Water-Loading

[wallplug789]

Hi, To cut a long story short, DD is 15. Her BMI is 17, seen the doctor, and we've got 3 weeks, currently in week 2. I thought we were doing ok, stressful but ok, and now I've read that people with an eating disorder can "water load". She's now eating 3 meals a day, but drinks loads of water, I mean loads. What is water loading? How much is needed to water load? Am I worrying un-necessarily?
Thanks in advance.

never heard of water loading but you can drink enough water to make yourself very ill. Look up water poisoning & try to get her to stay in safe limits.

I'm not sure about the medical term however, I know some anorexic women drink a ton of water before a weigh.

Whist I was recovering from non purging bulimia I used to do this when I wanted to avoid a binge, I just drank loads and loads of water all in one go to give me that horrid over full feeling without the calories.

Water is a great way of feeling full without any calories attached. I would guess that's probably what she's going for.

You can also flush loads of good salts and minerals out which make you feel terrible. If she insists on carrying on try and encourage her to drink something like dyrolyte (sp?) to make sure she's keeping her salt levels up

Thanks for the advice, will do.

I drink lots to make me feel fuller without having to eat food. It curbs the hunger pains for a while as well as helping you be heavier for a weigh in.

Try to insist on no water before a meal to ensure she has space for food and make sure she is within recommended limits of water intake as too much can be dangerous.

Thanks Snowberry

My DD drinks a lot of water and green tea. I have to insist on her only having a smoothie or milk or squash with meals and snacks. (about 250-300 ml).

^DD has anorexia.

I agree with both the points that dancingqueen makes. In particular if she is drinking continuously while eating the three meals a day, it's a known technique for making it easier to purge afterwards. Keep a very discreet eye on what she does after the meal - the idea is not to challenge her as she will be upset and defensive if this is why she's drinking so much - just so that you know what's going on. It's also very common to drink a lot of water if you're being weighed, as it obviously adds artificial weight.
Hopefully yes, you are worrying unnecessarily but better to be aware of what might be going on. Good luck.

Water loading is a very worrying thing to do, look out for drinking litres at a time in the hours before a weigh in (as well as extra/heavy clothes, things in pockets, heavy shoes, weights sewn into clothing). It is so easy to give yourself a fatal electrolyte imbalance, which is sometimes what kills marathon runners or other athletes who over hydrate.

Excessive intske of water over the very long term could be because she is throwing up - makes it easier to do and obviously you feel thirsty afterwards. Purging itself carries a risk of electrolyte imbalance.

There is also a heath/pro ana myth that drinking water helps you lose weight, so check her internet history.

However the body is quite good at maintaining homeostasis if it doesn't have to deal with vast amounts of water at once, just be aware that anorexia can also result in fluid restriction.

It is really hard to deal with. I'm sorry.