A message to our First Lady

The following letter is one I sent to our First Lady a few days ago:

Dear First Lady,

I must tell you how thrilled I am with the leadership you and President Obama offer our nation ... I have not felt such confidence in a Presidency in a very long time and I thank you for the important role you are playing in healing our country.

Although I have no idea if this letter will ever actually reach you, my compulsion to write it cannot be ignored.

Our 19-year-old daughter, Andrea, died in her sleep when an electrolyte imbalance caused from one year of bulimic behaviors stopped her heart from beating. Prior to her death, I held many of the same beliefs and misconceptions about food and weight that are not only common to our culture, but that are similar to the ones I read in the press espoused by you.

Since our daughter's death, my eyes have been opened to a new reality. The process of moving into and through this major paradigm shift, from focusing on weight to focusing on fitness and health, was tantamount to going from holding a "flat earth" philosophy to fully accepting that our planet is round. This "new way of thinking" was that revolutionary for me.

Obviously, the ways that I think, act, and speak have been transformed. I have learned from physicians in the eating disorder (ED) field that weight loss in a child is NEVER normal, that putting a child on a diet, from an ED perspective, is a form of child abuse. That:

• dieting is considered the "gateway drug" to an ED (nearly every ED begins with some form of weight loss diet)
• the number one predictor of who will develop an ED is having a parent who diets (which I did throughout our daughter's formative years)
• when we focus on "weight" no one wins: those who are fat just feel horrible about themselves and those who are thin live in fear of becoming fat. Instead, we need to keep our focus on health and fitness, a focus that does not single out a particular "size" but instead encourages daily movement and nutritional "intuitive" eating for people of ALL sizes
• if dieting worked, we would be a nation of "thin" people by now, given the billions of dollars spent on dieting programs and products
• restricting calories actually promotes binge eating. Our body interprets a drop in calories as "famine" and does what it must to save itself: store fat and binge when foods are again plentiful in order to prepare for the next "famine"
• weight cycling (yo-yo dieting) is more harmful than being fat and contributes to obesity
• Fat Talk ("You look great! Have you lost weight?" "Do I look fat in this?" "My daughter's looking a bit chubby.") lowers self-esteem
• a body that is hated is rarely taken care of, whereas a body that is respected and loved, no matter what its size, is more likely to be nourished well and moved often

(It has been ten years since our daughter's death, so I could go on and on. The facts listed above are supported by numerous research studies--references provided upon request :)

You are in a position to guide our nation out of its "flat earth" days. You have made "obesity" one of your major causes. You have the power to take a "do no harm" approach to wellness. Yes, doing this may insight outcries from entrenched "flat earthers" and will most definitely put the diet industry on the defense. It will not be easy, but I have yet to witness you or President Obama choose the "easy" path over the "right" path.

Since the war on obesity began we have seen an astronomical rise in eating problems and EDs. Eating Disorders kill more than any other psychiatric diagnosis and cost our nation greatly in the decreased productivity and increased health care costs that go hand-in-hand with the illness. Imagine the learning that could happen in classrooms nationwide if students were focused on the content of their lessons instead of being continually distracted by thoughts of food, weight and looks. Your leadership in making this paradigm shift could provide the greatest healing our country has ever experienced.

I am grateful for your passion and your intelligence. You and President Obama are two of the finest role models our nation has seen in a very long time.

With sincere gratitude,

--------------------------------------------[end of letter]

Although not directly related to my letter above, I highly recommend the following post The Fat Nutritionist ¹ The comment section below the blog article is just as enlightening--enjoy!

Blessings until next time,

Doris

¹ Obtained via the ASDAH list serve this morning