I recently joined a weight support group on Facebook. It was started by an old college acquaintance of mine and a friend of his. We report weekly weigh-in results, share tips and act as cheerleaders for each other. Pretty typical, right?
But there is a twist to this group that I really love. This group if for those who need to lose or GAIN weight. The idea is for each of us to set a goal toward a healthy waight and go in whichever direction we need to.
I like this because there is so much emphasis on weight loss even though eating didorders are growing more prevalent. While the WII has an "underweight" designation, every diet I have ever seen in a mainstream woman's magazine is for weight loss. Thin is still considered ideal. I saw an article the other day that eating disorders are on the rise in boys. This new group acknowledges that getting to a healthy weight may mean gaining instead of losing. (Personally, I need to lose weight.)
There are many reasons that people may need to gain weight, not just eating disorders. Metabolism abnormalities, chemotherapy, and illnesses that lead to temporary drops in weight, among other things, are also reasons why people may need to look for an upward direction on the scale. I am not sure why any individual member of this group need to gain (or lose for that matter).
I am just glad it is out there and I am a part of it. I hope the idea catches on.
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