A point for mothers and family to ponder.

More often than not a person’s body image is linked to their family’s attitude about weight loss. Out of 455 college women (with poor body image), "more than 80 percent said their parents or siblings had made negative comments about their bodies during childhood,” according to the Stanford School of Medicine.

A young girl’s father often congratulated his 6 year old daughter when she finished her entire plate of food. The mother often made comments along the lines of “Well now that she finished she won’t be having dessert.” This young lady, a friend of mine at college, was burdened by her own mother’s weight ideals even as a small child.

Many young girls not only hear comments from family members but often are most often influenced by their mother’s constant dieting quests throughout childhood. These quests turn into personal burdens as the ideals are carried from generation to generation. When a mother is picking herself apart in the mirror, talking about losing weight, or maybe weighing in on a frequent basis, her impressionable daughters will do the same.

Often it is our own families who are most critical of our bodies and may make the most influential remarks without consideration. “Have you been gaining weight?” “You really shouldn’t be eating that.” It is our own loved ones who are major contributors to the continuance of poor body image.

Many family members may not realize their actions until a son or daughter develops an eating disorder or they face cruel realizations that their eight year old daughters may be on a diet because they are “fat.”

As told on another woman’s personal weight blog . . .” Just this week my 5 year old daughter caught me "grabbing the flab" around my midsection as I made some disparaging remark about myself. The very next day... she did the same thing.”