It's important to ignore adults sometimes. Ignore them when they talk about counting calories and carbs at every meal. Ignore them when they talk about how "bad" they feel about eating a brownie or how "good" they were to skip dessert. Ignore them when they talk about themselves in a way that reflects hating parts of their own body or how they look.

Ignore them because it's not something to admire and ignore them because it's not healthy for you to start thinking this way, too.

People should like food!
We need food to live and food was meant to be enjoyed. Experts say that if you eat until you're satisfied (not "full" or "stuffed", though) your body will stay at a healthy weight. If you respect and listen to your body, you will eat the right foods and just the right amount of food. That's why you shouldn't be scared of desserts - your body might want a taste of a brownie and that's okay. If you really listen to your body, it truly does not want the whole plate of brownies so eating just one will not make you lose control.

Build a Healthy Attitude Now
The next time you hear an adult (or a friend) say something negative about food, try to remember to tell yourself, "That's not the right attitude; I want to enjoy food and I will give my body the food it needs." And if you're brave enough, you could even show the other person a better way to look at food by saying something like "Isn't this cake great? - I'm really enjoying it."

Love who you are!
Remember that everyone is different - this is why trying to look like someone else or have the same type of body often results in feelings of failure and disappointment.

When you start to compare yourself to other girls, when you start to feel guilty about eating, when you go on diets, then your problems will grow bigger, not smaller. When you stop listening to your body and you eat less food than you need, your brain sends a "warning" signal out to your body to hold on to every ounce of fat it can - this is why many people who try to diet end up gaining weight!! Not only do they start to have bigger weight issues but then they usually feel worse about themselves since they feel like they've "failed."

You can only be yourself, and that's something to celebrate!

Love yourself (and your body) for who you are!