Like Your Body - Love Yourself

Girls are more likely to experience a negative body image during adolescence due to the surge in body fatness levels and the normal associated changes in the female shape. Due to the sex hormones, girls tend to develop fat on the hips and thighs.This is one of the main reasons an otherwise sane young woman will try unsafe methods to maintain her weight such as crash diets, vomiting, laxatives, smoking---all which can cause a greater threat to their health than obesity.

The statistics are out from a recent survey that states almost 80% of teenage girls that were studied fall within a healthy weight range,  but less than 50% agreed with the results and didn't feel their weight was "about right". The proportion who wanted to lose weight increased from 69% in 7th grade to 82% in 12th grade—including 49% of underweight girls. In another study, more than 30% of nine-year-old girls expressed fear of fatness, increasing in age to over 80% among 18-year-olds. More than the dark, more than mice and snakes and scary movies, what most teenage girls fear is growing fat.

Who promotes teenage girls negative body image?
There is no shortage of culprits who promotes this craziness.  Certainly TV, advertisers, movies, and fashion magazines -- all forms of media who flaunt the "skinny is better" look as the ultimate in feminine beauty are partly to blame.

Beware of the below myths the next time you're feeling disappointed when you look in the mirror:

• Eating certain food combinations can help you loose weight.
• Protein builds muscle and burns fat (sorry, only exercise can do that).
• Thin and healthy are the same.
• Carbohydrates make you fat (guess what? too much of anything is no good for you)

Don't rely on the distorted view from your mirror, instead think of how your mom or grandmother sees you. There's no need to eliminate any food you enjoy from your diet. Just learn to make trade-offs and balance unhealthy foods with healthy ones. And keep on the move. The safest and most appropriate obesity prevention strategy is to get moving and exercise.