a healthy balance

Her BMI is great and farrr from overweight. And no, no one, not just a teenage girl, be eating only 700 calories or less consistently. I’m trying to think of how you can talk to your sister without putting her on the defensive…Maybe:

• Emphasize that to tone muscle, you need to be eating around your BMR since it takes energy to BUILD muscle. If you’re eating a deficit all the time, you’re just breaking down tissues.
• Talk about how eating certain “super” foods will be good for her skin and hair. This may influence her to eat some nuts and more vegetables. If you’re not consuming enough vitamins and minerals, your skin gets all sallow looking, your nails chip, and your hair falls out…eek!
• Remind her that she only has a couple years left to grow, if at all, so if she’s not eating enough she’s going to miss out on some height she’ll never get back.
• Ask her if she has trouble focusing on school, and if you see that she is really distracted and obsessed with dieting, remind her that colleges look at sophomore and junior grades almost exclusively. I know its hard for high-schoolers to see the bigger picture…but I’d give it a try.
• Boost her self-confidence…note how much she looks like a certain pretty celebrity, or that she looks great in today’s outfit.
• Is it boy-problems…does she like someone that doesn’t seem to notice her? Remind her that teenage boys like cute, cool girls they can be friends with too, not only really skinny girls.
• Bring up the topic when she’s in a good mood and not doing something “diet-related.”
• Do you read or follow nutrition news? Maybe share with her some articles so she can see how interesting eating a well-balanced diet can be.
• Note that studies show that a net calorie intake of 1200 effectively promotes weight loss so she doesn’t have to stress herself out with eating such scant portions all the time.
• Give her time and space…weight and body image are a touchy subject and you really have to be tactful when you want to discuss it.

I’ve only ever approached one friend about her drastic weight loss and eating (more like not-eating) habits and it was by a carefully constructed email in which I told her I was worried about her but knew that she’s smart enough to take good care of herself. Sorry if my advice is crazy… =/

What does everyone else think? How can you talk to your sibling or close friend about their damaging habits or if you suspect an eating disorder?