As a physician specializing in eating disorders, I see many young women who first learned to dislike their bodies or learned to diet from women in their families, including their mothers.  When I speak with mothers about this, I usually advise a number of things: 1.            Recognize that your daughters learn from watching what you do, not what you say.  If you express body dissatisfaction (“aren’t my thighs huge” or “I wish I was skinny like you”) in front of your children (because boys can develop disordered eating as well) or if they see you dieting or not eating, the message they get will be that dieting is what women ...Read more »