Be aware of who's watching

[TeensyTiff]

I think that taking B&A photos to track weight loss can be very healthy. At the same time, I think it's important that if you have children or teens living with you or are close with a young person who looks up to you, it's important to make sure you're doing your best to set a healthy example about your weight and your tracking progress by making it more about health and less about how you look. The reason I'm saying this is because my sister's daughter is 15 and she's starting to show negative self-image behavior and while I know the media and her school peers contributes to this, watching her mother continuously obsess over her weight and looks hasn't helped the issue. I just wanted to share cause there are so many impressionable young people out there and sometimes we forget that while we're so focused on looking our best or losing weight to slim down to fit into those skinny jeans or look good in that bikini, we forget that our opinions can have an effect on others.

[PamelaPoison]

Oh god that's a good point. That's upsetting to think about, too.

[Charlotte]

Oh god that's a good point. That's upsetting to think about, too.

Agreed! I feel silly, but this never ever occurred to me, but you're so right TeensyTiff! Thanks for the reminder.

[brightstar]

I feel like that is the case for everything, not just for weight. What we do in front of children is always being observed and absorbed, just not necessarily how we intend it. It's so important to be positive and empowering when we can

[MeSarah]

I feel like that is the case for everything, not just for weight. What we do in front of children is always being observed and absorbed, just not necessarily how we intend it. It's so important to be positive and empowering when we can

So true. It's so easy to instill a negative mindset in children if you're not careful to show them that there is more than one side of things...especially now, when they're home all. the. time...

[Whirlybird]

If you make health, wellness and fitness a focus instead of size, it's a lot easier to avoid demonstrating bad habits. Also, not banning foods but choosing them as occasional treats helps to make a better relationship with food for yourself and your kids. Shifting the way you think about it means you might do similar things but for a reason that shows you respect yourself and that self-care is important. You're not trying to fix flaws. You're trying to treat yourself to health and positivity.

[TeensyTiff]

I feel like that is the case for everything, not just for weight. What we do in front of children is always being observed and absorbed, just not necessarily how we intend it. It's so important to be positive and empowering when we can

You're right! I think we all tend to have negative views about lots of things and we forget that sometimes we take it too far and that other younger minds are paying attention. The weight loss perspective just really stood out to me because of my niece.

Whirlybird you're so right. It isn't about fixing flaws, it's about treating yourself well. I think we could all use that reminder sometimes and make an effort to be a little more kinder to ourselves.