Body Image

Do you have a daughter already thinking about what she's wearing her first day back to school whether for high school or college?  Does she flip through fashion magazines?  Does she make comments on how she needs to change her body, lose weight or go on a "diet"?

Body dissatisfaction is something that is on 64 percent of females' minds ages 12-23.  This trend of feeling dissatisfied with appearance can lead to dieting and unfortunatley to disordered eating or eating disorders. 

According to researchers at Ohio State University, when 140 female college-age women participated in viewing magazines with images of women with thin, idealized body types a surprising outcome occured when surveyed: body satisfaction improved.  However, this is with a catch, body satisfaction only improved becasue they were inspired to change their bodies by the images.  These women also engaged in dieting behaviors (restricting intake, skipping meals, over-exercising).  They were wanting to create the ideals that they see in the magazines. 

So, how do you know what your ideal body weight is for you?  Well, your "ideal body weight is the weight that allows you to feel strong and energetic and lets you lead a healthy, normal life. For example, when your body is healthy and at its ideal body weight, you are not too tired, too easily frustrated, too anxious or angry, and you have the energy to talk to your friends, participate in sports, and concentrate on school or work. When searching for your ideal weight, don’t rely on charts, formulas, and tables to dictate what’s right for you. Instead