Understand Healthy Eating

The first thing to do is know that your eating disorder isn’t healthy. It’s not something you need to do, and could actually be damaging your metabolism. You’re not getting the nutrients that your body needs, and you need to focus on eating healthy portions. Your doctor or a dietician can help with this.

Get Rid of the Magazines

Stop focusing on the photos of the stick-thin models. These are causing you to act through the eating disorder. It’s time to get rid of the damaging magazines and stop watching the TV shows that make you believe that being stick-thin is good.

You want to focus on a healthy body, and that involves building muscle and having some curves. There are magazines aimed at this, which can help.

Admit You Have an Eating Disorder

You may not even realise that there is a problem right now. It’s only when you’re on the right track that you realise just how damaging your eating disorder was.

One of the first things that you can do is admit that there is a problem and you need to start making changes to your life. This can take some time, and you may need some help.

Talk to Someone

Don’t keep your thoughts and feelings bottled up. Even if you’re not ready to admit it right now, you can talk to someone about your potential eating disorder.

Choose someone you trust and someone you know won’t judge you. It could be your mom, a sibling, your best friend or you could even opt for professional therapy. The sooner you ask for help, the sooner you can get back on the right track.

Join a Support Group

There are a number of support groups for those with eating disorders. Some will be in your area, similar to Alcoholics Anonymous, while others will be online.

Choose a method of support that works for you. Right now, you may be too nervous to meet people face-to-face, and the computer will give you that view of anonymity. Any type of support group is good, because you get to learn the skills that others have used to defeat their eating disorders.

Consider Hypnotherapy

One method of overcoming eating disorders is hypnotherapy. This works by getting into your subconscious and changes the way you think about food and your body.

It helps to overcome the doubts and the misconceptions about what looks good, so you can focus on living a healthy and fulfilling life. Seeing a professional may help at first, but you’ll eventually develop the techniques and coping methods to go it alone.

Discuss the Magazines, Advertisements and Shows

Take the time to talk about the figures of women in the magazines and advertisements. Explain that it is a company’s idea but that men actually love curves.

This is also the time to find out how your daughter is reacting to these pictures. Does she want to be like that? Not all teenagers are phased by it so don’t instantly jump to that conclusion!

Discuss Being Healthy

The best thing for your daughter is to be healthy. Encourage her to eat three balanced meals a day and enjoy snacks.

You can start this by eating as a family and cooking good meals that are healthy and nutritious for you all.

Talk to her about how food is needed by the body and how it breaks it down. There is plenty of help online for this.

Talk to Them About Their Friends

Some of the pressure doesn’t actually come from the TV and magazines; it’s from friends. Talk to your daughter about their friends and what they believe.

Don’t ban them from these friends but make sure you have a conversation about a healthy body and what not eating can do to it. This is also the time to find out about other social pressures come from friends.

Encourage Them to Join in with Activities

Encourage your daughter to join in with activities and hobbies. These don’t have to be physically based; they could be academically based or just something for fun.

By enjoying her teenage years, she is less likely to focus on many of the social pressures and try to be as thin as possible.

Take Her Clothes Shopping

Help your daughter dress for her size and figure so she looks good. If you’re not that good at this, find out more about the different figures and work on the type of clothes that will look good.

Not only will this activity be good for her self-esteem, it will be good for your relationship together.

Watch for Any Signs

Keep an eye out for any signs that she is suffering from an eating disorder. Don’t be obvious or obsessed with this.

Simple tips include having a meal as a family to make sure she eats the majority of it and sharing healthy snacks between meals.

Talk to Her If You Suspect Anything

The earlier you catch an eating disorder, the better it will be to handle. However, you will need to approach her with sensitivity. Don’t accuse her of starving herself to be thin.

Explain that you’re worried and that if she wants to talk you are here. She is more likely to be receptive to the help.