Abstract
This paper discusses Mimi Richter's book on teen dieting and how parents can cope with it. It details several extensive research interviews with a large group of girls over an extended period of time and looks at what teen girls and their parents had to say about the issues of body image and weight control. It discusses the whole female body weight issue in American culture from an anthropological point of view.

From the Paper
"In the book Fat Talk: What Girls and their Parents Say about Dieting, the author Mimi Richter looks at one aspect of teen culture "perceptions of body image" from an anthropologist's standpoint. The author explains why she feels an examination of these issues from outside the medical community is important. She reports that she sees many articles in magazines, newspapers and other sources about eating disorders, but notes that only 1 - 3% of teens actually have some kind of eating disorder. She describes this kind of exaggeration "a propensity to pathologize youth" (p. 2). "

Tags:diet, teen, culture, body, image, anthropology

Abstract
This case study attempts to assist a patient with her dieting program by providing insights into the cognitive continuum theory and her maladaptive automatic thought pattern and erroneous assumptions, attitudes and beliefs on which she is basing her lack of will power.

From the Paper
"The medical community is now convinced that a majority of depressive disorders may be nothing more than the result of some maladaptive, voluntary or involuntary, defense strategy that usually is based on some insecure attachment. This implies that X may be working on a false assumption when she says she is an 'all or nothing' person. Thus, the first thing X needs to understand is that she is most likely basing her decision that her will power may not be sufficient to maintain her planned eating program is some type of cognitive defense strategy."

Tags:dieter, counselor, lost, pounds, motivation, undiagnosed, mental, disorder, adhd, ocd

Abstract
This paper examines diet jokes and the Israeli women's attitude towards the diet culture. An analysis of jokes connected to dieting. An examination of the attitudes of women towards the pressures of dieting by relating to the themes revealed in diet jokes. The thesis is supported by interviews with Israeli women and participation in an Israeli weight watchers group.

Contents
Chapter 1:
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Origins of the ?Diet Culture?
1.3 Diet Culture Ideology
1.4 Feminist Critique of the ?Diet Culture?
1.5 Studying Culture through Humor
1.6 Overview of Following Chapters
Chapter 2: Field Methods:
2.1 The Field
2.2 The Research Population
2.3 Participant Observation as a ?Native Anthropologist?
2.4 Text Analysis
Chapter 3: Diet Humor
3.1 The Difference between Diet Jokes and Fat Jokes
3.2 Themes in Diet Humor:
A. Diet Rules and Practice
B. Diet Products
C. Diet Culture Ideology
D. Clothes and Fashion
E. Diet Culture, Food and Social Interaction
Chapter 4: Discussion and Conclusions
4.1 Diet Humor as Resistance
4.2 Diet Humor as Solidarity between Women
4.3 Conclusion
Bibliography
Appendix

From the Paper
"This M.A. thesis is an ethnographic study of humor produced and used by young Israeli women who are part of the Israeli "diet culture". The goal of this thesis is to answer the questions: what is "diet humor?" How does it relate to "diet culture?" What impact does it have on the everyday lives of young women in Israel and to answer the additional question: does the appearance of "diet humor" signify a form of resistance to the prevailing "diet culture?" As I will discuss further on in this chapter, "diet culture" is very closely linked to consumer culture (Bordo, 1995, Featherstone, 1991) and the capitalist market (Turner, 1982). Advertisers and the mass media, which are financed by advertising, construct its images. Purchasing and using a range of aggressively marketed diet "products" carry out its practices. In Israel, that seems to idealize American culture, many diet culture images and products have been imported from the USA and are currently being marketed by Israeli companies."

Tags:diet, humor, jokes, resistance, women, culture, food

Abstract
This paper analyzes and examines the issue of women and dieting. In Part II it discusses how women have come to perceive themselves as sex objects. Part III examines the various eating disorders and diets women follow to attain this perfect body image. Part IV outlines ways in which women are now finally coming to terms with reality and the fact that women do not and cannot all be carbon copies of what they see in magazines, movies, newspapers, and television.

From the Paper
"The idealized female body as seen in the media is tall, toned, and thin. Women who are thin are seen as in control and exude power and self-confidence whereas overweight women are seen as lazy and lacking self-discipline. What most individuals overlook is the fact that advertising and media use many different techniques to create perfect images of female beauty. For example, we do not see the body doubles and computer retouching used to manipulate images. In reality, most women portrayed as sex objects in the media do not look that way in everyday, normal life."

Tags:image, reality, pressure, social, advertisement, self-security, disorder, diet, perfection

Abstract
This paper reviews several behavioral change methods including the Stages of Changes Method, Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and the Health Belief Model (HBM). Next, the author highlights the five stages of behavior change needed by an individual to apply accurately the behavioral change method required to help him alter his diet. The paper presents an altered menu and grocery shopping list that an individual can use to make the necessary change in their diet and health. The paper includes an illustration of the change process.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Methods
Menu
Breakfast
Brunch
Lunch
Supper
Dinner
Results

From the Paper
"In the first stage of the pre-contemplation, the problem with the health is obvious, whether or not it is recognized by the individual. If the individual does acknowledge the problem, he or she does not really resolve to take steps for its solution. In this stage, the individual mainly recognizes the problem and gathers all knowledge that is directly or indirectly linked to the problem as well as recognizes how his or her problem affects his or her environment through the process of observation. Here the method applied basically is to increase the awareness of the individual to the problem through indirect, subtle and at times direct dialogue."

Tags:stages planning contemplation, smaller proportions, efficient

Abstract
In this article, the writer discusses the "Hungry Girl" website that is devoted to cataloging low-calorie products, diet advice, and other forms of information presumably of interest to female dieters. The writer notes that female thinness as a visual social value rather than a health issue is reinforced through every section of the site, specifically female thinness. The writer points out that the need for help in the pursuit of thinness is also important because the young, female website surfer might fall into a high-calorie craving trap. The writer concludes that the message of "Hungry Girl" is that women are supposed to be 'consumed' by thoughts of food, rather than consuming unapproved food and that they should wish to be thin for thinness' sake, not for health reasons..

From the Paper
"Female thinness as a visual social value rather than a health issue is reinforced through every section of the site, specifically female thinness. The need for help in the pursuit of thinness is important as well, because the young, female website surfer might fall into a high-calorie craving trap without Hungry Girl's 'nice' girlfriend-like advice, or keeping track of calories and Weight Watchers points. The female-focused nature of the site is obvious from its title, but also in terms of the foods stressed on the site, like chocolate, which presumably all females wish to consume around 'that time of the month.' Also, the target audience seems to be single females, given that almost all the recipes are in single servings, and seems unlikely to be palatable to anyone but a dieter."

Tags:low-calorie, weight, control, thinness

Abstract
A study of diets in the American teenagers life and society, looking at the effect and results.

Tags:diets, in, vogue

Abstract
This paper explains why most popular fad diets, particularly Atkins, are based on faulty, unproven theories. It also describes some of the health problems that may accompany such diet programs.

From the Paper
"It has been commonly known for ages that the food we eat provides us with energy in the form of calories. We consume these calories in our bodies for our body functions - the amount of calories burnt depending mainly on the nature and duration of physical activity and to a lesser degree, on metabolic differences in individuals due to genetic reasons. If our calorie-intake is greater than our calorie-consumption, we put on weight; if our intake is less than our consumption we lose weight. Low carb diets such as Atkins' purport to circumvent this basic fact of nutrition and attribute the weight loss to factors such as insulin resistance, ketosis, and increased fat burning. On closer scrutiny, however, it becomes apparent that such claims have no scientific basis and the low carb fad diets carry significant health risks."

Tags:low-carb, reduced, carbohydrate-intake, proteins, fats, weight, loss, induction, phase

Abstract
The paper discusses the demographics, habits, reasons, causes and effects, benefits treatment and otherwise of persons involved in smoking, alcohol, exercise and diet. The paper notes that alcohol consumption and smoking is on the upswing amongst youth of today.

Outline:
Smoking
Alcohol
Exercise and Diet

From the Paper
"A person can keep himself healthy by maintaining a healthy diet. Often, a person may lose or gain weight while in college. A person may gain weight because of poor eating habits or he tends to overeat because of nervousness. Others may not eat because of stress, lack of money or development of eating disorders. There is an alarming rise among college girls developing eating disorders. Nearly 90% of girls who develop these disorders are 20 years old. Whether a person is suffering from an eating disorder or is just not eating right, he should talk to a nutritionist to determine how he can improve his eating habits. "

Tags:circulation, of, blood, physical, activity, withdrawal, symptoms

Abstract
The ability of life to adapt to new environments is one of the principle foundations of Natural Selection. The paper shows that, given the great importance of diet on the course of our evolutionary past, it is astounding that more research has not been conducted on the origins of our dieting habits. The literature that has been written on the subject of diet has taken on many forms. Some researchers have focused on the social origins of diet and how it affects different categories of people, while others have focused on the cognitive functions behind different dieting behaviors. This literature review examines some of the past research that has been conducted and attempts to put this research into an evolutionary based frame.

From the Paper
"This model theorizes that females, since females bear young, would establish small groups near a constant food source in order to ensure the health of young offspring. Males, on the other hand, would have a larger territory that would encompass several smaller female groups. Males would roam this territory and be constantly on the move, allowing for males to eat a wider (but less constant) diet. Males would therefore have a predisposition to eat anything that could be eaten, and therefore care less about the "healthy" aspect of the foodstuff. Females, having maintained a constant source of food over several generations, would be more selective with their caloric intake and only choose to eat the healthier foods."

Tags:cognitive, nutrition, dieting, HPF