Anorexia.
 

I think my 11 yr old Daughter may have a problem with this.

This last week she has been throwing her Packed Lunch Away,also she has stopped eating stuff Kids her age should eat like Sweets.

She has started eating all the Healthy Stuff,Like Salads and stuff,she has cut out eating Breakfast at home with her mother.

When i asked why?All she said is i want to be like Victoria Beckham:eek:

11yr old and she weighs 7st,no sine of flab anywhere.

Could this be a phase she is going through,or should it be nipped in the bud now.
Anyone here had simular experiences with there Kids?

Now next week packed lunch will consist of rabbit food sarnies lets see if she throws these away.

Or should i just shock her into the dangers of Anorexia before it becomes to late,or am i just worrying to much?

Your not worrying to much,thats what parents are for,sit her down and talk to her:thumb:

Come on you lot,,,,,,someone else must have some advice for a serious subject.

Personally I'd sit down and have a chat with her, show her that you're worried about her but wouldn't necessarily try the shock tactic right out of the box as you may find it counter productive.

Just my opinion, of course.

surely 7 st isnt too low for an 11 year old tho,my ex was healthy enough and was only 7 st 6 and she was a hell of a lot older than 11 but she was only 5 ft.But she is at an impressionable age,if you are worried just keep an eye on things,dont make a big scene about it and pack things she might think are healthy but do have a high calorific content like peanuts.

Have a word, but don't try to shock her. There is nothing wrong with changing her diet to be more healthy (rather than eating junk food), but let her know that to keep her weight in check it's better to eat regularly to keep the motabilism going.

Along with being active, it's a more sensible way of controlling weight and size than starving herself.

I don't have an 11 year old daughter, but I did have an ex with Bulemia (sp?), so my experiance is limited. I would say that if she is eating healthy food then you've nothing to worry about.

She's a role model to lots of young girls - don't worry

I wouldn't, she's probably quite clued up on it already, you don't want to embarrass her would you. You want her to come to you with her problems.

Anyway, I hope she's okay.

Having a 13yo daughter myself I actually think it may be a fad, one of her friends of a group have probably decided to stop eating sweets etc, however it may be worth keping an eye out for just in case it isn't a fad, if it is concerning you then at 11 she should be grown up enough to talk too.

I do hope it is nothing to worry about and sadly there isnt a handbook for bringing up kids on what is right or wrong to do, all you can do is your best.

Cheers for the reply,have sat her down for a chat,and she now understands the dangers of not eating Properly and what it can do.

Will have to moniter it over the next few weeks.

The thing that worried me was she showed me a pic of what she wanted to look like and it was all skin and bones,every rib showing.
Hopefully our little chat has done some good.

Cheers everyone for there Reply's ya all stars.

Nowt wrong with NOT eating sweets. It's the eating of them that's the problem ... And my missus is about 5' 6" and 42 - and is 7 1/2 st. So I wouldn't worry ...

Dave

Hello

You should make sure that you sit down with her and make sure that you are involved in her new diet. Depending on what is in her packed lunch, she may just feel that it is healthier to have salads etc.. than sandwiches (it is!).

Cocktails of fruit smoothies for breakfast is high in all the good things and filling, then salad for lunch and something healthly for tea will keep the nutritional values up without being perceived as being full of calories.

I personally don't think that this is the start of anorexia. I have unfortunately had way too much experience with it and bulimia.

Steve

Hmmm.... I am not so sure you can have logical sit down chats with 11 year olds. Of course have a chat but I would be very watchful and if you have a friendly GP I would personally have a word on the QT about your concerns and ask about what you should be looking out for aside from weight changes. It's probably a fad but just in case......... Best of luck. dl

Mick
Don't big it up, it will make her think it is cool.Just watch her and how she is eating, and let her know that at 11yrs, her body is changing. It's normal.
My daughter is very aware of the changes at the moment as she is 13, I am just letting her know it is part of growing up and will settle down.
She said, I want no hips like you Mam, charming child :lol1:
Good luck :)

As mentioned above, this is probably just a phase she's going through.

You have a PM.

Cheers

Kev.

Better than having a fat kid.

It's fairly common and has a lot more to do with self image, and perception of self image than the eating or lack of it. Someone close to me has been bulimic for quite some time and its a bit of a vicious circle.
Definitely keep an eye on her and make sure she at least eats when she sits down for the family meal - like others have said, there's nothing wrong with wanting to eat healthily but stay on your toes for any other changes in her behaviour.

Keep a close eye on the situation and my advice would be to know all the details of eating disorders so you can spot the warning signs and tackle it early.
Is she internet conversant and allowed web access? There are some VERY scary sites around and I would be very carefull what she is exposed too.
All the best, Ive experienced it first hand and I would`nt wish it on anyone.

i would echo most of what has already been said (ie the helpful stuff) and having seen at least 5 people going through this over the years would suggest that little comments like "you can't drive a car without putting petrol in it" - ie you need to eat to survive and be healthy, can have quote a positive effect over time.

someone i know through work went through this with his daughter. the school (same school i went to coincidentally - a catholic secondary with very "strong" morals...apparently) excluded her as they thought she would be a bad influence. how short sighted is that!!

I would just like to add that only when she is eating in front of you can you be sure she has actually consumed anything. If she has become anorexic, then she is likely to want to hide it from you. People can go to all sorts of extremes to hide something away.

Breakfast is the most important meal in the day. It should not be optional. The body's ability to function and learn is greatly affected if there is no decent breakfast.

I'm not sure how you should go about achieving this, but by one means or another she needs to keep in the habit of eating breakfast before school. Just imo of course.