The Biggest Loser: A mother/daughter affair?
After my recent "star turn" (ha!) on The Biggest Loser: Couples, a college pal e-mailed me, just tickled that she spotted her friend Liz on one of her favorite TV shows. What I found really interesting, though, was her comment that she DVRs the show and watches it every week with her kindergarten-age daughter. Apparently, her daughter--at age 5!--is already aware of her body size, and even though the girl is quite slim, active, and healthy for her height, she asks her mom if she needs to exercise like the contestants and whether she'll gain weight like them some day.
My first thought: TRAGIC! Five years old is too young to worry about her body! But then this controversial lightbulb went on in my head: The Biggest Loser should be mandatory viewing in grade schools! And every mom should watch with her children. When you realize how many overweight children there are in this country who are prediabetic or diabetic (and the lifetime of health issues they're going to face because of it), I say it's never too soon to start teaching kids what it takes to maintain a healthy body.
This is one of the reasons why I loved being a part of the Biggest Loser family this year--and not just because I got to watch style maestro Tim Gunn work his magic for the big Prevention photo shoot, featured in our May issue. The show's no-holds-barred approach gives us a real idea of what it takes, warts and all, to lose a lot of weight and get healthy. Yes, the contestants can win money and get to dedicate months solely to their bodies (something few of us will ever have the luxury to do), but when I say you see these people sweat--you really see them sweat. Losing weight is one of the toughest things anyone can accomplish--and the Biggest Losers leave everything --work, friends, family--to make it happen. To me, this is a crystal clear message to kids that it's a WHOLE lot harder to lose the weight than it is to make an effort, every day, to keep from gaining in the first place.
When my 3-year-old girls, Sophia and Olivia, offer me a bite of their treats, most of the time I'll take it--but occasionally I won't. And when I pass, I tell them it's because "I'm actually not hungry right
now." I want my girls to learn the difference between true hunger and a craving. At the same time, however, I want them to learn to love and respect their bodies, and even love and respect their flaws. That's the rub: Where is the middle ground? It's always a good idea to pump up exercise. (I tell--and show--my girls how much I like to work out every day of the week.) But when should you starttalking to girls about healthy eating and healthy weight--AND a healthy body image? How young is too young?
Related Links:
My Health Trackers Tool
BMI Calculator
100 Ways to Cut 100 Calories
