Episode 14: Kids on Weight Watchers or Dieters in Training?

April 1, 2018


Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android

Episode Overview

With the recent announcement of Weight Watchers new family oriented wellness program, Annie, Jen and Lauren discuss the implications and impacts of this controversial move. Each with a different level of experience with the Weight Watchers program, our hosts have an important conversation on teens and dieting.

What you’ll hear in this episode

  • What Weight Watchers stands to gain through their “early intervention” tactics from a financial perspective
  • Weight Watchers and their history of working with children
  • Why some parents choose Weight Watchers for their children (a non-judgemental exploration of topics of concern for parents that lead them there.)
  • Obesity rates in teens and things we should look at instead (based on 2016 statistics)
  • How early children are affected by diet culture
  • The prevalence and normalization of disordered eating patterns among teens
  • The relationship between teen dieting and eating disorders
  • Preconceptions about what eating disorders look like and their impacts
  • The role of weekly weigh-ins in a binge restrict pattern
  • Child development, self-esteem and dieting
  • The Minnesota Starvation Experiment and the pendulum of forbidden foods
  • How children’s weight responds to food restrictions
  • Why diets don’t work
  • Passing down our narratives and body image issues: taking charge of the legacy of diet culture in our family
  • Mom-shaming and fat-shaming and how they impact the nutrition choices we make for our families
  • Age appropriate nutrition information and the role of instructor weight biases and body image
  • The role of influencers in the diet industry
  • Mortality rates in eating disorders
  • What resources are available to parents who are concerned about weight issues
  • What we feed our kids vs how we feed our kids – which is more important?
  • Skyrocketing obesity rates: hysteria or real life?
  • The HHHM business model and how it differs from diet programs
  • Upcoming additions to the Balance365 program

Mentions