Tip #1 – Anorexia: - if you think you have, or know someone who is developing anorexia, here are some warning signs:
* Low self-esteem
* Skip meals
* Don’t feel hungry
* Become an over-achiever
Tip #2 – be healthy: take car of your health, so you can enjoy your life—and all the holidays. Make sure you eat a proper amount of fruits, and vegetables. Don’t skip meals to become thinner. Instead, eat some fruit and cereal for breakfast, and enjoy healthy snacks throughout the day. Girls with anorexia don’t even realize they have it until it is too late. They start off by skipping snacks until their body is so deprived of vitamins; it causes all kinds of health problems.
Tip #3 – Binge eating: – this is as serious as the other eating disorders because it can lead to serious heart problems, diabetes, and even drug and alcohol abuse.
Some early symptoms:
* Low self-esteem
* Eating when you’re not hungry, and then feeling guilty.
* Go through several diets, even skipping meals, but makes up for it at night by bingeing.
* finds a reason to overeat such as things not going right, or anxiety. When everything goes wrong, food brings joy and warmth. Not only does it satisfy our hunger, but also it relieves deep emotional needs, and is connected to our self-esteem. Try to realize that overeating is a cry for help. Start working on getting help for your emotional needs.
Tip #4 –Bulimia: - if you think you have Bulimia, please get help immediately. This could develop into a serious life-threating situation, and could cause rupture of the esophagus.
Early symptoms:
* A constant concern with body image
* Bouts of vomiting after eating
* Overtaking laxatives
Tip #5 – underweight: many times, underweight girls have what is called a birdlike appetite. If you eat like a bird, and if large meals don’t appeal to you, then eat smaller portions, but eat frequently. Drink plenty of water, and milk. You’ll need grains such as rice, oats, bran, and wheat.

**check out information re: eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating at webmd.com, or type in “eating disorders” in the search box on your browser. In many cultures, being super thin is considered “in.”

Not so!

Teens, do not let yourself get pulled into this deception. Be careful you don’t get scammed into a wonder diet that cost lots of money, and offers no more than hocus pocus. Use your common sense and you will be fine. Remember if you want to loose weight, cut down the calories, and exercise. Don’t compare yourself to a teenage model that you think looks better than you. Remember the media can be deceptive when it comes to retouched images, including manipulated photos of models.
Tip #6 – weight control: too many sweets are bad. Be careful if you gain weight easy. You can pack on a lot of pounds by eating sweets, especially if you like cake, donuts and pies—who doesn’t? You can still eat them, but not in large amounts. Cut a small thin piece of cake, or pie, and eat them once in a while, not every day.

Calories: Your body must have energy to work, and this is provided by calories, which are contained in food. When you consume more calories than your body can burn, you develop a problem with fat. You are pumping in more calories than your body can turn into energy. The body turns the calories into fat, and stores it for when it can be used. The average girl needs between 1200 to 1400 calories a day, but this will vary according to your body size, and activity. Check with your doctor, or school nurse to be sure.

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