An excerpt from program materials demonstrates the integration of teen language, teen issues and teen activities underscored with the sense of casual fun necessary to maintain attention and interest.

The challenge in any learning situation is to present information that is retained and can be used for personal decisions. The traditional style of educative counseling is to tell teens that diets don't work, are dangerous to their health and so they "should" eat healthier, but don't do any extreme dieting. Teens want to be responsible for their own decisions, so this kind of teaching may cause teens to rebel and start dieting for this very reason.

See how our activity captures the essence of letting go and gets the messages across in a non preaching manner.

Props: Ten 4" colorful balls are each labeled with the dieting statements

• 1. Diets make you happier and healthier.
• 2. Diets give you energy.
• 3. Diets make eating fun.
• 4. Diets never become eating disorders.
• 5. Diets are sexy.
• 6. Diets make you beautiful.
• 7. Diets improve your health.
• 8. Diets are exciting.
• 9. Diets are inexpensive.
• 10. Diets work.
  

Script for facilitator

Tell teens that we are going to see if some common beliefs about dieting are right or wrong. Describe how these beliefs are each printed on one of the plastic balls that will be thrown out to them. When someone catches a ball, they are to read out the statement and give their opinion: right, wrong & why. Emphasize that if someone is unsure of how to respond they can toss the ball to another teen until someone responds with the correct answer. Describe how balls with false statements should be pitched into a waste basket!!!! Go with the lively & interactive fun and ensure that the following points come out in the conversation: Bring their real world experiences right into the class.

Dieting Myths.....the real story...

Top Ten Reasons To Give Up Dieting
(1994 Council on Size & Weight Discrimination, Inc.)

#10: Diets don't work. Even if you lose weight, you will probably gain it all back, and you might gain back more than you lost.

#9: Diets are expensive. If you didn't buy special diet products, you could save enough to get new clothes, which would improve your outlook right now.

#8: Diets are boring. People on diets talk and think about food and practically nothing else. There's a lot more to life.

#7: Diets don't necessarily improve your health. Like the weight loss, health improvement is temporary. Dieting can actually cause health problems.

#6: Diets don't make you beautiful. Very few people will ever look like models. Glamour is a look, not a size. You don't have to be thin to be attractive.

#5: Diets are not sexy. If you want to feel and be more attractive, take care of your body and your appearance. Feeling healthy makes you look your best.

#4: Diets can turn into eating disorders. The obsessions to be thin can lead to anorexia, bulimia, bingeing, compulsive eating, and compulsive exercising.

#3: Diets can make you afraid of food. Food nourishes and comforts us, and gives us pleasure. Dieting can make food seem like your enemy, and can deprive you of all the positive things about food.

#2: Diets can rob you of energy. If you want to lead a full and active life, you need good nutrition, and enough food to meet your body's needs.

And the number one reason to give up dieting:

#1: Learning to love and accept yourself just as you are will give you self-confidence, better health, and a sense of well-being that will last a lifetime.

The simplified concepts and fun demonstration increase the likelihood that the teen will be able to use the information for personal choice. The teen is able to decide whether or not dieting would be a healthy choice for her. Contrast these empowerment methods with the traditional approach of telling teens who desperately want to lose weight that dieting is not healthy, diets don't work and moderation in eating is what you "should do".