It’s that time of year again–warm weather. The pressure is on to get fit, lose weight and do whatever it takes to get the perfect bikini body.
Fashion magazines, social media and celebrities can create unrealistic portrayals of what is considered beautiful. And this is pushing some teen girls to extremes–obsessive calorie counting, excessive workouts and eating disorders.
Here are a few signs that might suggest that your teen daughter is obsessed with having the perfect body and may have an eating disorder.
1) Excessive or compulsive exercise. Does your daughter work out for hours at a time daily? Does she exercise at odd times such as late into the night?
2) Rapid loss of weight and wearing large, baggy clothes. Many girls will wear larger-sized clothes to hide their weight loss.
3) Change in eating habits. Has your daughter restricted her selection of foods? Some will only eat low calorie foods such as carrots, celery or broth.
4) Expressing concern with her weight. Does your daughter constantly talk about her weight or how she needs to lose weight even when she doesn’t?
If you suspect that your daughter or granddaughter has an eating disorder, you should seek medical advice as soon as possible. If not, your daughter’s problem could become a lifelong issue.
READ MORE: 3 WAYS FOR TEENS TO CULTIVATE TRUE BEAUTY
Here is more information on the different eating disorders, such as bulimia, anorexia and binge-eating, that may cause different health issues in the future.
Take time today to remind your daughter, your girlfriends and your sisters that they are beautiful no matter what size clothes are in their closet.
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7, NIV)
