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September 1, 2011

Maggie Goes on a Diet: A Story for Children?

How a new book simplifies the larger female relationship with food.

Andrea Lucado, guest blogger

With a title like Maggie Goes on a Diet, it’s hard to believe author and publisher Paul Kramer did not anticipate the criticism he and his publishing house would receive when the book recently appeared on Amazon for pre-order. Not even in print yet, this book has been hurtled into the middle of the ongoing debate regarding childhood obesity, eating disorders, and how exactly to teach young children about healthy eating habits.

If the title doesn’t make you cringe, maybe the product description will: “This book is about a 14-year-old girl who goes on a diet and is transformed from being extremely overweight and insecure to a normal sized girl who becomes the school soccer star. Through time, exercise and hard work, Maggie becomes more and more confident and develops a positive self image.” Add to that the book’s reading level — ages 4 to 8 — and the cover image of an overweight girl imagining a thinner self in the mirror, and the result seems more likely to cause psychological damage than a desire to eat better and exercise.

The public’s reaction is split. Some believe the book at least provides a healthy alternative to poor eating and no exercise; others say it could spark eating disorders. Time quotes psychologist Carolyn Becker, who sides against the title: “They are trying to promote healthier behavior, but at the same time they're likely promoting weight stigma. . . . For some people, getting healthier may or may not lead to significant weight loss. It's also quite possible to lose weight on an unhealthy diet.” Yet many believe Maggie’s approach to weight loss is healthy and applaud her efforts. As the Los Angeles Times wrote, “The key — as Maggie discovered — is not only to eat healthier foods but to exercise.”

As reasonable as the Times sounds, something that stems from years of images of perfect bodies thrust in our faces has many women in an uproar about Maggie’s experience.

Despite my strong feelings, I do not believe Kramer has malicious intent. I believe what he told Good Morning America: “My intentions were just to write a story to entice and to have children feel better about themselves, discover a new way of eating, learn to do exercise, try to emulate Maggie and learn from Maggie's experience." I believe that was your intent, Kramer. I also believe you don’t have a clue. Not a clue what it feels like to be an overweight 14-year-old girl, not a clue why girls turn to food, or refuse food, in order to cope with their crumbling surroundings, and especially not a clue how to teach children where true happiness lies.

The moral of his story is that people will stop making fun of you when you finally conform to their expectations, and when people stop making fun of you, you can feel good about yourself. A moral that blatantly grates against the Christian values of God judging our hearts, of being not of this world, and of finding confidence and identity in Christ and only Christ. But this discrepancy is obvious to the evangelical, and a message not unique to Maggie Goes on a Diet.

The root of my frustration with this book runs deeper, into the way it simplifies the female relationship with food, reducing deep issues with it to nothing more than a series of unhealthy choices easily rectified with healthy ones. Unbeknownst to Kramer, he has made a serious situation petty. In a way, though, so has the church.

When discussing dieting and health foods, how often does biblical counsel come up? The Bible says a lot about food and exercise (Prov. 23:20, Phil. 4:5, and 1 Tim. 4:8, to name a few), but that’s easy to forget. And in that forgetfulness, the relationship gets complicated, dependencies form, and food becomes an enemy or your best friend—neither of which are roles nonliving objects should play.

G. K. Chesterton understood this complexity, noting, “The trouble about always trying to preserve the health of the body is that it is so difficult to do without destroying the health of the mind. Health is the most unhealthy of topics.” Will something always have to give?

The truth is, I wish life were as simple as Maggie Goes on a Diet, that when a teenage girl over or under eats, there is no history of trauma or abuse causing her to do so; she just is, and therefore, changing her habits is as simple as changing her mind. I wish we as women would not complicate food into something God never made it to be: a source of guilt, comfort, good or bad, right or wrong. But many of us have and now must reverse years of skewed thoughts on what healthy means.

In attempt to prevent this skewed thinking in future generations, I’m currently working on Maggie Goes to College: The Sequel to Maggie Goes on a Diet. The Amazon product description will go something like this: “Maggie went to college, and there she met girls that were prettier, skinnier, and better soccer players than she was. She began to lose her confidence and grew anxious. She had already lost weight and become popular. Now did she have to lose more weight and somehow become more popular? That seemed so impossible and very exhausting. She began to wonder if she was looking for the wrong thing in the wrong place. Could it be that God intended more for her life? She began to think so.”

Andrea Lucado lives in Nashville, Tenn., where she works in book publicity by day and freelance writes by night. She also blogs on Mondays and yes, she is daughter to Max.

Comments

I would totally read that sequel! Skinny doesn't equal healthy.

Your sequel (which I would pre-order in a heartbeat!) reminds me of C.S. Lewis's line "If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."

The original Maggie book, though, is just so much self-help claptrap. It is not based on sound medicine, psychology or theology. It's also dangerous; I can just imagine well-meaning family or friends buying the book for young girls. What a message to send those poor kids! Much better would be for those family and friends to read for themselves some sound advice in books like Life Without Ed (Ed = eating disorder) and Intuitive Eating. Neither of those are cure-alls, but I found them to be helpful in understanding the issues.

Cheers,
Tim

The Chief problem may lie in that the book was written by a man. Maggie Gets Healthier might be a better title, but as you pointed out, getting healthy involves more than what goes in the mouth, or physical exercise. It involves knowing whose you are, knowing whose opinion really matters. Diet is a bad four-letter word. I don't think Kramer gets it. Promoting a healthy lifestyle is a good thing, but tying self-worth to physical appearance is not.

The cover is so unfortunate. As someone who has been on a long, long, weight loss journey, my goal has never been to be skinnier or prettier, but to be healthier. But then again, I started my journey from an emotionally healthier place than most: loving myself and who I was, ready to lose weight for the right reasons.

And although it is nice to be able to buy clothes in "normal" stores, to be able to run faster and play longer, we only feed our superficial culture by making looks the goal and end result of women's and girl's self-(or societal-) worth.

I'll never forget one of the most hurtful things ever said to me, "If you were skinnier, you'd be a knockout!" And that's what the cover of this book repesents to me.

Yet another way to criticize women's bodies. And to 4-8 year olds!!! My 5-year-old daughter does NOT need to be thinking about her weight, comparing herself to others, wondering if she is "fat," or going on a diet! Whatever his intentions, the author is way out of line. I'd put this on the list of things that are not allowed in our home, a list that includes "fat talk," "diet talk," "fashion" magazines, and non-fat ice cream.

Skinny does not equal healthy, and "overweight" does not equal unhealthy. If at some point my daughter's (or my)DOCTOR indicates that she (or I) has a HEALTH problem, we would do everything we could to address it. Until that time, her weight (and mine) is peripheral. She's healthy. I'm healthy. Period. And I won't even tell you what she or I weigh because it's not important.

Great, GREAT post. Right on.

@Tim: Yay for intuitive eating!! This is what I teach my children, though I don't tell them that's what it's called. I tell them to listen to their bodies. I ask them what their bodies want to eat. Usually it is yogurt, a pb sandwich on whole wheat, fresh fruit, or string cheese. I have the only child I know who will eat two bites of her ice cream, cupcake, or other treat and then throw the rest away because she knows she is satisfied. I wish every parent knew intutitive eating and taught it to their children.

Yes, Tim & Robin, intuitive eating is great, and great for kids. It's what they tend to do naturally until the adults in their lives share the wonderful world of food phobias with them!

As I understand it, this book is self published, which means it won't likely appear in many (if any) brick & mortar bookstores. I wonder if the author knew it would be controversial and land him his 15 minutes?

I certainly take exception to the book's strange notion that going on a diet can make you a soccer star! I'm thin, but thanks to a genetic disorder, I've never been physically able to participate in sports. I wrote about this--and my journey to accept my body & food as gifts from God--here: http://eatwithjoy.wordpress.com/2011/08/22/am-i-too-thin-to-say-accept-your-body/

Thanks for writing about this very bizarre little book!

WOW! THANK YOU! As a 26-year-old woman who is on the journey of weight loss (50 pounds down!), I can testify to the fact that being healthy is SO much deeper than just eating right and exercising. I had to go through two years of intense counseling and healing to even be truly ready to fight the battle of losing weight with any real victory. Years later, I am living in victory, making healthy choices, and losing the weight - but it took REAL healing in my heart from Jesus before I was able to truly be an overcomer in Him! I am beaming over this article!!

Great thoughts, Andrea! I especially appreciate your willingness to do more than stand on the side-lines and criticize, but instead actively engage the book industry as it shapes girls and young women. The comparison game is an unending one, so we definitely need resources for equipping young women to navigate the gauntlet in a godly way.

As someone who was once overweight and who is trying to model healthy habits for my daughter, I appreciate resources that promote healthy choices. That being said, I despise the word diet. To me it indicates a short-term solution for an issue that should really be about lifelong living. If the book were titled something like "Maggie Lives a Healthier Lifestyle," it would change the immediate perception. But I also take issue with the fact that the author seems to imply that being a certain weight somehow guarantees success and popularity. I didn't put on weight until I was finished college. Throughout junior high and high school I was athletic and active and never struggled with weight. However that did not earn me a ticket to hang with the popular crowd, nor did it mean I had good self-esteem or confidence. Implying that the "ideal" body type will automatically make you good or sports or well-liked sends the wrong message to young girls who are already bombarded by the same message by mainstream media and celebrities. My hope is that my daughter will develop a healthy relationship with food and exercise, and will realize she was fearfully and wonderfully made, whether she is a size 6 or 12. I pray she can learn to appreciate how good she feels as a result of a healthy lifestyle, whether or not she's a star athlete or prom queen.

This is so thoughtful and well written. I can't even get past the cover, which seems to be saying a)overweight girls have no dress sense; b)all girls want to wear pink dresses; c)only slim girls can wear pink dresses. I could weep, really.

Very sad commentary on where we are as a culture. I hope we really aren't as shallow as a book like this would suggest.

I'm sure the author's motives were good, but it is a fallacy to say that if you are thinner you will be happier and have a better life. Just think of all the thin, "beautiful people" whose lives are totally messed up. (Lindsay Lohan comes to mind!)

Of course we don't want kids to be obese, but that is a health issue (and maybe a spiritual one) but should not be a vanity issue.

Thanks for a great article!

I'm not sure why, but I'm a little hesitant to jump on the bandwagon and bash this book. Sure, the book can be insulting and offensive to those who are overweight. But perhaps it can be used as a tool to teach kids who don't have weight problems how to empathize with those that do.

Obviously, the book doesn't go into the psychological reasons for Maggie's weight, just as other children's books don't offer explanations for antagonistic parents or jealous, mean-spirited siblings. That is no reason to fault it.

You CAN fault the book for its message that popularity and good looks will bring abundant life. But is it realistic to expect that lesson to come out of a secular author and publishing house?

If the function of children's literature is to teach kids about a problem in the world (in this case, overweight-ness) and how to interact and empathize with someone with that problem, I think this book may have some value. Correct me if I'm wrong.

It won't be long until a sequel arrives about a 4 year old on a diet and of course a pudgy four month old? This is just so painful to look at. As one who God freed from compulsive eating, I can say that His tender compassion fills the empty, hurting places that food just never satisfied. I love to eat. Oh,for older women to come alongside the younger and teach them the fruits of the Spirit...Self control...

Why is a book about a 14-year-old written at the reading level of 4-8-year-olds? And why are 4-year-olds reading? The banner ad at the top of my page is for the book "IT'S YOUR KiD not a gerbil". I think that should be given to the parents of most 4-year-olds who read.

Being fat is unhealthy and doesn't show much self control.

You can lose weight if you get serious with God and staop being disobedient and rebellious.

ALL FAT IS THE LORD's. Lev 3:16

should be easy enough to remember.

Stop finding some excuses and scriptures for being overweight.

Yeh, God looks at the heart, but we are to be God's representatives on earth of well adjusted beings and that's include your body.

This is not about ressembling a media icone here or being skinny or shallow.

This book tells it like it is. You've got a problem, you can be an overcomer and a wonderful testimony of reclaiming the wonderful body that God gave you.

Stop rationalising and giving yourself and others excuses and give this book a chance.

As someone who was an overweight 14 year old girl, something needs to be said to everyone, not just girls and not just young people. I have struggled with my weight for many years (and I'm only 22) and it is only recently that I have discovered that my eating has become a god in my life. I think constantly about what my next meal will be and when I overeat I feel an overwhelming sense of guilt. When I accepted that I was putting my eating habits (good and bad) above my desire to follow the Lord, my thinking completely changed and I am more and more healthy each day.

We (myself included) are too dependent on food. It is a reward, a punishment a sense of comfort - bottom line, it's a god. Our culture must move past this and teach this new generation to view food differently.

Perhaps this book was the wrong approach, but it is a catalyst to conversations that need to happen.

Bibi and Anonymous, you're not helping matters any with such horrible exegesis of God's word. That word, Anonymous, teaches that we are overcomers in the spiritual battle with Christ as our victor (1 John 5:4-5). As for all fat belonging to the Lord, bibi, it sounds like you are equating humans to sacrificial animals; you can't support that from the Old Testament (Lev. 20:2), let alone with what we learn about Christ's work for the Body of Christ under the New Covenant (Romans 3:25).

Cheers,
Tim

Wow. Just LOOKING at the cover makes me cringe and reminds me of those countless years standing in front of my mirror wishing (and praying - begging the Lord) that I would be thinner (and just to be clear, I'm not even on the heavy end of weight for my height. I'm average--maybe even thin-- and athletic). The author obviously had/has no CLUE what it's like to be a girl in the United States. The cover is just very, very sad.

I think it IS also important to point out that diet and exercise does NOT equal thin. Rage Against the Minivan just posted an article about a month ago about how the women athletes of the Olympics all look VERY different in size, while all being super healthy. I'll try to find the photo later and post the link up here. It's remarkable, and THAT is the image we should be showing to our children.

By the way, I thought the writing for this post was excellent. :)

Rachel (aka even one sparrow), I found the photo posted by Rage Against the Minivan you mentioned. It's an article she did for curvygirlguide, where the photo of the olympians is down the page a bit. Very interesting stuff there (http://www.curvygirlguide.com/self/what-fit-actually-looks-like/). It expands on what you wrote: healthy fitness is not a particular shape or look.

I think eating is one of the great blessings God has given us, yet like all the great blessings is so easily abused. (Is there really a hierarchy of blessings? You got me, but I'm going with it here.) If I could eat to satisfy hunger and taste, and not eat for those other reasons that sometimes motivate me like boredom or emotions, I'm sure I'd be honoring God with my taste buds. And speaking of great blessings, aren't taste buds wonderful? Seriously, can you believe God designed us to really enjoy how nutrition tastes? What another great blessing!

Cheers,
Tim

Thanks, Tim! And I really appreciated your comments on this post.

It's very important for children to learn healthy eating and exercise habits at an early age. Our country has been brainwashed, that BBW is normal, when in fact it is a sexual fetish.

Kids now spend most of their time inside playing video games, not outside playing baseball or running around.

We have overweight parents, who pass on their failed ideas of beauty, health and fitness to their kids and it's no wonder we an obesity epidemic in this country.

There are so many reasons to be fit it's not even funny.

-more potential life mate options. Outward beauty does matter.
-better job opportunities, fit people get more opportunities for the better jobs than overweight folks.
-Less mental illness issues.

For mothers and fathers, of daughters and sons you are doing them a TERRIBLE NEGLIGENT disservice if you teach them that its acceptable to be obese.

Young men wont have the confidence to ask girls out, so they end up chumps married to women (if they are lucky), who boss them around.

Young girls, have a hard time all around if they are obese. They guys they want to date, dont want anything to do with them, then if they concentrate on work/school, they are wasting their prime or what would of been their prime years on worthless HR, PR , Marketing Jobs that go no where because the promotions are going to the physically attractive women.

Then by the time they are in the 30's and alone, the guys their age are looking for the next crop of young women in their 20's to date, because men want young beautiful women.

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