1. Get Real about Eating Disorders

2. Get Real Imagine… A favorite loved one A break from mirrors and media
What is “self-improvement?”

3. Get Real Goals of this presentation:
Understand social pressures and how they influence body image and eating concerns
Challenge dieting, fat and fitness beliefs
Provide resources to learn more about eating disorders

4. Get Real Expectations Social Pressure to be Thin
42% of 6-9 year old girls want to be thinner
80% of women in the U.S. are dissatisfied with their appearance
Half of teenage girls are dissatisfied with their bodies
25% of men and 45% of women are dieting on any given day

5. Media Messages influence attitudes and behavior
Get Real Role Models
Media Messages influence
attitudes and behavior
3,000 ads per day! 1/3 contain appearance ideals
Models are thinner than 98% of American women
Americans spend $40 billion/year on diet products
Girls aged 5½ to 7½ reported less body esteem and a greater desire for a thinner body after exposure to images of thin dolls (Barbie™) compared to girls who saw images of dolls with a healthy body size (Emme™) or no dolls.

6. Get Real Information Genetics influence body shape and size
Like eye color and skin color, body shape and size is strongly influenced by genetics
Experiment: Eating and exercising the same amount would not make everyone the same shape and size
Eating and exercise habits cannot be determined based on appearance

7. Get Real Information
Weight gain during adolescence is normal and should be expected
On average girls ages will gain 40 pounds as they go through puberty
Boys grow taller before they gain muscle, this process can take several years
Some kids grow out then up, others will grow up then out…everybody is different!
Puberty and late teen/early adult years are the
two most common times of onset for an eating disorder