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Eating disorders

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Advice please

4 replies

ThisPinkPlayer · 09/01/2025 11:27

Hi there,
long time lurker first post here. I’m looking for advice on how to sit down and discuss this with my son 22, most likely NSD, that he has an eating disorder. He’s 6ft 3 and very very slight , grew two inches over the summer ! I only found out this due to a suit hire fitting a few months later. I have had discussions around healthy eating , cutting back on sugary drinks , monsters coke etc but he works from home on line . Unsociable hours so has his first break at 7pm I try and have his dinner ready.

what’s happening is :- he won’t like the dinner eat a tiny amount and will cook something later. This tends to be pasta with Parmesan cheese. He’ll then before starting work at 2pm he’ll get a chicken roll , crisps from supermarket. He vapes and drinks energy drinks . Eating little or no protein at all. I’ve suggested and done the following:-
smoothies , having wraps ready , cooking his fav dinner ( all but rarely eats it all). We’ve talked he’ll “eat” well for 2-3 days and then ronde and repeat. He would have some depression episodes also .

Won’t go back to GP, won’t go to counselling, says he’s fine and withins normal bmi won’t recognise the 2inches he grew in the summer. I’ve 4 kids , he’s second son. Husband says let him be I was a skinny kid. My other adult kids say he’s got very unhealthy issues around food and he needs help ( they gym bunnies eating cooking al the time ) and they think he does it to be different ( goth style etc) and to wind me up .

Im looking for some fact base information or links that I can show him re his health his future health if he continues living on pasta and cheese, his dental health also as his personal hygiene can be hit and miss.think would be when I feel he is depressed.

sorry is to long , he’s a gentle soul and a lovely boy but I need to get him to see what damage he is doing . Thank you for reading .

pink player

OP posts:
username299 · 09/01/2025 16:15

He doesn't sound like he's got an eating disorder, he cooks his own food and he eats. He's not eating well but he's a grown man and knows that.

ThisPinkPlayer · 10/01/2025 12:55

Thank you for your feedback, I suppose I do tend to still think of him as a teen rather than young adult. We had a good chat yesterday and I’m introducing some new meal planning with his input .
thanks

OP posts:
TinyMouseTheatre · 11/01/2025 08:48

I think at 22 all you can do is to talk to him about the issues surrounding energy drinks and how it's supper important to keep his teeth clean. Does he have a regular dental check up? Abc does he get a say in what you prepare for his tea?

ThisPinkPlayer · 11/01/2025 09:40

Thank you for replying . That’s the thing I think I’m cooking or supplying foods that my other children prefer. So in our chat recently I’ve told him I want a list of food he likes and I’ll prep some of that on a Sunday. Re the vapes I’ve told him it’s so unhealthy I’ve a heart condition and I asked my consultant and re risks to the young people on vapes energy drinks fast food and it’s going to be detrimental to his future health. He took that on board so far he’s eating everything on his shelf ( I’ve left a shelf for him in the fridge) since our talk. His hygiene I feel is related to his mental health.
is equally as hard when they are older living at home he’s 22 but I feel in developmental years more like 16/17 yr. He’s dyslexic but I 100% think he’s on the spectrum . And I’ve talked to him re this and he agrees I just wish he would talk to someone a professional to give him coping mechanisms to deal with his attitude via food , hygiene etc

OP posts:
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