Bob the Booger at Amazon
Posted on 09/04/2011 2:15:33 PM PDT by 7jason
They say no publicity is bad publicity, and for that Paul M. Kramer must be truly grateful. Since word of his upcoming children’s book, Maggie Goes On a Diet spread throughout the blogosphere, he has received considerable bad press.
(Excerpt) Read more at edbok.com ...
He should have gotten the Mooch to give her stamp of approval.
“How old is too young for girls to start worrying about body image?”
I can tell you this (from my own experience). Many girls around the third grade will start “dieting”. Many more will start by 4th and 5th grade (usually coincides with pre-puberty changes that I feel they don’t quite yet accept or understand). When I was a kid, we usually became “figure conscience” by late middle school. We definitely started trying to change/alter our appearance by Freshman year in High School.
The pressure on little girls flies directly against medical advice. My pediatrician told us that NO child should diet until puberty has been reached. (diet defined by limiting calories). It is unhealthy and causes way more issues (medically and psychologically) than any good results. That being said, little girls can be educated about health and healthy food choices. They can have good snacks offered and they certainly can exercise. Junk like cookies, brownies, etc... can be a once a week “treat” and a banana or an apple can be offered at any time one is hungry. Just a thought.
The funny thing is, the author is a fat, old guy who is seriously in need of a diet himself.
fat is the new smoking
Always something...
Yeah, I’m not surprised.
Some of the same people who are upset think 12 year olds are old enough for sex.
weird
I agree dieting is ridiculous for kids. Maybe in their late teens. The important thing is to eat well and stay active.
My one daughter just entered Middle School. She came home (day 2) and told me that a girl was inducing vomiting after lunch. Right there in the bathroom. I asked her how she knew the girl was MAKING herself throw up (over having a stomach bug) and she said, ‘You could tell how she was gagging”. Oh, my! We had a nice Mom-daughter conversation about health over appearance and why this type of behavior is highly destructive. Unfortunately, she didn’t know the girl. I am amazed at how much pressure young girls are under to be skinny... not healthy.
Yes. When I was a kid, if I was hungry, Grandma would point to the bowl of apples or cherry tomatoes on the table. If I said “I’m not hungry for THAT,” she’d say “Then you’re not hungry.”
You nailed it exactly.
It depends on what one would call “dieting”.
Nothing new - remember Twiggy from the 60s and every teenage girl wanted to weight 90 pounds?
There is a huge difference between eating when you are hungry and eating when you are bored. Your Grandma was one smart cookie. I always try to keep seasonal fruit in the house. I guess I should emphasize the word “try”... if I pick peaches or have some farm stand watermelon... that is exactly what the kids will reach for. Seedless grapes seem to be another big favorite. I am very permissive with that snack as well. My youngest can eat a huge bowl of watermelon chunks in the blink of an eye. Good for her since it is low calorie and much better for her than other snacks.
I remember my Mom going nuts over Twiggy. Her feelings were some girls are naturally thin. That is fine and how their metabolism runs and how they were built. She thought it was insane for people to try to “force” themselves to be underweight. Gosh, I remember her saying, “why would anyone think a body is perfect with bones sticking out”. You are right... I think Twiggy was the beginning of the “bones should stick” out being equated to beauty. From what I am told by some men, bones aren’t sexy at all. Curves are beautiful and a healthy body. I guess I am somewhat sensitive to the issue since I have two girls and can see the pressure society places upon them.
Yes. One of my little self-tests now, when it occurs to me that I feel hungry, is to ask myself "Are you hungry enough to eat a tin of tuna?" (One of my least favorite foods.) If the answer is No, then I'm not really hungry.
“... if the answer is No, then I’m not really hungry”.
I do another trick. I have noticed that I will suddenly feel hungry when watching television in the evening. I put two and two together and saw that most of the time I got hungry was after viewing commercials. You know the ones... that burger commercial with the perfect, juicy hamburger or one with the fluffiest, most perfect stack of pancakes. So... before watching television, I ask myself “am I hungry?” If the answer is no... then I will only drink my diet iced tea or water. If yes, then I will eat some fruit or a low calorie ice pop before television. What sort of cued me to my own behavior was essentially the opposite reaction. I had a bad stomach bug for a few days and would get nauseous when watching television during the commercials. If you check one evening, just count up the amount of food commercials on during one episode of whatever you like to watch. I think it will surprise you! It did me!!
I don’t have a TV, but it makes sense. I’ve noticed that when I’m watching a movie on my laptop, the minute someone pours a glass of wine, I need one too. LOL!
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