Scary nutrition plan for teenagers over at Erika's blog?

[Azelma]

largefamiliesonpurpose.com/2013/05/losing-baby-weight-part-1-diet-plan.html

 

(I searched for this topic but apologize if it's been posted before. This is my first time starting a thread, but I was so upset that I just had to do it.)

 

I'm not a dietician by any means, and more power to Erika if this is what she wants for herself, but when I read that she was imposing this plan on the oldest girl (fifteen), I was really concerned. It seems A.) really limiting nutritionally, and B.) not enough calories for an active fifteen-year-old. I'm even more disturbed that she's referring to her teenage daughter as "on a diet," especially when she looks to be perfectly healthy in all of her pictures. Fundies always talk about sheltering their children from the evils of the world, but it looks to me like this is a recipe for body issues from Mommy Dearest herself.

 

Combined with the fact that some of her kids have always looked itty bitty to me in pictures, especially compared to their siblings, I really worry for these kids and their relationships with food/eating. The oldest boy in particular looks so much smaller than his three-years-younger sister and about the same size as his four-years-younger brother; it's hard to believe he's ten! Obviously this could be a perfectly normal part of growing, but since Erika has always posted adamantly about serving all her kids the same food and no exceptions, I doubt any of them would be getting any extra nutrition if they needed it.

 

Only one other person so far has commented on Erika's post expressing any kind of concern for her daughter, so I just had to make this thread in hopes that FJ-ites would edumacate her. Or at least make me feel less alone in thinking she is some certified fresh grade-A crazy this week.

[treehugger]

Yeah, that is absolutely NOT a healthy diet for any growing teenager to be following. I do not see any healthy fats in those meals, and every healthy diet does need to include carbs. My sister, who is diabetic and has to really watch how many carbs she eats told me that her dietician told her she needs to make sure to eat at least 100 - 150 carbs a day. I realize you can get some carbs from veggies - but you would need to eat a LOT of vegetables to get close to the recommended amount. From the itty bitty servings on those plates, I am pretty sure that is not enough veggies to make enough carbs.

Also, FWIW, eating disorders are big problem among fundamentalist christians (even mainstream) because of the emphasis on the perfect body for women. In the church I grew up in (a mainstream church) I knew of several teenage anorexics who had to be hospitalized because of the extreme lengths they would go to for the perfect body. And, the problem with the fundies and eating disorders is that A) they don't think it is a problem because perfect body for deh menz is the most important thing in the world, and B) heaven forbid they go to a doctor for anything at all - and medications and hospitals are of the devil :angry-banghead: Yeah, this shit pisses me off

[Azelma]

I've got an eating disorder, so this was particularly upsetting for me. My mom said some similar things to me when I was nineteen, and eight years later I'm still dealing with the effects of that. I can't imagine being fifteen and "on a diet," especially one so restricting.

I was also disturbed by her repeated mentions in the post about being hungry due to the lack of fat in the diet. If that's how Erika feels, imagine how her daughter feels! An extra fried egg or two will not mitigate that!

[lizziesmom]

I will confess that I wasn't interested enough to read the entire thing carefully but I didn't see where she advocated that diet for her kids. In fact, there is a paragraph on how she fed the family while she was dieting. Did I miss a separate blog where she says she is making her kids follow it?

On a side note, it's not just fundies who are obsessed with their bodies and I know of plenty of teens who don't eat healthy so they can look like they think they are supposed to.

[Azelma]

I will confess that I wasn't interested enough to read the entire thing carefully but I didn't see where she advocated that diet for her kids. In fact, there is a paragraph on how she fed the family while she was dieting. Did I miss a separate blog where she says she is making her kids follow it?

On a side note, it's not just fundies who are obsessed with their bodies and I know of plenty of teens who don't eat healthy so they can look like they think they are supposed to.

In the picture captions, she mentions it's pictures of her oldest daughter's meals, not hers, and she mentions Karen several times in the post. She frequently mentions "the three dieters" vs "non-dieters" which I assume to mean the two parents and oldest child. She also responds to a comment concerned about her children being on this plan and says "it's just Karen on the diet" and since she's basically done growing at fifteen, clearly it's okay for her to eat like this. :?

[Muriel]

I read her entire post (praise me because it was loooooongg :lol: )

It looks like a 80's diet, the kind my mom was always on when I was a child/teen, no fat, no bread or pasta, lean meat or fish and veggie...

Those kind of diet have been proven to lead to yoyo effect, which is very bad for your health...

I didn't know they were still promoted by some doctors, she is going to gain the weight back, or she 'll never be able (like my mom :cry: ) to eat like everybody else... so sad...

[PokaDot]

I will confess that I wasn't interested enough to read the entire thing carefully but I didn't see where she advocated that diet for her kids. In fact, there is a paragraph on how she fed the family while she was dieting. Did I miss a separate blog where she says she is making her kids follow it?

On a side note, it's not just fundies who are obsessed with their bodies and I know of plenty of teens who don't eat healthy so they can look like they think they are supposed to.

She says in the comments that just Karen is following.

Thank you, it's just Karen (who's nearly 15) on the diet, not anyone younger. And Karen is probably fully grown pretty much. She feels good, has energy, her skin, hair, nails, etc. are great. She's regularly seeing our chiropractor/naturopath (for a neck issue) so he's also monitoring her and guiding her... So we're very confident she's very healthy. =)

[GeoBQn]

What would a chiropractor know about nutrition?

[Sarietty]

Also, FWIW, eating disorders are big problem among fundamentalist christians (even mainstream) because of the emphasis on the perfect body for women. In the church I grew up in (a mainstream church) I knew of several teenage anorexics who had to be hospitalized because of the extreme lengths they would go to for the perfect body. And, the problem with the fundies and eating disorders is that A) they don't think it is a problem because perfect body for deh menz is the most important thing in the world, and B) heaven forbid they go to a doctor for anything at all - and medications and hospitals are of the devil :angry-banghead: Yeah, this shit pisses me off

A fundamentalist home seems like the perfect breeding ground for an eating disorder, not only because of the "perfect body" pressure that you mentioned, but for so many other reasons. Women, especially daughters, have very little control over any other decisions in their lives. They are told that suffering and deprivation are good. Also good: the ability to subjugate your own needs and desires. There are very extreme obligations and life changes that accompany adulthood (the pressure to find a husband, run a perfect house, and produce a full quiver). Adolescent and adult women are also held responsible for whatever reaction their physical bodies produce in men. On top of all this, financially strapped parents may not have enough money to feed a large family adequately.

Any one of these factors could affect a person's relationship to food, and putting all of them together creates a situation in which food is one of the only vehicles of expression a person has. Even then, as in this case, disordered eating patterns can be framed as socially appropriate "dieting," or even "fasting." I have seen a few mentions of fundie religious fasts that are clearly weight loss oriented. ("I'm giving up sugar and carbs ... for Jesus!")

[OkToBeTakei]

This is control freak *smile* Erica . I doubt her 15 yr old does any type of sports or biking about having fun. If I recall she even schedules 'garden' playtime ?

[ILoveJellybeans]

This is control freak *smile* Erica . I doubt her 15 yr old does any type of sports or biking about having fun. If I recall she even schedules 'garden' playtime ?

I wouldnt be suprised if Erika scheduled her children's bathroom breaks.

[Alcyone]

What stood out to me, besides the ultra low calorie diet, was the vast quantity of fluids she is consuming on this diet. I would be worried about over-hydrating, which is quite dangerous. I hope her daughter is not following that part of the diet plus I hope she gets to cheat sometimes and eat a big baked potato loaded with butter and sour cream. Oh my, now I need lunch, and believe me it won't be cucumber and celery salad...

[Muriel]

What stood out to me, besides the ultra low calorie diet, was the vast quantity of fluids she is consuming on this diet. I would be worried about over-hydrating, which is quite dangerous. I hope her daughter is not following that part of the diet plus I hope she gets to cheat sometimes and eat a big baked potato loaded with butter and sour cream. Oh my, now I need lunch, and believe me it won't be cucumber and celery salad...

Yes she must be starving, so she fills her stomach with water :cry:

[frumper-rump]

Paired with the restrictive diet, drinking mugs of hot water to curb hunger sounds like an ED trick, if you ask me.

I agree that this is NOT a healthy diet for growing children and teens. I dont care what adults do to their own bodies, but children deserve the best parents can provide. Healthy fats and carbs are vital to development! (BUT if it's only the girls following along, maybe it doesnt matter to them :doh: )

[Loveday]

What stood out to me, besides the ultra low calorie diet, was the vast quantity of fluids she is consuming on this diet. I would be worried about over-hydrating, which is quite dangerous. I hope her daughter is not following that part of the diet plus I hope she gets to cheat sometimes and eat a big baked potato loaded with butter and sour cream. Oh my, now I need lunch, and believe me it won't be cucumber and celery salad...

64 ounces of water in the morning, seemingly all before breakfast (32 ounces during Bible time and 32 ounces during shower/morning prep time). That's a gallon. A GALLON. And then she drinks more throughout the day. No wonder she lost 32 pounds in two and a half months.

[kaetrin]

My favorite part of this is the commenter who asks if losing weight is really a "biblical" goal that is worth following a "non-biblical" diet for. (Apparently giving up fruit is unbiblical, because God made it.) I love a good holier-than-thou comment war. I would be sad if that person is trolling.

[Muriel]

I've looked at pictures of her kids, the girl Karen is not over-weight by any means...

She's not even chubby, putting her on a diet is criminal :angry-banghead:

My guess is that her selfish mother wanted to have a kind of diet partner and she uses her daughter for this purpose.

[formergothardite]

I cannot read her blog. All the ~smiles~, ~grins~, and ~shit~ get on my last nerve. But it sounds like an extremely restrictive diet and that the second she goes off it she will start gaining weight. You can't live on almost no fat and hot water forever.

[GeoBQn]

I've looked at pictures of her kids, the girl Karen is not over-weight by any means...

She's not even chubby, putting her on a diet is criminal :angry-banghead:

My guess is that her selfish mother wanted to have a kind of diet partner and she uses her daughter for this purpose.

Mother-daughter dieting seems to be common among fundies, like when Cheryl from Treasures from a Shoebox did a 60 day juice fast with three of her daughters. They called themselves "the secret society."

[argypargy]

What stood out to me, besides the ultra low calorie diet, was the vast quantity of fluids she is consuming on this diet. I would be worried about over-hydrating, which is quite dangerous. I hope her daughter is not following that part of the diet plus I hope she gets to cheat sometimes and eat a big baked potato loaded with butter and sour cream. Oh my, now I need lunch, and believe me it won't be cucumber and celery salad...

While hyponatremia (low salt) can be a concern, it is mostly a concern among the endurance athlete crowd. When you are sweating, you lose water AND salt/potassium. If you just hydrate with water, you run the risk of getting hyponatremia. This is why most endurance athletes use a combination of sports drink and salt tablets. I do ultra-marathons and Ironman triathlon, so I have first hand knowledge.

Having said that, there have been cases of hyponatremia unrelated to sports. One case I remember was a radio competition, in which the contestant able to drink the most water won tickets to a concert or soemthing. I think a lady died after she drank so many gallons of water in a relatively short amount of time (I forget the details).

As much as I hate these types of diets, etc., I highly doubt they are drinking so much water to create hyponatremia. I drink close to 2-3 gallons/day and I'm just fine.

[argypargy]

64 ounces of water in the morning, seemingly all before breakfast (32 ounces during Bible time and 32 ounces during shower/morning prep time). That's a gallon. A GALLON. And then she drinks more throughout the day. No wonder she lost 32 pounds in two and a half months.

That's half of a gallon. A gallon is 128oz.

[Sumeri]

Actually, compared to the other ones we snark about, this meal plan is amazingly healthy. FRESH vegetables? Not a canned string bean whirled in a blender with a piece of meat to make some sauce to pour over rice?

[Seal]

Erika infuriates me A LOT. Usually it's for using the words "merry janes, strait, and rout" consistently for "mary janes, straight, and route", but this diet bullshit gives me a better reason to hate her blog. WTF she's getting NO carbs (complex or simple) and she's claiming that her naturopath is some sort of nutritional wonder (he's even christian!) all the while using extremely dangerous tactics to keep from eating an acceptable number of calories. The water business sounds extremely similar to my friend's crash dieting tactic (she only eats anything after she drinks 0.5-1L of water). Why is she letting her poor 15 year old do this to her self. She may not be completely skeletally mature, and even then she's still building bone mass that's crucial to be formed by the 20s. Sorry for the rant, but I HATE Erika Shupe.

[Maggie Mae]

I'm certain they are getting enough calories through the protein. What concerns me is that this is basically a body building diet. If there is a suggestion that you might be constipated, maybe you should think more about balance.

I'd like to see more fresh fruit, and to cut out the protein shakes and supplements, and I don't think she needs to avoid anything on the 'avoid' list, unless its something she doesn't like. ALL of those things on the "do not eat" list are fine in moderation. Some are even good for you.

Also, 8 ounces of meat for dinner + 8 ounces of meat for "a snack" + hard boiled eggs for lunch + fried eggs for breakfast? I don't think I would be able to move by the end of the day.

Here is the diet for those of you who don't want to read through the *smiles* and *giggles*

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LsMg62hhpIM/U ... 0/diet.jpg

[Alcyone]

While hyponatremia (low salt) can be a concern, it is mostly a concern among the endurance athlete crowd. When you are sweating, you lose water AND salt/potassium. If you just hydrate with water, you run the risk of getting hyponatremia. This is why most endurance athletes use a combination of sports drink and salt tablets. I do ultra-marathons and Ironman triathlon, so I have first hand knowledge.

Having said that, there have been cases of hyponatremia unrelated to sports. One case I remember was a radio competition, in which the contestant able to drink the most water won tickets to a concert or soemthing. I think a lady died after she drank so many gallons of water in a relatively short amount of time (I forget the details).

As much as I hate these types of diets, etc., I highly doubt they are drinking so much water to create hyponatremia. I drink close to 2-3 gallons/day and I'm just fine.

The issue I am concerned about is the lack of sugar and salt in her diet to balance the intake of water + hot water and tea. You have an adequate amount of sugar (sports drink) and salt (sports drink and salt tablets). I don't see much sugar in Erika's diet except whatever fruit is in the smoothie. Hopefully, she liberally salts all the food but if not, I don't see how she could be getting enough salt, either.