Obsessing About Weight

I saw a teenaged patient this past week who started crying when we talked about her weight.  She had put on about ten pounds since her last checkup, but by no means does she qualify as overweight.  Amidst her tears, she told me that she hated the way she looked and that she was willing to do anything to lose weight. We talked about healthy lifestyles and how I wanted her to focus on healthy eating and exercise for a healthy heart and body, not for some number on the scale.  Since I've been thinking about obesity lately, I find it ironic that the patients of mine who don't need to lose weight are the ones usually willing to make the lifestyle changes necessary to do so. 

Whenever I sense that a patient might be getting a little carried away with weight concerns, we talk about the importance of three healthy meals a day and a modicum of exercise rather than overdoing the workouts.   And I try to emphasize how it is wrong to feel guilty for eating the occasional sweet treat.  Unfortunately, there are some girls out there whose obsession with their weight becomes a mental disease, and these are the anorexics and bulimics who need intensive psychotherapy and sometimes medical hospitalization.  But extremes aside, it is sad that our society, which idolizes paper-thin models and actresses, has created a culture in which most adolescent females worry about their weight.  As parents, it should be our goal to instill self-esteem and healthy eating habits in our young girls so that they grow up happy with their looks and comfortable in their bodies.  A tall order, perhaps, but a goal to strive for nonetheless.