Themes | Sample quotes |
---|---|
Diet/food strategies | |
Eat less quantity | “eat a little bit of food”, “don’t eat much”, “eat once a day”, “not eating so much food” |
Don’t eat/stop eating | “don’t eat”, “stop eating food”, “she eats nothing”, “not eat for two days or one” |
Change quality of food | “eat… proper food”, “good things, not sugar”, “carrots”, “veggies”, “stop eating lollies” |
Eat “healthy” food | "eat healthy food/stuff”, “she would eat hundreds of healthy food”, “she has to eat healthy fruit” |
Vague reference to food/eating | “cook food”, “just eat” |
Physical activity | |
Exercise | “do exercising ‘til he gets back to small”, “running”, “go to the gym” |
Active play | “jumping”, “go to the park and play” |
Other physiological strategies | |
Drink water | “drink water – lots and lots” |
Vomit or spit | “could vomit”, “get the food out”, “spit out all the food” |
Medical/ scientific interventions | “go to the doctor’s”, “go to the hospital”, “ask a scientist to make him back to normal” |
Go to toilet | “go on the toilet”, “do poohs” |
Have baby/take baby out | “getting the baby out of her tummy” |
Play (non-specific or sedentary) | “play”, “play outside”, “play with blocks”, “play video” |
Other physical mechanisms | “burp”, “blow her breath out”, “go under water” |
Negative implications of large size | |
Ostracism, withdrawal | “he's too fat, people would laugh at him”, “play with fat people”, “move away from the other girls”, “go in jail”, “she should kill herself and then she’ll grow back again” |
Disobedience | “be naughty – he’s lazy”, “shove people and push them” |
Should lose weight, change back | “[should] change back to the smaller one”, “go back to the body before” |
Negative/distressing implications | “sad and crying”, “I don’t want to change into that one…”, “fall over and smash people, he’s so fat” |
Positive implications | |
Getting stronger | “now he is very strong”, she’s healthier” |
No need to change /accept body | “stop talking about how she looks”, “can still do everything” |
Unrelated explanations | |
Magical or imagining | “by magic”, “a fairy would come”, “time machine”, “wish and wish and wish” |
Clothing responses | “put a belt on”, “take her clothes off”, “get different clothes on” |
Unsure/no response | “don’t know” |
Can't change | “he/she can’t [change back to the thinner figure]”, “it’s impossible”, “no way!” |