DD not eating!

[Ivebeentohellanditscalledikea]

I'm really concerned about my 15yr old DD she hasn't eaten more than one custard cream in the last week. Nothing I do will get her to eat and I'm so worried about her. Has anyone else experienced this and how did you deal with it?

No advice but didn’t want to read and run. Sending love I’m sure someone who can help will reply soon xx

Thank you. I think this whole lockdown is really getting to her. She usually gets time away from her brothers one who has asd and now we are all stuck hear and I feel she's not eating as a form of control over what's going on. She is very cleaver and I just don't know how to help her.

Could you give her some control in other areas? Like being in charge of cooking one day a week, or thinking of a family activity to do one evening.

I've tried asking her to help make dinners and she did do some cooking the other day but still just sat looking at it. She seems to have lost enthusiasm for anything as well. She just sits in her room and only interacts on our daily walk when she seems back to her old self.

If she really hasn’t eaten more than one custard cream in a week she needs to be seen by a dr. Is she drinking? Would she have soup, a smoothie, milkshake or an ice cream or something? Is she normally fit and well and a healthy weight? Is this a fear of foods she’s developed or just not hungry? Is she exercising?

She's drinking and constantly has a bottle of water with her. She comes out on walks with us every day and before this she would go for runs a few times a week. She's usually an ok eater maybe had the odd day where she would say she wasn't hungry. She is skinny but I wouldn't say in an unhealthy way. I will give the smoothie idea a go and even though they are absolute junk buy a couple of pot noodles that she likes. I get the feeling she's scared of putting on weight in the same way she's scared of falling behind with her school work.

Ds is 15 and has ASD, he has a really limited diet as far as what food he eats and he also eats very little. He has fainted before because of lack of food. I would be really concerned though if all he had eaten in a week is one biscuit.

He has seen the dietician as he's on the cusp of being clinicallly underweight and their only advice was to give him anything he will eat, even if it's full of sugar.

If she isn't eating at all I would make a telephone appointment with the gp. It does sound like it could be a control thing but she will start to feel quite unwell if she continues.

Hm. Maybe try and reassure her that if she puts on a little weight it’s not that hard to then lose it?

And have a focus on general health and keeping strong and healthy and find some exercise videos for her to do?

Also there is some good advice around on how we need to look after ourselves and not listen to the whole ‘if you don’t come out of this with a skill, you need to look at yourself’ stuff. Articles that focus on how we are in shock and need to be gentle on ourselves.

This sort of thing

www.upworthy.com/coronavirus-productivity-motivation-myths-dangers?fbclid=IwAR0p1IPR53Apq7HXBaYIxni-RlD_lGjWlH9XaCdhXno8AEAeTZ6FVQ26_bk

You need to jump on this and very quickly, she’ll get very unwell very quickly if she’s not eating and she doesn’t have the energy to be going on walks.

You have to get her eating, feel free to dm me, my d is recovering from an ED so I can point you in the right direction for meal coaching advice.

If she normally runs is it possible she has been hiding eating issues and only eats as she off sets with exercise? Some of the eating disorder forums might be helpful. Have you checked her phone to see if she is accessing any ED, dieting or pro ana material? She does sound depressed if nothing else

Thank you everyone. I am going to call the drs. She agreed to one slice of toast and has so far over an hour picked at a third of it. She doesn't have a smart phone as she's anti social media so don't think she's on those sort of forums as she uses my laptop for school work.