grade girls yearn to be thinner,
and that 50 percent of teen girls develop a significant eating disturbance
at some point in their adolescence, according to the National Eating
Disorders Association. American kids worry about weight, fear that food
will make them fat, and often eat in ways detrimental to their health and
well being. Many say they "hate" their bodies.

Healthy Weight Week, Jan. 16-22, combats this by celebrating healthy nondiet
lifestyles that can prevent eating and weight problems. During the week,
people are encouraged to improve health habits in lasting ways: to eat well,
live actively and feel good about themselves and others. It's a time to
celebrate the diversity of real people and help them shift focus from failed
weight loss efforts to health at their natural sizes.

"Health experts are just beginning to recognize the risks taken by both
women and men in their efforts to diet down to thin ideals. The body resists
powerfully and closes down into an unnatural, stressed state," said Francie
M. Berg, a licensed nutritionist and adjunct professor at the University of
North Dakota School of Medicine whose organization Healthy Weight Network
started Healthy Weight Week 18 years ago. "For vulnerable individuals, this
can lead to clinical eating disorders."

Eating disorders are widespread in our society and difficult to treat
successfully, yet few schools address the problem, even though most provide
extensive drug and alcohol prevention programs. An estimated 10 percent of
young women suffer from eating disorders. Only about half recover fully, and
up to 10 percent of those with anorexia nervosa may die from related causes.
The National Association reports unprecedented growth of the disorder in the
past two decades, a younger age of onset and that increasingly boys and men
are affected.

Prevention programs to reduce risk factors address our cultural obsession
with thinness, the roles of men and women in our society and the development
of positive body image in ways that transcend physical appearance.

Healthy Weight Week features two sets of awards. Healthy Body Image Awards
go to:

*A Chance to Heal. Focused on three major areas-middle and high school
students, adults and families, and the health care community- A Chance to
Heal hosts programs throughout the year, primarily in the Philadelphia area.
Interactive workshops include The Body Project, a four-session preventive
program based on dissonance intervention, refined and evaluated for more
than 16 years and shown to reduce eating disorders risk factors; Body Talk,
leader training for healthcare providers and educators; and ParentTalk,
conversational workshops for parents. http://achancetoheal.org

*In Favor of Myself. This innovative preventive program to promote positive
self and body image is widely disseminated among youth in Israel. Initially
designed for a youth organization, it has become popular among counselors
and teachers who serve as change agents in schools. Offers eight sessions of
interactive verbal and non verbal activities. Empowering techniques include
assessing advertising and its hidden marketing strategies, positive
self-talk, dramatization and conflict resolution. Assessment shows reduced
media influence and appearance focus. Leader kits in Hebrew.

*Healthy Body Image curriculum, 4th-6th grade. This widely-used school
program was designed by Kathy Kater, LICSW, a psychotherapist, author and
consultant, specializing in body image, eating, fitness and weight problems.
Students learn to develop positive body images, appreciate inner strengths
over appearance, resist unhealthy messages on weight, appearance, fitness
and food, and adopt the building blocks for a healthy lifestyle. The 11
sessions are based on Kater's book "Healthy Body Image:Teaching Kids to Eat
and Love Their Bodies Too!" and a companion volume for parents.
(http://www.bodyimagehealth.org )

*Body Rocks. A peer education group, Body Rocks is devoted to positive body
image and eating disorders prevention in schools and communities. Created by
Ann Marie Perone, a teacher at Valley High School in Las Vegas in 2006, the
club hosts Eating Disorders Awareness Week and other special events. Most
recently a balloon release symbolically helped students send off negative
feelings and self talk, and emphasized the benefits of positive body image
and self esteem.

Another of the week's events, "Rid the World of Fad Diets and Gimmicks Day,"
features the Slim Chance Awards for the worst weight loss products and
promotions of 2010. Announced in December, these include: a laser light
treatment with Lapex BCS Lipo Laser for spot reduction (worst gimmick); HCG,
a pregnancy-related hormone placed under the tongue to mobilize fat (worst
product); Ultimate Cleanse, that cashes in on a non-existent
problem-detoxifying the body (worst claim); and a marketer of bogus
products, Basic Research, which boasts a long history of Federal Trade
Commission violations, warnings, charges and fines (most outrageous). See
www.healthyweight.net/fraud.htm for a 22-year history of Slim Chance fads
and frauds.

To avoid eating and weight problems, the National Eating Disorders
Association recommends eating in normal ways, as does a small child: "Eat
what you want, when you are truly hungry. Stop when you're full. Do this
instead of any diet, and you are unlikely to ever have a weight problem, let
alone an eating disorder." (For more information see
www.healthyweight.net/hww.htm )