about DDs diet

[mylovelyfamily]

DD is sixteen.

She is slim but not skinny and weighs 8 stone. She is 5'3.

She only eats fruit and raw veg for breakfast and lunch and has done since the middle of year 9 (she read a magazine article about it.) She eats normally at dinner time.

She swims competitively and she trains at the gym as well.

Friends think I should be worried but she's not underweight at all - would you be worried?

What are they worried about?

I'm 5ft 2 and pre pregnancy weighed 7st 11. My bmi is in a healthy range. Infact when I was your DD's age I weighed 7 stone! My mum did worry then, I just didn't have a massive appetite.

I can't see how you have anything to be concerned about. Unless of course she is worried about her weight and using diet and exercise to control it when she doesn't need to.

It sounds healthy. If she has the energy to do all of that excercise then she must be getting what she needs through food.

She looks athletic and not skinny then sounds fine

thought so - they just thought she should be having more carbs and that being so rigid about her diet was indicative of an eating disorder., or potentially could become one I should say to be fair.

more carbs? What do they think fruit is?

I wouldn't be so concerned about lack of carbs but I would be about the lack of protein and fat, particularly with what sounds like a lot of exercise. I'd be encouraging her more towards having those with breakfast and lunch if I were you - she may be perfectly fine now but its likely to take its toll later healthwise. Would she be sold on how good for you things like lean protein, oily fish, nuts, nut butter and avocadoes are for you (and your sports performance)?

She absolutely won't - she is very rigid about her breakfast and lunch. She has an apple and a pear for breakfast and for lunch carrot sticks, 2 tangerines, a banana, strawberries and cucumber.

But then she'll have whatever we're having in the evening, including pudding.

Is she restricting her diet since she was 9 in order to be slim? That would worry me!

year 9 :) but yes, she's always been very restrictive about her diet or rather the timings of her meals and what she will eat when. Her "rule" for the last couple of years has been "nothing but fruit/veg before 6pm."

But she will eat plenty in the evening.

The restriction aspect would worry me more than anything else as well...

x post tugamommy

Unless she is eating an enormous amount in the evening (what is 'normal' dinner?) then that is pretty severe calorie restriction - particularly for a very active teenager - when you've listed it out like that mylovely.

But then surely her weight would plummet, and it hasn't? 'Normal' dinner is, well, anything really, roast dinner, fish pie, macaroni cheese, pizza - she will have takeaways - spaghetti Bolognese, stew ...

It's not the best relationship with food and may be a problem in the future. Although I don't think that diet is unhealthy. Also, not sure what you could do about it if she's that determined.... maybe not making an issue out of it is the best approach?....

I'd be concerned that she's set herself such a rigid 'rule'. Nothing but fruit or veg before 6pm? Why?

Don't know ... she read something in a magazine about it.

Weight is not the only metric to use to judge whether you're eating properly... How is her energy? Skin, hair and nails? Moods? Concentration? Menstrual cycle? Digestion? Teeth?

I agree with others that rigidly sticking to something she's read about in a magazine in order to control her weight is concerning. But if she is otherwise healthy, and doesn't show any other issues, and isn't getting "worse", then I would probably let her be and keep an eye on her rather than anything else...

Depending how competitive she is, a more balanced diet - with more protein and good fats - would almost definitely improve her sports/gym performance. But again, if she's not in it for the competition, then that's not really an issue.

Weight isn't the only indicator of health and if she has been restricting for a few years then her body will have adapted - its amazingly efficient at maintaining a set point of weight (within reason obviously). She's not literally starving but she is likely to be missing out on lots of EFA's and nutrients at a time in life when she needs it most.

What is most concerning is the level of control you describe though . What is the answer? Not sure, 16 year olds certainly aren't the best candidates for taking parents' advice on board - but the best thing IMO is to model healthy eating and a good relationship with food and body as parents....also is there anyone you know that she might view as fit and healthy that might have a chat with her about how they eat?

would not worry me as long as she is eating well, seems to work for her and if she is not overweight or underweigt whats wrong with it. assuming that she gets lots of variety at evening which it sounds like she does. FWIW I have fruit for breakfast and often just fruit or sald for lunch then a chicken or fish meal in the evening.

and x post lord!

Sounds a bit like rule making/controlling around food, possibly more along the lines of orthorexia. While the diet side of this sounds okay (but potentially a bit too low cal) it is whether it is connected to control that would be my concern.

Well, her hair and teeth are all lovely - she is competitive but with herself (does that make sense?) - she goes for distance/endurance swimming, not races.

I think she may be eating more than she lets on at times.

when she eats doesn't matter. It is what she eats, both content and quantity. Best averaged over a week.

if she has the suitable mix of complex carbs, protein, dairy, veg, a little fat and the other bits I've forgotten in suitable quantities then she's fine.

However if she really does think there's a magic clock in her stomach, (not clear from your post) she needs to pay attention in science lessons. Sorry, but there is too much scientific ignorance around and school is the time to prevent it.

If she looks healthy and eats well overall I think there is nothing to worry about. Making an issue out of it could make things worse.
My daughter is 16 and I wish she was as consistant as your daughter. She tends to be heatlhy for a few days then unhealthy for a few. Overall though I think she does just fine, she looks a picture of health and has bags of energy. I had eating disorders from my early teens until my mid twenties so I think they least issue made out food the better.

I would be concerned in your situation. Can I ask, how do you know her weight? Also, it is possible (I'm not saying this is the case) that she could be bingeing and purging in secret, hence not seeing dramatic weight loss. It is also true as a previous poster said, that with long-term restriction the body adapts. Her weight may also be artificially increased by muscle mass seeing as she is so active.

The diet is very restrictive (it DOES matter, especially to someone with food issues, whether the food is eaten at regular intervals or all in one go).

I'm not sure what I would do in your situation - have a look at the Beat website and see if you find more helpful advice there? GP's are usually pretty poorly informed about Eating Disorders and tend to look at height / weight as the sole measure of health, and of severity, so be prepared for that. Have you tried to have a non-threatening chat with her about your concerns?

I do agree that making an issue out of food is counter-productive - however, in the case of an Eating Disorder, all the evidence is that early intervention brings the best outcomes, and that denying a problem or assuming it is a phase that will pass, is usually damaging.