Just a Little Too Thin: How to Pull Your Child Back from the Brink of an Eating Disorder [Paperback]

Michael Strober (Author), Meg Schneider (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 22, 2006

At a time when 81 percent of ten-year-old girls say they are afraid of being fat, early dieting is clearly a widespread problem. However, the difference between being "just a little too thin" and having a full-blown eating disorder can be hard for even the most involved parent to distinguish. Dr. Michael Strober and Meg Schneider's Just a Little Too Thin shows parents how to approach this problem proactively. First, it helps parents determine the severity of a child's weight issues by outlining the three stages of this slippery slope and the behavioral signs associated with each. The book then gives expert guidance on talking about weight and eating in ways that help a daughter cope with the emotional issues that feed her obsession. No matter where a girl rests on the continuum of eating behaviors, Just a Little Too Thin is an invaluable aid for parents intent on keeping their children emotionally and physically healthy in a world of unprecedented pressures.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As the title indicates, this thorough and informative guide targets teens who are teetering on the edge of a potential eating disorder, exhibiting warning signs yet still on the brink. At this delicate and precarious point, there are preventive measures concerned parents can take, which eating disorder authority Strober and psychologist Schneider clearly delineate in a user-friendly, approachable style. The dual authorship allows for not only a variety of illustrative anecdotes, but also for both the male and female perspective on body image. The book alerts parents to signs they may not have otherwise noticed, and presents a number of realistic scenarios and suggestions for parents to counter almost any situation that may arise in regard to burgeoning eating disorders. Although some of the advice may seem forced—such as initiating more conversations about "feelings"—the book's suggestions are easily adaptable. The call for more direct communication as well as a comprehensible breakdown of the various behaviors that can indicate a potential eating problem will give readers a firm grip on the issue, its dangers and ways to step in before it's too late.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Chesapeake Family, April 2011
“A parental favorite.”

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (August 22, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 073821079X
• ISBN-13: 978-0738210797
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,391,702 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Now I get it., September 9, 2005

By 

glad dad (Red Hook, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Just a Little Too Thin: How to Pull Your Child Back from the Brink of an Eating Disorder (Hardcover)

I am the father of an adolescent girl who has begun to worry about her weight. I haven't understood why as she is quite slim, but certainly can see she is a perfectionist. Up until now the only books I could find to understand what's happening to her were frightening and about actual illness. There wasn't anything about what could be happening to MY child now -- while she's still rather healthy. This book is totally great. I now understand where my daughter is on the dieting spectrum, I have a sense of how to read her behaviors and I even feel confident now talking to her about food, weight, and her desire to be thin. We're not fighting. We're actually talking. This is a book that seems to have helped me put each of us in a safer place. I highly recommend it to any parent who is seeing their child begin to obsess about her weight.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Should be read with STICK FIGURE by Lori Gottlieb, September 29, 2005

By 

Mother of Teen Girl (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Just a Little Too Thin: How to Pull Your Child Back from the Brink of an Eating Disorder (Hardcover)

Dr. Michael Strober provides excellent insight for parents of girls suffering from eating disorders. His combination of academic research and clinical experience makes his advice both practical and effective. There is no other guide like this out there.

Another excellent resource for parents is STICK FIGURE: A DIARY OF MY FORMER SELF by Lori Gottlieb. I heard a reading from both books tonight, and having both the doctor's and patient's points of views was invaluable. As a parent of a teen girl, I highly recommend reading both books together.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars David Feinberg, MD, September 27, 2005

By 

David Feinberg MD (Beverly Hills, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Just a Little Too Thin: How to Pull Your Child Back from the Brink of an Eating Disorder (Hardcover)

Dr. Michael Strober has taken his life's work, synthesized it, and encapsulated in a very well written, accessible text. Dr. Strober is known internationally in academic psychiatry and psychology as a "triple threat". This means he has the highest respect as a clinician, teacher and researcher. When it comes to eating disorders you want Dr. Strober to care for you; you want him to teach you and you want to follow his research findings. Now all of these arenas are covered in one place: Just a Little Too Thin: How to Pull Your Child Back from the Brink of an Eating Disorder. I consider this a must read for any patient or family dealing with anorexia as well as all students and clinicians interested in eating disorder.