“This is Us” star Chrissy Metz—whose character, Kate Pearson, struggles with obesity—recalls being shamed by her stepfather for being overweight as a teen. “He would weigh me in the kitchen or threaten to lock the cupboards,” Metz said recently on “The Jamie Kern Lima Show.” Metz, 44, first disclosed her childhood struggles with weight in her 2018 memoir, “This Is Me: Loving the Person You Are Today.
” Eating disorder experts say it would have been better for the stepfather to turn to professionals for advice. Overeating is a mental disorder that can be exacerbated by parental influence and how a person feels about themselves, according to Alexandra Miles, founder of Project Blackbird, a nonprofit that aims to destigmatize eating disorders and mental health issues. “Rather than to shame, it may be more beneficial to replace processed snacks and snacks with additives with healthy snacks to manage food cravings,” Miles told The Epoch Times on Oct.
27. “Education about caloric density is also more beneficial than deprivation and will serve for a healthy lifestyle psychologically.” Locking a refrigerator or restricting access to food is counterproductive, according to psychologist and eating disorder recovery coach Lara Zibarras.
“It doesn’t address the underlying compulsion to eat,” Zibarras told The Epoch Times on Oct. 27. “Parents should focus on open communication with their child to understand what may be going on emotionally and physically.
