Wow does this post hit home for me. I have always worked to have my teenage step daughter Madison love herself and be confident at any size. This past summer she began exercising and skipping meals to lose weight. I saw the beginnings of a problem and her father and I both spoke with her about the importance of focusing on being healthy and respecting her body rather than worrying about what the scale says. Unfortunately the problem became far more severe when she went back to college. When Maddy came home for Thanksgiving break even thinner but claiming to be "In the best shape of my life." She boasted about discovering how great tofu with hot sauce was and running for an hour every day. Again I had another heart to heart with her. Telling her how concerned I was for her health and urging her to eat healthy foods...just more of them. By the end of the break she claimed to understand that she had a problem but she wanted to fix it on her own. Unfortunately there was no improvement. Upon her arrival home for Christmas break she appeared to have lost even more weight. I urged my husband to contact his ex-wife and her new husband so we could all decide a plan of action for her and present a united front. We decided meeting with a doctor, a nutritionist, and a counselor would be to her best advantage. I also had Madison speak with a close friend of mine who is also a personal trainer. Throughout this entire experience I have tried to be positive and supportive. I have done research, contacted an excellent counselor for her and attempted to quietly monitor her eating habits while not commenting on them. It has been heartbreaking and stressful seeing her continue to skip meals and pick at her food. I even went to the gym around 9am one morning when she was supposed to be at a meeting with her nutritionist and was surprised to see her show up there. I then found out her appointment wasn't actually until noon. During all of these unhappy, uncomfortable interactions I kept my own council and let her father know what was going on (he has long work hours). Several days ago Maddy decided to let me know how *my* behavior was affecting her. She told me that she could tell that I was "watching" every time she ate and she didn't like it. I let her know that every time I walked in to my kitchen it wasn't necessarily to monitor her every move...sometimes it was just to make some tea. I also let her know how worried I was about her and how serious this issue has become. She is so thin at this point that her menstrual cycle has stopped. She has argued with every expert that she has spoken with and is not following the meal plan the nutritionist gave her. I'm concerned that she has been sneaking off to the gym to exercise. However now she has made the focus of her problems me. It is hurtful, frustrating and defeating. Meanwhile she is telling her father that she really is trying and we need to trust her. I am sick with worry about her, but at the same time I can't wait till she goes back to college (we have set up contacts and appointments with a nutritionist and counselor at school) because I'm tired of being vilified and feeling uncomfortable in my own home. I feel like I've been tied in knots since November. I love her so much and an so scared for her and am so hurt to be rejected by her. I just don't know what to do. This isn't where I wanted our relationship to be. She's 19, I was hoping our step parent/child relationship would be developing into a friendship...however I feel like it's the worst it's ever been. I am open to any suggestions, I'm just heart sick.

Fat has always been my protective coat and I have been struggling to remove the layers most of my adult life. Since the birth of my little girl, now seven, I have been more conscience of how girls need positive roll models and a healthy sense of self-esteem and self-confidence especially in regards to body image. After seeing a "busty Barbie" at the store, I was outraged at what was being presented to our daughters. Instead of flying off the handle and being negative about it, I started a social media campaign to post tips and ideas on how to raise healthy children. It's called "The Positive Self". I will definately include this post on the FB page. Thanks for sharing your story!

I am celebrating my body image. Another thing you can quiet your "inner critics" is to give thanks to God for your body image. I did just that this morning, and I feel great. I am grateful that Kourtney Kardashian lost all the baby weight, and can fit into her bikini. But I'm also grateful for my body too.

I totally understand what you went through. Although I didn't get fat at my early age, now that I'm 34, I am fighting it to. Not my weight; but to love myself. I do love myself; but it's not easy when ads and celeb reports constantly rubs the "Bikini" body in your face. I just watched a video of Kourtney Kardashian; and they pointed out her bikini body by the pool after she had her son. Don't get me wrong. Congrats to her, and I'm not mad at her. I just want to strangle that reporter who reported on her bikini bod for all the wrong reasons. He even went so far to try to make it a competition between Kourtney and her sister, Kim. But thank God that he loves me just the way I am. And thank God that I love me just the way I am. No matter what my body image looks like. And thank God that there are celebs who are finally seeing the light. :)