Dieting
About Anorexia, Bulimia & Binge Eating
Dieting is not a good idea while you are still growing. A small shift in lifestyle may improve your self-confidence.
Try
participating in a team sport such as netball, football, hockey... where you can
feel needed as part of a team, lose weight, get fitter, and feel good about
yourself. Sport gives you a buzz, a buzz to perform, and to achieve. Exercise
speeds up the metabolism, allowing you to eat loads without gaining any weight
at all. Don't go mad, just walk instead of catching the bus, or run to the
post-box rather than walking. Taking a bit more exercise is what is recommended
for people of all ages, especially if they haven't got help from a doctor or
dietician when planning a diet. If you already take a lot of exercise, then it
is quite likely that you are putting on a lot of muscle, and so that is probably
why you weigh more than your friends. Exercise is the key to losing weight. Make
sure that you get plenty to eat after sport, and make sure you get all the
nutrients and variety you need in your diet.
All
girls put on weight in puberty anyway. It'll be this fat that will protect
babies when we are pregnant. Loads of girls tend to think they're fat during
puberty, and this is why anorexia is becoming so high in teenage girls, and is
increasing in boys too. Just remember that you aren't fat, and more importantly,
be confident in yourself and in who you are.
Rather
than dieting change what you eat instead of change how much you eat. Substitute
unhealthy food, or modify the way that you prepare it (e.g.: poaching eggs
rather than frying them). Make sure you get enough from all food groups. People
who diet tend to become salad freaks, and that means that they get very little
protein or oils, which is essential to be healthy, even veggies don't live on
salad.
REMEMBER
-
1.
Crash dieting is
bad news. Lose weight very gradually. Also, keep note on how much you lose each
week, and make sure it isn't drastic amounts.
Website: Eating Disorders Association
The Eating Disorder Association youth line is 0845 634 7650