WASHINGTON, March 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Eating disorder advocacy groups unite to applaud First Lady Michelle Obama for her comments on her "Let's Move!" Google+ fireside hangout March 5. During the chat, attended by more than 3,500 viewers and moderated by Live with Kelly & Michael talk show co-host Kelly Ripa, Mrs. Obama stressed that a lifestyle of overall wellness, not size or weight, dictates health in the long run. 

According to The Huffington Post, Mrs. Obama told her hangout audience, "I have two young daughters. We never talk about weight. I make it a point. I don't want our children to be weight-obsessed. I want them to be focused on: What do I have to do, in this body --because everybody is different, every person's body is different-- what do I have to do to be the healthiest that I can be."

In a world where pressure to be a certain size and shape permeates our culture in an ever-saturating way, and in a world where eating disorders and body dissatisfaction impact younger and younger children, as well as older adults, we commend the First Lady for spreading this very urgent and necessary message: Health is not about weight or size, it is about overall wellness.

We hope individuals, especially parents and those in the medical field, take note of the First Lady's comments and begin to encourage health at every size, health that focuses less on weight and more on overall nutrition, movement, and emotional health.

Eating Disorder Advocates include: The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness, Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD), Binge Eating Disorder Association (BEDA), Eating Disorders Coalition (EDC), Families Empowered and Supporting Treatment of Eating Disorders (F.E.A.S.T.), Lisa Kantor, Kantor & Kantor LLP (attorney fighting for insurance benefits for eating disorder treatment), and Mothers Against Eating Disorders (MAED).

SOURCE Eating Disorders Coalition