When Girls Feel Fat: Helping Girls Through Adolescence (Issues in Parenting)

For most girls, it's impossible to grow up without ever "feeling fat." Even for very young girls, it is common to express the ups and downs of life in terms of body image - translating real events into the language of fat, repressing feelings and losing one's sense of self.

Therapist Sandra Susan Friedman explains how to hear what girls really mean when they say they "feel fat" and provides parents, teachers and caregivers with practical ways to help girls navigate the turbulent waters of adolescence. This friendly guide covers:

Puberty and sexuality Food and weight Body image Parents and friends.

When Girls Feel Fat provides clear and proven strategies to deal with conflict, to recognize when "worries about weight" may lead to more serious problems, to maintain a connection when girls "tune out" and to deal with "the grungies" -- Friedman's term for the voice of self-deprecating, negative feelings. When Girls Feel Fat will help parents and mentors guide girls into becoming healthy, confident women.