The Beacon Street Diet

A new study (New York Times, reg. required) shows that the Beacon Street Girls novels, marketed as the antithesis to Gossip Girl (the series, not the show), may offer tween readers more than a simple self-esteem boost. Overweight teens lost more weight reading BSG books than those who did not read a book. The girls were only followed for three months or less, so it’s hard to tell what would have happened over a longer period of time.

The study also compares two groups of girls, one of which read Beacon Street’s Lake Rescue, a story about a relatable heroine who struggles with her weight, and the other read a book without an overweight main character. Those who read Lake Rescue lowered their BMI by .71 compared with .33 of the other group. Girls who did not read anything increased an average of .05.

From the Los Angeles Times:

“Although the numbers aren’t huge, a lot of overweight girls in that age group tend to gain more and more weight as they age,” Russell says. “The fact that they were able to lose weight is an important first step in reversing the trend. That might be enough to kick start them into adopting a more healthy lifestyle change.” She attributes the BMI reduction in the other book group to the fact that they were reading instead of watching TV, where they would most likely be exposed to food commercials.

Books have never been tossed around as a way to lose weight, but this study might give mothers a new option. Childhood obesity is such a touchy situation, because while parents don’t want to sit back and watch their child leap into a future of health problems, approaching a child about going on a diet could result in a lifetime of body insecurity.

So how can taking time out to read help with weight loss? We tend to overeat or mindlessly munch when we’re anxious or stressed about events in our lives, and kids are feeling stress at a much younger age these days. Sitting down with a good book and getting caught up in someone else’s day-to-day dramas allows us to get our minds off of our own situations. I’m not a tween and I’ve never read Beacon Street, but when I’m the brink of a meltdown with my college classes, nothing makes me feel as good as taking a half-hour to read a chapter of a book I’m reading for pleasure. And trust me, I’ve tried it all. The eat-a-pint-of-ice-cream route always seems like a good idea, but usually results in a sugar rush and an upset stomach. Reading equally-sugary chick lit brings no such problems.

And even if the pounds don’t drop off or stay off long term, at least tweens are reading again.